Day 139

Today we meet with Dr Rowley to review the data so far and decide on next steps after the Autologus Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT). I'm eligible for a clinical trial which is a cocktail of nasty drugs in heretofor untested combination. I don't feel good about going that route since the only result that I can see with chemotherapy of any kind is the buying of some time if it is successful. There's no cure along that highway. The second proposition is a mini-allogeneic stem cell transplant with donor cells from my brother Edward. There is a potential cure at the end of this process but there are potential hazards also. It is a high risk process with a curative potential. This is a maybe, it depends on what type of riverboat gambler I am. The third possibility is a tandem ASCT, another ASCT.It may yield a longer survival while we pray for a cure.These are the realities of MM.
One thing that has happened over the past several days is that my beard has stopped growing. So I haven't had to shave. So I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that chemotherapy provides a temporary cure for the common shave.
We just got back from Hackensack and our meeting with Dr. Rowley. He went over all my options except the mini-allogeneic and he examined my catherter which has been causing me some pain. My neck is very swollen and it turns out I have a blood clot and he had to rip out the catheter. They couldn't put in any blood thinners because of the hole in my chest. I have to sleep in an uprite position tonight and I have to go in to the hospital tomorrow for a Doppler, whatever that is. If I wind up short of breath tonight, I have to go to the Emergency Room. We also discussed the pain I'm having in my left leg at the balljoint and hip. They're going to do an MRI on that leg. So, it looks like I'll have a very busy rest of the week.