Living with this craziness called Multiple Myeloma
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Welcome to the Mania!
Hello family, friends and fellow “Myelomians” and welcome to my blog! I’ve been talking about blogging for a while now and decided it was time to put into action. A lot has been happening in 2009. I’ll take the first few entries to bring you up to speed and then as the real fun begins after the new year, you will all be Myeloma experts…or at least completed Myeloma 101.
Here’s what’s been happening in 2009:
Early March: Went to my PCP with lower back pain and fever which she diagnosed as a kidney infection. She sent me for blood work and then a week later, follow-up blood work, another week later, more blood work. With 4 rounds of blood work and several calls from her and her nurse asking if I was feeling OK, it should have tipped me off, but I had just started a very fast-paced project at work and I didn’t have time to even think about it.
Late March: My PCP calls and tells me that the protein levels in my blood were high and it needed to be checked out further. She said that it could be indicative of a cancer called Multiple Myeloma. I’d never heard of it. She referred me to a Hematologist/Oncologist for a bone marrow biopsy.
April 13: After sitting in the waiting area at the Hematologist’s office for almost two hours (but felt like days), she sat down and simply said, “your results are consistent with Myeloma.” I had cancer.
Early May: My parents and I travel to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for a second opinion and treatment options. Their tests concurred and we were inundated with talk of chemotherapy and stem cell transplants….yuck!
July 10: My fiancé, Dave, and I get married on a beautiful Friday evening on the water in Chesapeake City, MD!
August: I start my first round of chemotherapy with Velcade (an IV once per week), Revlimid (oral medication for two weeks on, and then two weeks off). I also started Zometa once a month to strengthen my bones.
December: Starting my 5th round of chemo which will take me until mid January, followed by a stem cell transplant.
Those are the highlights of this year, or lowlights may be more accurate (except for the wedding which was certainly the highlight of the year!)
Sorry you have become part of this Multiple Myeloma community. I hope the chemo is working for you. Congratulations on starting this blog. I need to do the same some day. My wife was diagnosed in Mar 09. I am an engineer so I am into numbers. What type of myeloma do you have and what where your numbers at diagnose and what are they now after the 5 cycles of treatment? My wife has the Lambda light chain only type. She did respond to the Velcade very quickly. Her lambda light number went from 3960 mg/l at diagnose to a normal now of 11.4 mg/l. However, she fractured the lower 6 vertebrae which has been a big problem.
Hi Jerry and thanks for reading my blog and for your comment. Your wife and I were diagnosed at that the same time. I am very fortunate in that I was diagnosed very early and have not had any fractures. My husband and I attend a Myeloma Support group once a month and every other patient in the group has suffered fractures similar your wife's vertebrae. My Myeloma type is IGG Lambda. I started the Velcade and Revlimid in July and my numbers were as follows (I'm sorry I don't have the actual units of measure): IGG 4270, Lambda 237 and M Spike 3.2. My most recent blood work shows me in the normal range except for a slightly elevated M Spike: IGG 1140, Lambda 23.2 and M Spike at 0.5. I have responded very well to all my treatment and have great hope that my stem cell transplant will follow the same progress. I will keep you and your wife in my thoughts. Please keep in touch and let me know how she is progressing.
I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in April 2009 at the age of 43. I had an Autologous Stem Cell Transplant in February 2010 with a complete response. Currently, I am one year in to a 18-month maintenance chemotherapy treatment.
Sorry you have become part of this Multiple Myeloma community. I hope the chemo is working for you. Congratulations on starting this blog. I need to do the same some day. My wife was diagnosed in Mar 09. I am an engineer so I am into numbers. What type of myeloma do you have and what where your numbers at diagnose and what are they now after the 5 cycles of treatment? My wife has the Lambda light chain only type. She did respond to the Velcade very quickly. Her lambda light number went from 3960 mg/l at diagnose to a normal now of 11.4 mg/l. However, she fractured the lower 6 vertebrae which has been a big problem.
ReplyDeleteHi Jerry and thanks for reading my blog and for your comment. Your wife and I were diagnosed at that the same time. I am very fortunate in that I was diagnosed very early and have not had any fractures. My husband and I attend a Myeloma Support group once a month and every other patient in the group has suffered fractures similar your wife's vertebrae.
ReplyDeleteMy Myeloma type is IGG Lambda. I started the Velcade and Revlimid in July and my numbers were as follows (I'm sorry I don't have the actual units of measure): IGG 4270, Lambda 237 and M Spike 3.2. My most recent blood work shows me in the normal range except for a slightly elevated M Spike: IGG 1140, Lambda 23.2 and M Spike at 0.5. I have responded very well to all my treatment and have great hope that my stem cell transplant will follow the same progress.
I will keep you and your wife in my thoughts. Please keep in touch and let me know how she is progressing.