Multiple Myeloma. It's cancer.
Basically it's blood cancer. It's funny that so few people I know ever even heard of it, as it is the second most common blood cancer behind non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of your plasma cells, a type of white blood cell present in your bone marrow. Plasma cells normally make proteins called antibodies to help you fight infections.
In multiple myeloma, a group of plasma cells (myeloma cells) becomes cancerous and multiplies, raising the number of plasma cells to a higher than normal level. Since these cells normally make proteins (antibodies), the level of abnormal proteins in your blood also may go up. Health problems caused by multiple myeloma can affect your bones, immune system, kidneys and red blood cell count.
It's not the easiest disease to explain, as I've found out. Usually people take my answer, "It's blood cancer," at face value. But if they press, I start stumbling around with more info. Not good.
One of my closest friends heard my diagnosis and went home and started emailing me info on MELANOMA. But we let that one slide. Another lady told me she had multiple sclerosis too, so if I had any questions, I could ask her.
It's not the most well-known disease, at least in my circles.
I'd like to work on changing that.
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