Today’s update is brought to you via two numbers: 33.88 and 1.1. 33.88 is the latest result from the “free Kappa light chain” blood test I take every three weeks. Because the abnormal plasma cells in my type of multiple myeloma produce an excess of what are called Kappa light chain proteins (which normally join with “heavy” protein chains to form immunoglobulins that fight infections), a measurement of the level […]
One of the things I’m finding hardest to deal with is feeling pretty good one day and then feeling rotten the next. It has do to with the shot of Velcade I get on Tuesday mornings. It makes me fatigued and blah-feeling for the next 3 days. Plus it seems to amp up my pain by about 40%. The former I understand, the latter I really don’t, my best theory […]
Dear Readers: It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update, the reason being that I hit another difficult, low spell in the past two weeks, and every time I started to write it resulted in a litany of complaint and woe about my various physical problems. I deemed the resulting drafts too whiny. So where to begin? First the very good news … the oncologist says that tests from […]
I tried to post an update last week, but all my attempts came out too whiny — and worse, whiny in an obnoxious level of detail. Not that I don’t have good reason to whine: Last week was the worst week I’ve ever had in my life, resulting from a combination of ongoing severe pain in my leg, moderate/tolerable but nonetheless draining impacts from one of the chemo drugs, plus […]
Your long-suffering correspondent is starting to feel a bit like the Old Testament guy Job, a basically good guy that God torments ceaselessly with a series of horrible events. Yesterday I had an appointment with my oncologist, and I mentioned that my left lower leg, ankle, and foot were swollen. She set up an appointment for an ultrasound to rule out any blood clots, conducted by a very experienced and […]
I’ve come to the day where I have to start the chemotherapy regime to treat my multiple myeloma. I’d be less than honest if I said that I wasn’t a bit scared about it, given the concoction of drugs I’ll be putting into my system. There are three main drugs, a steroid called dexamethasone (which I’ve taken before and is frankly the least concerning); a drug called Revlimid that is a relative […]
I received some good news from my oncologist today. The cytogenetic analysis of the cancer cells in my bone marrow came back with a “translocation” type that is generally considered to be associated with a good prognosis, which means that I’m likely going to be eligible for a stem cell transplant at the end of my chemo treatment, which gives me a chance to end up in a position afterwards […]
I’m an amateur photographer, not particularly gifted, but I enjoy taking pictures, especially of landscapes and urban architecture. For years I used Canon cameras and lenses, but when about two years ago I was interested in moving up to a “full frame” sensor from my existing “APS-C” system (see is here for an explanation), I decided to make a change given the lack of good reviews for the newer full-frame […]
Hi Everyone, for those interested here’s an update on the likely course of my treatment over the next 4 – 6 months, based on a meeting Suzie and I had on Monday with our Kaiser oncologist. To recap a bit, the condition I have is called multiple myeloma. It is caused by malignant plasma cells located in bone marrow that grow out of control. That can cause tumors (like the one […]
I’ve been overwhelmed by the responses from everyone to my post. I hope that I can in time reach out to every one of you, one by one, to express my thanks and to touch base individually. Every single note touched me, whether from friends of 45-plus years or my newest co-workers. One more reminder that in spite of everything, I’m a lucky guy. Suzie and I have our first […]