2Bone pain
Bone pain is one of the most common and serious symptoms of myeloma. It occurs in more than 90% of people with the condition. Bone pain may be intermittent or constant, mild to severe, or easy to detect or very difficult to pinpoint. It may be felt in any area of your body where bones are located.
It’s usually caused by the cancer cells, which slowly destroy healthy bones and tissues in your body. Besides cancer cells, pain can be caused by anemia, hypercalcemia, soft tissue tumors (such as lipomas), or pathological fractures. As this happens, the bone gets weaker and becomes painful to touch or move around. Bone pain can be treated with painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, which are available over-the-counter at pharmacies without prescription. You may need stronger medicines if your symptoms get worse or don’t go away after using them for a while (this is called ‘intractable’ pain).
