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
- frequent infections
- weakness in your legs
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
- increased thirst
Overgrowth of myeloma cells disrupts the production of normal cells in the bone marrow. This causes an impaired immune system and a decrease in the number of red blood cells. Decrease in red blood cells can lead to anemia and fatigue, which is common in people with multiple myeloma. Bone fractures (broken bones) are another complication of multiple myeloma.