Hello Doctor, My mother has multiple myeloma . She had a bone marrow transplant approximately 2 years ago, however the MM has returned. She has chosen not to undergo another transplant and instead is undergoing chemo and taking various medicines to prolong her life. Apparently, her counts were at 4000 and have been reduced to 200 which her oncologist is pleased with. What do these counts refer to? My mom has also been experiencing severe leg pain when she goes off a certain medicine and her oncologist indicated it was due to her type II diabetes . The pain is severe and unbearable. She reduced the dose as her doctor recommended but to no avail. She is instead going to skip her meds next month against the docs advice so naturally I am concerned about the consequences. My second question is what are the ramifications of her skipping her dose and thirdly, are there any comfort measures we can perform to alleviate her pain?
It is not advisable to skip medicines without doctors advise. The very fact that she has undergone transplant indicates that she was educated well about the disease. Count refers to white blood cell count. Some myeloma medicines can pain and altered sensation in hands and feet and doctors dose adjust when the symptoms are troublesome. Please ask your doctor clearly all your doubts and ask for supporting medicines to allay symptoms of pain. But it is not advisable to stop therapy on your own