SPEP Test Result of 1/10/08

I'll keep this post short this time because essentially, nothing has changed much. The m-spike this time was .22 gm/dl. We will continue the Rev/dex therapy hoping for continued reductions later. An m-spike of .22 is not bad if it were to stay at that level for a few years or so.

Thanks for stopping by - Jack

Some Complications of Dexamethasone you Might Want to Know About.

http://iei.ico.edu/glossary.html

Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD). A normal separation of the vitreous from the retina due to age. It is often accompanied by Floaters and Flashes.


Vitreous. A thick, transparent and colorless substance that fills the center of the eye behind the lens. It is comprised mainly of water and gives the eye its form and shape.


Flashes. The brief perception of light that can accompany an eye disorder, especially of the retina or brain.


Floaters. The sensation of spots appearing before the eyes caused by bits of optical debris, such as dead cells, usually in the vitreous.

I recently had an episode with PVD, had no idea what it was or that I was at a higher risk taking decadron therapy every week for months. I have had high normal ocular pressures for years and get a glaucoma check once a year since this was a problem on the paternal side of the family among some family members more than others.

During one visit to my Optometrist in a discussion about floaters, I was told we basically do not need the vitreous fluid for eyes to function normally and in some cases, the fluid is removed to help with the floaters if they are acute.

It turns out Dexamethasone, a gleucocortocoidsteriod used in some cancer treatment by itself or in combination with other cancer drugs to initiate programmed cell death (apoptosis) in cancer cells that have a growth advantage over normal cells and thus have become unnecessarily immortal, tends to raise ocular pressure -- more in some patients than in others. I appear to be one that gets raised pressure and blurred vision which follows the day and a half of drug administration of 20 mg twice a week.

Several months ago, I noticed a huge floater just pop up suddenly in my left eye. I have tolerated small thread like floaters for many years and pretty much think nothing about it. This one got my attention, it was huge, annoying, obscuring and slithering in my left visual field. I immediately went to my Optometrist to get it checked. I told him the massive floater was beginning to break up and go away but slowly. He told me if I ever see a flock of birds or a swarm of bees that won't go away, we will have to send me to a specialist in Tuscaloosa to check for possible damage immediately.

The left eye pretty much cleared up except for the usually small floaters I have been ignoring for years. Then several weeks later, another gigantic floater developed in my right eye accompanied by a swarm of bees - this was my cue to boot scoot back to the doc which I did immediately.

I was next sent to a specialist in Tuscaloosa (same day). After a thorough examination by my Optometrist. The specialist did an even more thorough exam of both eyes after which informing me I was among the lucky.

He explained it like this, over the years -fifty or more years so you know who you are at risk out there-- the Vitreous which is normally in a fluid state begins to harden into more of a heavier jello state. This jell can pull at and peal away from the retina leaving holes and tears. This is when you see the blanket fall over your visual field which requires emergency laser treatment as soon as possible. The specialist told me about 90% of patients fall into this category and I was among the lucky 10% without major complications. He said it usually happens in one eye then a month or so the other. I have had it happen in both eyes so far and do not look forward to a recurrence which is a less risky possibility.

One of the warning signs which I have been noticing for years is being in a totally dark environment and noticing silver streaks flashing around the outside edges of my eyes when I move my head. I didn't think anything of it at first but later discovered that is the thick vitreous pulling against the retina. If there were pain nerves in the area, you would feel pain but since the only sensors available are visual, you get flashes. This is telling you you have a potential for a peal and its associated retinal tears and holes.

So, if you are fifty and older, have a family history, may have some drug complications like I do, have had a history of this kind of thing with high normal ocular pressure but not progressing to Glaucoma yet, you might want to be on guard with a plan to get to the nearest Optometrist as soon after it happens as possible. I'm telling you all this so you won't be as shocked and amazed I was if/when it could happen to you.

If you have been through several regimens of treatment for Multiple Myeloma you could do without more surprises unless of course the lottery officials knocked on your door and told you about the $5,000 a week you will now be getting for the rest of your life. What a thought. Now that would help fix some problems and maybe even just get us in more trouble.

I would like to spend full time researching cancer non-profits and drug companies to see if we are continuing to ride the 35 year status quot or if there is hope all this gift money and tax money we are throwing at them is producing expedited real results that will lead to earlier enough testing to catch cancer in a tiny curable state or at least drug it in to submission so it can be lived with as a chronic disease.

The benefits are predominately for the 50+ generation so there is comparatively small and slightly insignificant 50's+ population in overall numbers compared with the official census of over 300 Million unless you consider wealth distribution and the fact that some of us old 50's are wanting to get the biggest bang for our cancer donation buck and that means developing early detection tests like the new Prostrate Cancer Specific Antigen Test (PCSAT) for all kinds of cancer and early treatments to kill or sequester the cancer before it progresses into a raging forest fire which has proven a very unsuccessful detection technique over the past 70 or so years.

We should be getting more answers sooner with the decoding of the Human Genome which was a stepping stone in the correct direction as was the discovery by Watson and Crick on the race to discover DNA, a seemingly gigantic effort at the time but pales in comparison to the Human Genome which also pales to the newly discovered Methylene process to activate genes within the genome and has created the new field of Epigenetics which promises to lead to breakthrough treatments for cancers of all sorts if it hasn't done so already.