Skip to main content

From Plasmacytoma to Multiple Myeloma

I never had such a sinking feeling in my gut, as I was driving my wife to Kaiser Sunset for her latest radiation treatment yesterday, and she told me her BMB was not negative. I'd been thinking this was going along so well, 5 treatments down and 17 more to go, before she was back to normal.

Now that has all changed. It was the radiation oncologist who called with the BMB report, and indicated that he would be increasing the dose of radiation but for less time (not sure the reasoning behind that), and when her oncologist gets back on Monday from vacation, they would discuss what other additional steps would/should be taken.

When I started this blog, it was meant to be an upbeat account of my trials and tribulations dealing with a diagnosis of Mantle Cell Lymphoma. Now it seems to be turning into anything but that.

Everything is moving so fast there just doesn't seem to be enough time to absorb all the information available. Everything I have learned and espoused in some of my earlier posts, is going right out the window because time is of the essence. I don't like giving full trust to the doctors without confirming what they are saying, but I am completely frustrated in deciding how to proceed.

Thirty plus years as a metallurgical engineer, has given me the analytical skills to look at a problem and decide how to proceed, but I've always had time to research and review before making any decisions. Even my lymphoma afforded me sufficient time to analyze and decide on a plan. But this is different, I don't feel as though we have the time, and for the first time in my life, I am simply overwhelmed.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The results are in

And I am iron deficient, big time. [Which would account for my low hemoglobin] Test Result Ref Range IRON 30 59-158 mcg/dL TOTAL IRON BINDING CAPACITY 231 250-420 mcg/dL IRON SAT 13 20-50 % My Ferritin levels were good, but that could be because Ferritin is also an "acute phase reactant", that is sometimes increased with acute or chronic disease. Folate and B12 levels were also within the normal range. The only problem now is determining what is causing the iron deficiency, which in the case of men, is [very] rare. My oncologist has given me a Globin Fecal test to perform, and has scheduled me for a consultation with a colorectal surgeon to discuss performing a colonoscopy, which could be problematic because of my large spleen. In the mean time, I've decided to start taking an iron supplement, it's only the quantity that is causing me some consternation. I've been told by a very knowledgeable person that to overcome an iron deficiency, I need to be taking 300 mg o...
5 comments
Read more

This is just one of those days

It's one of those days you just want to sit around the house and do absolutely nothing, or watch some movies you have recorded. It might even be a good day to read a book, if you were so inclined, which I am not. As you should be able to see from the view out my bedroom window, it is raining outside. The rain started last night, and hasn't let up since. I can't complain too much though, as this is the rainy season, and we do need the rain. Plus Monday's are typically my day off from exercise, so I will surprise everyone, and not complain. I just feel sorry for anyone who might be visiting from, say Argentina, like a friend of mine (fellow MCLer), who happens to be in Cambria today. He might be a little disappointed. Fortunately the rest of the week, when he will be in LA, will be nice, and the real intent of his trip was to visit his son in Tahoe, who works at one of the ski resorts, and ski, so I know he's not complaining too much either. This weather will actually...
6 comments
Read more

When is enough, enough?

Today I learned, Lance Armstrong, the most drug tested athlete in the history of sport, is being accused of doping, again . This time by the US Anti Doping Agency (USADA), who claim they have collected blood samples from him in 2009 and 2010 that were “fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions.” Really! What took them so long? The French have been trying to make allegations of drug doping stick for years, ever since he won his first Tour d'France, but to no avail. And now the USADA claims to have evidence to support that claim, and they've waited almost 3 years before releasing this evidence. Needless to say, I am skeptical. Then there's this from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO): Increasing the federal excise tax on cigarettes by 50 cents per pack eventually would increase Medicare and Social Security spending, slightly. Eventually? What is the CBO suggesting here? That we should encourage smoking, because if we don't, in...
11 comments
Read more