Video summary
Brian the Lock shares his personal journey with multiple myeloma, a condition he was diagnosed with on March 27, 2015, marking eleven years since his initial discovery. His diagnosis was unexpectedly triggered by severe pain in his leg that persisted from January through March, leading him to visit a physiotherapist who ordered a scan. The results were alarming enough to warrant immediate hospital admission at 3:00 AM, where further testing revealed dangerously high calcium levels in his blood, resulting in a formal diagnosis of myeloma by 11:00 PM that same night.
Looking back on the years prior to his official diagnosis, Brian reflects on several warning signs that he initially dismissed or attributed to overtraining due to his cycling habits. He notes that while he was officially diagnosed in 2015, he had already suffered from numerous infections throughout 2014, alongside persistent pain and chronic fatigue. These symptoms served as critical indicators that should not be ignored, highlighting the importance of recognizing a cluster of related health issues rather than viewing them as isolated incidents.
Brian emphasizes the vital need for medical professionals, including physiotherapists, to "join the dots" when patients present with a combination of prolonged pain, frequent infections, exhaustion, and other unexplained symptoms. He argues that early diagnosis is essential for managing the disease effectively, urging anyone experiencing leg pain lasting more than three months or facing similar health challenges to seek immediate medical testing for myeloma. Despite the significant bone damage and ongoing pain he currently experiences, Brian reports that his condition has stabilized since the initial discovery.
Read the full video transcript
My name is Brian the Lock, and I was
diagnosed on the 27th of March 2015. So,
it's been 11 years now with myeloma. Uh
my diagnosis was called was [music]
basically precipitated by a
very, very serious pain in my leg, but I
really didn't think I had myeloma cuz I
was doing a lot of cycling, and I
thought I was overtraining.
But, the pain was so bad through January
to [music] March that I went to a went
to a physiotherapist who did a scan. And
after the scan, I actually was called to
the hospital immediately.
And surprisingly, I was admitted to the
hospital at 3:00. They did tests, and
they found out a high level of calcium
in the blood. They did other tests, and
then they diagnosed me at 11:00 that
night with myeloma.
And what I would say to people is this,
if you have pain in your leg for more
than 3 months,
>> [music]
>> and if you have also things like
infections, cuz when I look back, uh
certainly that I was diagnosed in 2015,
but in 2014, I had a lot of infections.
If you're getting infections, [music]
pain, feeling tired, please go to the
doctor and get a test for myeloma. I
would say to people, and I would say
also to medical professionals and
physiotherapists, join the dots. If you
can join the dots, [music]
uh because early diagnosis is essential.
I My myeloma is stable. My issue is
significant bone [music] pain cuz I have
a lot of damage to my bones.
>> [music]
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