What's been going on with me health wise - Update & Refresher

As you may know, I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma June 22, 2005. I went to Mayo Clinic for a stem cell transplant December 2005. Please review the archives for details.

Lately... I get a monthly infusion of Zometa which is sort of like industrial strength Boneva. The last time we checked (about six months ago), the stem cell transplant did not kill the defective plasma cells in my bone marrow as we had hoped it would. Therefore, my bone marrow is populated with normal blood cells as well as about forty percent defective plasma cells. These cells secrete defective protein as well as growth factor. The growth factor stimulates osteoclasts which are normal bone cells that remove bone. Zometa tends to reduce the activity of these cells and allows osteoblasts, cells which build bone, to increase bone density and strength. The defective protein can cause other complications but as far as we can tell, I don't have any of them.

In a way, I am very fortunate as someone who has an incurable disease because my disease is almost sitting still, not progressing. Of all the people who get multiple myeloma, I am in the small percentage of those who have the best long term outlook (even without a stem cell transplant). I am thankful for all the thoughts and prayers of countless friends, relatives, and unknown supporters. I am thankful God is letting me live a while longer in relatively good health and answering prayers.

All the effects, both good and bad, of the stem cell transplant are not known. However, one of the after effects is that my face is slightly red all the time. That makes me appear healthy whether I am or not. Most people are amazed by how healthy I appear and usually make some sort of comment about it. I am just trying to take advantage of every minute I have and not think about living with multiple myeloma any more than I have to. I am sure some day, if something else doesn't get me or a miracle cure doesn't happen, I will be in it's cross hairs under fire again.

Unless something changes, I will be returning to Mayo Clinic for annual check ups. Also, I get quarterly checks at the local cancer center of my monoclonal protein level which is an indication of disease progression.

That's my storey and I'm sticking to it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Live Like You Were Dyin' - Tim McGraw

Below are the lyrics to one of Tim McGraw's recent popular Country Western songs. It pretty much sums up the cancer experience. Basically, getting diagnosed with cancer gives a person a pretty massive dose of reality which tends to change his or her outlook from then on. Not everyone turns into a maniac like this song suggests, but I am sure most of us experience a heightened awareness of how important relationships are and how fleeting life is. Read on...

He said: "I was in my early forties,
"With a lot of life before me,
"An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
"I spent most of the next days,
"Looking at the x-rays,
"An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time."
I asked him when it sank in,
That this might really be the real end?
How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?
Man whatcha do?

An' he said: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."

He said "I was finally the husband,
"That most the time I wasn’t.
"An' I became a friend a friend would like to have.
"And all of a sudden goin' fishin’,
"Wasn’t such an imposition,
"And I went three times that year I lost my Dad.
"Well, I finally read the Good Book,
"And I took a good long hard look,
"At what I'd do if I could do it all again,
"And then:

"I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."

Like tomorrow was a gift,
And you got eternity,
To think about what you’d do with it.
An' what did you do with it?
An' what can I do with it?
An' what would I do with it?

"Sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And then I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I watched Blue Eagle as it was flyin'."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."

"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."
"To live like you were dyin'."

SMOLDERING - 9/21/06

I should probably post more often but there haven't been any changes health wise and I have been sufficiently occupied with work at work and work at home to keep me from writing. I had my quarterly test done recently and no change in monoclonal protein level which I am very thankful for. I continue to get my monthly infusion of Zometa which you can think of as industrial strength Boneva. Hopefully, I will have nothing significant to report for a long long time.

Thanks for stopping by!