[komaltanna]

Should my 81-year-old dad start standard therapy?

by komaltanna on Tue Jul 26, 2016 4:35 pm

Hi,

My 81 year old dad was diagnosed 5 weeks ago with stage 3 multiple myeloma and creatinine levels of over 11. With the help of immediate dialysis and the support of alternative medicine, his creatinine levels are at 3.6 now. We have been asked to hold off dialysis for the time being.

Given his fragile system, we are holding off on the chemotherapy until we see him recover more. His urea levels are high, and he has the typical symptoms of loss of appetite, loss of taste, and is generally quite tired and weak. Thankfully no other aches and pains.

Before being diagnosed, he complained of back ache and knees hurting. Sadly, we thought it was age-related.

Are there people on this forum who have not taken any chemotherapy and, if so, how have they coped? How effective is the chemo on elderly people? How do they cope?

Thanks,

kt

[Multibilly]

Re: Should my 81-year-old dad start standard therapy?

by Multibilly on Wed Jul 27, 2016 8:56 am

KT,

Sorry to hear about what your dad is going through.

Under the guidance of a good multiple myeloma specialist with appropriate drug selection and dosing, your dad would likely respond well to treatment with manageable side effects.

The most important thing you could be doing for your dad is to seek out a top multiple myeloma specialist to help map out a treatment plan with the rest of his medical team. If you let us know what city your dad is in, folks on this forum can make some recommendations.

You might also want to read through this article:

Willan, J., et al, "Multiple myeloma in the very elderly patient: challenges and solutions," Clinical Interventions in Aging, April 2016 (full text of article)