MM is a sneaky bastard, so it's hard to diagnose. So many of us go to chiropractors or PT first when the bone pain hits.

I think the staging definitely has a different significance in mm than in for instance breast cancer or lung cancer. MM by its nature is multiple and so not metastasized for one thing and it’s just so different from a cancer with a tumor as its biggest “ problem” and then in later stages a metasticis. Also if you have stage 2 you can have many charactistics of stage one and just one of stage 2 and you’re still in stage 2. And no matter what the stage if your body responds well to treatment it’s a win.

The first thing I learned was MM diagnosis is often overlooked because as it attracts the cells in certain organs it gives the impression that it’s that organ is the problem. For example, I was first diagnosed with kidney disease and receiving treatment, but the doctor later discovered it was MM. And that often happens when the doctor aren’t familiar with MM.

Yes and my oncologist at first couldn’t find any signs of multiple myeloma which floored me cause my pc doctor said all my symptoms pointed to multiple myeloma so I thought maybe I don’t have mm but the oncologist wanted to do more testing like a bone marrow biopsy and that’s where he found it. Symptoms were anemia weak fatigued severe constipation horrible lower back pains.
I took vitamins all the time to keep going and worked very hard at 2-3 jobs so I pushed myself to the limit at age 69. All of a sudden I just couldn’t not go to work that morning too weak cold back pains and felt so tired.

My husband was stage 3 when finally confirmed it was MM. He had lots of symptoms and it took some time to get into hematologist.