Skip to main content

Treatment time nears

Just not for me yet, but rather for Edie.

I knew I shouldn't have gone with Edie to her oncologists appointment last week. (I'm not as superstitious as I once was, but .....) The results of her latest tests, showed a relatively rapid progression of her multiple myeloma.

I just wasn't ready for her oncologist's suggestion she start treatment so soon. She offered two options, Vincristin, Adriamycin and Dexamethasone (VAD) or Thalidomide and Dexamethasone, neither of which sound very appealing, although the latter, seems the least offensive (for lack of a better word).

Adriamycin is very hard on the heart, and for that reason is lifetime dose limited, and Vincristin, I just discovered, can cause irreversible neuropathy, so it looks like we (at least me) are leaning to the Thalidomide + Dexamethasome protocol, not that it doesn't have it's problems, but.....

There just aren't any good options when it comes to deciding on a treatment plan for treating cancer. It's like trying to vote for our political leaders, that is, picking the lesser of two evils.

It wasn't supposed to work out this way. I was the one diagnosed with lymphoma, almost 5 years ago, and Edie was supposed to be the one taking care of me, when it was time for me to start treatment. I just don't understand how this can be? My psyche is not well equipped to handle this turn of events.

So now we're forced with making a decision, sooner than later. I think there is still some time, so we've decided it's best to obtain a second opinion from Dr. Brian Durie at Cedars Sinai hospital in LA, before making a final decision. We are also having cytogenetic testing performed to evaluate for some prognostic factors, which should help in deciding on a treatment decision.

Stay tuned!

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Becky said…
I am sorry for the sudden turn of events for Edie. You need to stay focused on remaining healthy so you can take care of her rather than the other way around. No pressure.

Think positive thoughts for Jim today as he's having surgery. His wife has had cancer for years, as you know, and I'm sure she's feeling the same way you are.

Tell Edie I have a picture above the mantle now, as she suggested some time ago. I posted it on my blog. You can show her if you like.
2:19 AM
Anita said…
My father who was 67 at the time took Thalimide and Dex combo and he stayed in remission for approx. 13 months. He did pretty well on the drugs except for the dex. It made his legs swell up. He is going to start Revelmid now. He hasn't had a stem cell transplant yet. His brother is going to have to donate. Take care and I wish you well.

Concernd
7:00 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

History IS repeating itself

I didn't grow up during the rise and fall of Hitler and Nazi Germany, so for me to claim it feels like those are the times we are living in now, must be taken with a grain of salt. But I have seen enough movies, and read enough history to know, if the times we're living in now are not akin to the rise of a Nazism and Facism in Europe in the 1930's and 1940's, then we're not far off. If you can't see the parallels with Nazi Germany, then you must be living in a different country than me. Republicans and other right wing extremists will stop at nothing to subvert the will of the majority, forcing their beliefs, that they are the superior race and have been appointed by God, to impose their will on America, while they blame all our problems on immigrants, blacks and Jews. As I speak, Mitch McConnell, and his minions are raising roadblocks to all legislation designed to help average Americans under the guise of fiscal responsibility. They condone violent and verba...
Post a Comment
Read more

Vaccine Mandates, what are they good for?

Not much, that's for sure! Simply showing evidence of receiving a Covid-19 vaccine (whether fake or not), does not mean you are protected from getting Covid-19, nor spreading it, if infected. We are all different, and too many of us, i.e. people who are immunocompromised/ immunosupressed, the elderly, or others for various reasons, do not [cannot] mount an immune response as good as younger and healthier individuals. What is evidence of immunity is a quantitative antibody test showing you have developed antibodies, and to what degree, either from natural immunity or the vaccine.  That is what we should be testing for. That is what is important. But for too long, many, i.e. the FDA, doctors, and other health experts discouraged people (and still are) from getting antibody tests, because there was little knowledge about what level of antibodies are needed to impart immunity to the virus. That of course is true, to some extent, but how can we ever find out [learn] the a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Open letter to all Democrats

Stop the nonsense! Continuing to go after Trump, without any hope of getting a conviction, does nothing more than provide Republicans with an obstructionist dialogue (now that they have come up with the unconstitutional talking point) in addition to giving Trump much needed publicity, when we should be ignoring him. It's the pure definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result! Instead Democrats need to be laser focused on what is important to all Americans, i.e. healthcare, Social Security and Medicare, infrastructure reform, the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, to name just a few. And when you do talk about Trump, simply steer the conversation as to how the Trump administration botched everything, how Trump is responsible for the deaths of 400,000+ Americans, due to his inaction and the down playing of the pandemic, plus the deaths of 2 Capitol policeman during the insurrection Trump provoked and incited on January 6, 2021. ...
Post a Comment
Read more