4 Years with MM---Part 1

March 30 is my fourth year aniversary with MM. I first went to my GP on February 23, 2009 complaining of a gait problem. It felt as I was forever walking on a mattress; no pain only an odd feeling when I walked. The GP didn't know what the problem was; however, she perceived I was not faking; thus she began a testing program. Simple blood and simple X-rays gave way to more complex blood tests and cat scans/MRIs. While this was going on, I literally could feel strength flowing out of my body. About 4 weeks into the testing program, elevated IGG, M-spike, and Kappa Light Chains along with a lesion on my upper right arm were detected. At that point, I was referred to a H/O for follow up. Here the H/O repeated much of the blood testing; again when high IGG, M-spike, and Kappa Light Chains were detected; a bone marrow analysis was scheduled. The bone marrow results took 5 working days to come; but they showed about 30% involvement. I got these results on March 30, 2009; this is my "official" diagnosis day. Within just a few days I was on Velcade and Dexamethosome plus Zometa to strengthen my bones. Overall I have never experienced any pain; and I have had no broken bones. I still have gait issues along with some managable neuropathy; my biggest complaint is weakness or lack of strength. I haven't spent the night in the hospital nor have I had truely bad days. My GP was initially stumped but she didn't give up. Continued testing resulted in diagnosis. From start to finish from the first doctor visit to the "official" diagnosis was about 5 weeks. Over the next few weeks, I will review for this blog my personal and treatment history.