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Since a few days the pain in my leg has returned. Not something to shout about. My stick must be fetched from the attic. Tuesday I have a checkup at the hospital. I will tell my problems and a new track will be started. Here is a picture of my problem.  Nasty spot
We have really enjoyed our summer-holidays with the caravan. This is a picture of the first stop last summer. In those 28 years we have owned three different caravans. Ths past week we have decided that is has been good. This summer we will rent a cottage by the coast of Brittany. The caravan will be sold. It was quite a step, but I think at the right moment. We have enjoyed our holidays with the caravan enormously, but look very much forward to a different way of celebrating our holidays. And what can be better than waking up in a house overlooking the Atlantic Ocean? We really look forward to it!
Today I got the results of my m proteins. It took some time because the holidays were just in between. I never expected it to as low as last time, that was too much to ask. A very low number of 0,7. This makes me very content. A good start of the new year!  Results December 20th 2011 Last Tuesday I had my checkup. Apart from my APD infusion I received my instructions for the forthcoming period. Because my m-proteins are safe and the pain in my leg is almost gone, no drugs for now… Wait and see…. So no drugs for the time being. Finish the Zelitrex for a week or two to prevent Herpes Zoster. You don’t want that underneath the Christmas tree. Slowing down to a stop with prednisolon. And then…. nothing for some time. In March a CAT- CT scan and an MRI of the vertebrae and pelvis. Until then 5 week checkups to monitor the m-proteins. Be alert for bone pains, but nothing else. A bit scary, but nice. A drug-free Christmas. I wish you all a very merry Christmas! Today was the day. For the first time (and surely not the last) Velcade was administered subcutaneously, so directly under the skin. I gathered it was the first time it was done this way in my hospital. The nurses didn’t line up, but it came close. Nu infusion, but directly in my tummy. Yesterday, after the checkup I got my Velcade again. The dose was lowered with 50% because the results are good but my neuropathy was somewhat increasing. On my hands and feet it’s manifest, so down with the dose. I spoke to my hematologist about the possibility to administer Velcade subcutaneously. So injecting directly under the skin instead of through an IV. Advantages are it’s faster, no need of an infusion, but the biggest advantage is that this way it causes less neuropathy. If you want to know more, click on the link. She would try to give the next gift subcutaneously and she said it will become common from January 2012. I hope this will work out. But…..I’ll keep you posted through my blog  Subcutaneous I just stopped the time. I had to stand still with this small instant.  11-11-11 11:11:11 Yesterday I talked to the radiotherapist on the phone. The pain in my leg is just slowly improving. So she took another look at the photo’s. The spot where the plasmacytoma is located is exactly where the Pubis and the Ischium join. There could be a small fracture there caused by the plasmacytoma. A broken leg takes about 6 to 8 weeks to heal in a healthy person. For a patient like me it would be logical that this can take some longer. I must be careful and patient. In about three weeks I will have a consult again, will things not improve, a second radiation might be necessary. Nasty spot This afternoon I got the results of my m-proteins. It looks wonderful! No m-proteins could be measured. I couldn’t think of a nicer graph! Still it leaves me with mixed emotions. My leg is still far from what it is supposed to be. But optimism prevails, we took a glass of wine to celebrate!  Results November 11th 2011 Last Tuesday checkup and Velcade. Now I got the full dose. My blood-values were good enough to receive the new shot. Next week I will know the results of my m-proteins. A nice graph is very important but the pain in my leg is still quite present. I must say though that there is a change for the better. It’s all going really slow. Patience is a virtue. The good news is that I can skip the hospital visit next week, due to a pause week for Velcade.  The new, comfortable waiting-room This past Tuesday I got my 3rd Velcade (77% now) and I had my checkup. The question that was bugging me was: Why shoot so hard with medication, while my labs are so nicely low? I’ve got this nice graph, there cannot be so much wrong with me? I had much problems with the Dexamethasone, so… can it please be a little less? Sometimes it’s good to get straight answers, it’s can be a little unpleasant for for the receiver, but reality goes above everything else. The answer was clear. My dear Sander, you suffer from a bone-disease. The (small) spot on this nasty place is a sign that your illness is active. And as long as that’s so it must be beaten. A wake up call…. despite the nice values in my blood and bone-marrow (there was nothing extraordinary to be found either) my multiple myeloma is busy undermining me. A hard bargain. I still have problems walking though there is slight progress. I could switch from Dexamathasone to Prednisone. The quantity of dexa is equal if I compare the weekly dose to the 40 mg that I get in two days. I’m good with that, because I feel better taking the Prednisone and it should have the same effect. Next week Valcade again (now the full dose) and if the pain persists a second dose in the same week… Outside it rained…  Outside it rained... |
My name is Sander van der Pol, born in 1951. In august 2006 I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. In my blog I write about my life with MM. I would be happy if you leave a comment or an email. To your health! sander@sandersblog.nl 
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