My most recent test measuring abnormal protein, taken the day before Thanksgiving, validated October’s strong interim result. Once again, my M-spike shows 0.1 g/dl. It is what it is, not perfect but damn good. My oncologist gushed with enthusiasm. These findings give me reason to expect a break from treatment of indefinite length. I am … More You Have Every Right
Recently, a friend asked me what I do with my time. When I tried to describe a typical day, I laughed. The reason is because I do a whole lot of nothing. This reminds me of a Buddhist joke. A disciple of the Dalai Lama gave him a present for his birthday. Upon unwrapping the … More Much Ado About Nothing
Living with cancer is a process. I no longer need a magnifying glass to see the peach fuzz on my head. The downy frizz is like the silky on a baby’s blanket and rubbing it reassures me. Now that its return is imminent, I can tolerate the short-term loss of my once curly hair. Other … More Musing On The Process
I’m taking two medications as preventative remedies. One, acyclovir, staves off shingles. The second, bactrim, puts a stop to a couple of common pneumonias. During this past week, my recovery stabilized. My appetite improved though my taste buds continue to be flat. I have renewed energy and I am walking 2+ miles, weather permitting. The … More Bubble Boy
Monday was a good day, Tuesday not so much. Wednesday I ate well, maybe 75% of normal. That evening I spiked a fever, not high enough to hospitalize me, but close. It vanished within a couple of hours. Thursday, I gave blood and met with the team nurse. Evidently, several transplant patients reported similar fevers. … More Good Blood, Bad Blood
The phone rang; I vomited. Granted, the ringer for the landline at our apartment blares like a fire engine, demanding attention NOW! I leapt up, relatively speaking, from my easy chair next to a sunny window. I chemo-shuffled at top speed to answer. I absorbed the thirty-second message. Then I reached for my “phucket” bucket, … More More Than You Ever Wanted To Know
Day 5 and we are plodding along here. At the daily clinic visit the nurses and docs assure us that everything is going downhill just like it should – blood counts dropping, appetite non-existent, energy flagging, bouts of nausea, all of which will continue to get worse over the next week. Still . . . … More Plodding Along
Day two of the transplant procedure was much better than day one. We were at the clinic for seven hours. I handled the amifostine and melphalan with no difficulty. The most annoying part was having to suck ice chips for one hour prior to and during infusion of the melphalan and then for an additional … More Day Zero
Things I like about Seattle: people riding the bus say, “Thank you,” to the driver when they exit. And, the driver always says, “You’re welcome.” Also, the sidewalk art enhances my wandering. Research into multiple myeloma is among the most dynamic of all cancers. Why? Two major non-profit foundations exist to promote the latest therapies. … More IMF & MMRF
The chemo knocked me back last weekend. I felt like a VW bug with two flat tires trying to climb a hill. I was underpowered, made a lot of noise, and went nowhere. No matter how I sat or lay, the discomfort knotted a different muscle. My cramping bladder tightened an already short leash. Both … More Neutropenia & Cravings
Good Blood, Bad Blood 