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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Have Multiple Myeloma And Myelodysplastic Syndrome. Hospitalized For Fluid Around Heart And Lungs. How Long Can I Survive Without Treatment?

Hello I am the caregiver to my 85 year old father in law. He was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and Myleodysplastic Syndrome in February 2011. He has been receiving transfusions for the past year 2-3 units every 3-4 weeks his HGB never goes above 10 low is usually 7 platelet count is usually 24-27. was receiving weekly injections of procret 0000. Recently he was hospitalized and had over 3 liters of fluid removed from around his heart and lungs. He has decided he no longer wishes to receive Medical intervention. Hospice has be ordered out to our home. I am curious as to how long he can sustain without treatment?
Mon, 23 Sep 2013
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Oncologist, Surgical,  's  Response
It would have been better had your father-in-law been able to receive chemotherapy for his disease. However, i presume that in view of his advanced age, the decision not to take chemotherapy must have been taken, and he was placed on supportive treatment. Going by the rate of transfusions that your father-in-law has been requiring regularly and the complications that he already has started to develop, he is unlikely to survive for more than a few weeks (2-3) in the absence of active treatment in a hospital and even that is being hopeful. You have to take a collective informed and reasonable decision regarding the continuation of therapy in this regard.
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Have Multiple Myeloma And Myelodysplastic Syndrome. Hospitalized For Fluid Around Heart And Lungs. How Long Can I Survive Without Treatment?

It would have been better had your father-in-law been able to receive chemotherapy for his disease. However, i presume that in view of his advanced age, the decision not to take chemotherapy must have been taken, and he was placed on supportive treatment. Going by the rate of transfusions that your father-in-law has been requiring regularly and the complications that he already has started to develop, he is unlikely to survive for more than a few weeks (2-3) in the absence of active treatment in a hospital and even that is being hopeful. You have to take a collective informed and reasonable decision regarding the continuation of therapy in this regard.