Skip to main content

Maybe for a week

That's how long the nephrologist said Edie may have to stay in the hospital. :o , after his consultation with Dr. Durie (Myeloma specialist).

Dr. Durie agreed the pheresis was a good idea. Plus he added that she should continue with the Velcade plus an increased dosage of Dex (40 mg day 1, followed by 20 mg every other day 3 more times). Edie won't like that, but if it helps it will be worth it.

The on call oncologist thought the Velcade may have been exacerbating the problem with the kidneys, but according to Dr. Durie, Velcade is not cleared through the kidneys, so that isn't an issue. Plus the Dex, being an anti inflammatory should also help.

So right now, she should be receiving her catheter for administering the pheresis as well as the Velcade.

I forgot to ask whether they will be continuing the Doxil. I'm not a real fan of that particular drug, so I'm not overly concerned if they don't restart it, assuming of course the Velcade and Dex will do the trick.

And so far Edie is in decent spirits considering all she is going through. I know I'm not in such good spirits, but then at this moment, that isn't important.

Stay tuned for more.

Oh, and BTW, she has been moved to a private room now (Kaiser Bellflower), and her new telephone# is (562)461-5210, or you can try her cell phone.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My concerns reaffirmed today

When I was first diagnosed with MCL, I pretty much read just about everything I could get my hands on, I attended various conferences, and I talked to anyone who would listen. One of the most important lessons I learned, and which I've mentioned numerous times before was No one cares more about you than you. But in addition to that, I learned to fear the drug Doxorubicin , AKA Adriamycin, Doxil, Hydroxydoxorubicin, or more affectionately the Red Devil. Besides being a deadly chemical, as is the case with most chemotherapy drugs, it is one of the few chemotherapy drugs known to cause permanent heart damage. I even heard Dr. Sandra Horning , a noted Stanford lymphoma specialist, state at the first lymphoma conference I attended in LA, there was no evidence Doxorubicin provided any added benefit to chemotherapy protocols. This was music to my ears, since Doxorubicin is very common in most lymphoma treatment protocols. And even though Dr. Horning has since changed her tune [which my sk...

Bowling: A metaphor on life [sorta]

Over the past 15+ years the game of bowling has changed dramatically. Not only has the equipment changed, making it easier for bowlers of all ages and physical conditions to participate, and score well, but there have even been major advances to how the lanes are prepared for the start of bowling. No longer is it just heavy oil, light oil, long oil, short oil, or no oil, with the latest equipment, the amount of oil can be varied from front to back and side to side, producing a myriad of patterns designed to make the game more interesting, more challenging and as you might surmise, more frustrating. No longer does the "one ball fits all" approach work any more either. In order to navigate all the differing possible lane conditions, you need to have a varied selection of bowling balls. Most pros will tell you the average bowler needs 3 balls, plus a ball for spares, but to be an above average bowler you'll need at least 6 balls, with many possessing more than that. But just...

Fatigue! Part II - Maybe it is real?

Or it's actually Motivational Deficiency Disorder, MoDeD (pronounced Mo-Dee-Dee) for short. In a report this week by Roy Moynihan who reports for the British Medical Journal Austrailian scientists may have come across the reason for extreme laziness . The condition is claimed to affect up to one in five Australians and is characterised by overwhelming and debilitating apathy. Neuroscientists at the University of Newcastle in Australia say that in severe cases motivational deficiency disorder can be fatal, because the condition reduces the motivation to breathe. Neurologist Leth Argos is part of the team that has identified the disorder, which can be diagnosed using a combination of positron emission tomography and low scores on a motivation rating scale, previously validated in elite athletes. "This disorder is poorly understood," Professor Argos told the BMJ. "It is underdiagnosed and undertreated." Who knew? Maybe I have MoDeD, from my attempts to become a...