Symptoms and Complications
During the early stage of the disease, you may not even be aware that you have multiple myeloma. Some symptoms of the disease include:
- bone pain in your back or ribs
- fatigue
- infections
- weakness in your legs
Fatigue related to anemia is common in people with multiple myeloma. This is due to a decrease in the number of red blood cells that can develop in the bone marrow. Overall, this causes a decreased oxygen supply to the body.
Signs of multiple myeloma may also include an increase of:
- proteins in your blood or urine. These proteins (also known as monoclonal proteins or M proteins) are produced by myeloma cells and may impair kidney function.
- calcium in your blood. This indicates that calcium from your bones is entering your blood due to damage caused by the myeloma cells.
The increase of calcium in your blood may lead to such symptoms as:
- constipation
- diminished appetite
- frequent urination
- nausea
- thirstiness
Bone fractures (broken bones) are another sign of the disease.