Day 56

I began third month of Chemotherapy today. Since it's Thursday I took Dexamethasone with the Chemo, so it's loopy Thursday. I met with the doctor this afternoon to go over my lab tests after the second month of therapy. All of the readings were in the normal range (same for you and same for me) except for one key MM indicator, my protein M-Spike, but it was down 27% to 1.1 g/dl from 1.5 g/dl. If it goes down to 0.** next month it will be regarded as a VGPR (Very Good Partial Remission), if it goes to 0, it will be regarded as a CR (Complete Response or Complete Remission) and I'll be ready for my autologus stem Cell Transplant (ASCT). The reason I'll need that even though I achieve VGPR or CR is that this cancer comes back almost 100% of the time, it seems to have the ability to learn how the overcome the chemo drugs administered and reinvent itself. It would be good if I could teach my stem cells to be stupid.

Day 49

Hey finishing up my second round of chemo today, then a weeks respite. I go for testing tomorrow and get results next week. I'm going to play golf with Mike Polizzi and John Boy Hughes on Saturday in Ocean Isle Beach. Love chasing the ball past the alligators at Oyster Bay. Other than some minor numbness and cramping in my legs, I've tolerated the chemo pretty well.

Day 39

I'm having severe cramps and bone pain in my left hip. Joanie and I will be seeing the doctor tomorrow and consulting with Hackensack to see if there is something I can do alleviate the pain. The local oncologist wants me to get a complete blood count. I guess she wants to see what my white blood count is and if I'm becoming a little bit anemic. I'll also check with Hackensack on the timing for the donor kits and when they will be sent out. Anyway, the good news is that all of my test results seem to be going in the right direction for the autologus stem cell transplant they want me to go through first.

Day 36

I woke up with acute back pain, could hardly make it to the bathroom. I hope that as I move around it will alleviate a little. On a scale of 1 to 10,, it's a 6.

Day 34

I have cramps in my calfs in addition to night sweats. I'm going to talk to my exercise guru about this. Joanie and I are headed back to OIB after my medication arrives today. It was shipped out FedX yesterday. I want to play cribbage with the Penna and Atlanta Dock's.

Day 33

Back from vacation at Ocean Isle Beach. We had a great week visiting and cavorting with the family. I began round 2 with the chemo last Thursday, so far so good. I'm having mild night sweats every night. I'm not sure whether thats a good thing or a bad thing but if thats the only thing that happens it's ok with me. I should get a reading on my blood work today so we'll see if I'm responding to the treatment. I'll post the results when I have them.

Day 22

My posts always show up as 3 hours earlier than I post them. I'm not up in the middle of the night posting. I can't figure out how to change it. Today is the last day of drugs for a week, a welcome reprieve. We spent yesterday wrestling with the scatterbrained local oncology office to get my prescription correct and Golden Rule Insurance because they are holding up payments and asking for medical records from places that I didn't even visit - go figure. I went to my second exercise class yesterday, it was Yoga for beginners like me. There are some ways that I just don't stretch right now which engendered humor for some of my compatriots and individual instruction from my very good looking intructress.