Oops! I Spoke Too Soon

When my white counts showed a big increase from the tests on Friday, I thought that meant they were on the way up. Surprise, surprise! Results from yesterday showed the white counts and platelets had dropped big time! The nurse told me the the up spike in white counts is normal and then the big drop happens. Sooo, I've got to be very careful not to catch anything until the counts rise again.

We had noticed an interesting little paved, winding road near our apartment and decided to follow it this morning. It wound through a small neighborhood and then to a beautiful park with lots of play equipment, trails and pavilions. Little Rock seems to have many such areas.

We're back in the apartment for the day. To my jewelry buddies -- I plan to work on RCJ today -- long overdue!

Excitement for the Day

Started the day at the center for blood tests and an injection. Results from tests yesterday showed a big increase in my white count, which is great! Just pray it continues.

Our excitement for the day was a trip to Kroger's to pick up a few things we needed.

The weather today much much better -- sunny with highs in the 50's. I do hope that trend continues, as we're tired of "cold and windy".

A funny: Last Tuesday was our little granddaughter Grace's 4th birthday. Her parents told her she could choose a place to go for her birthday dinner. She wanted to go to Red Lobster to see the lobsters in the tank. She also likes to eat salad at Red Lobster!

Shooting Myself

My insurance company over-nighted the neupogen injections to me so I was able to give myself my afternoon injection. George loves this, as we don't have to run back to the clinic every afternoon.

I'd had a bit of nausea late yesterday and mentioned it to my nurse today. She prescribed some medicine, which I took at lunch today, as feeling the nausea again. Well, it was a lot stronger than I thought. After lunch, I could hardly hold up my head, so lay down for a nap. I slept 4 HOURS!! Next time I think I'll take half a tab let!

Thankfully, we didn't get any snow last night.

Pray For Gwen

Our friend Gwen is in the hospital here in Little Rock. A spinal tap revealed that in addition to having myeloma, she has another cancer in her spinal fluid and brain. This additional cancer is very rare in myeloma patients. The doctors are deciding how best to treat both cancers.

Please pray for the best treatment plan and successful treatment for both conditions.

Started ShotsToday

Today I started receiving growth factor injections to help raise my white counts and encourage stem cell growth. Each day I also have blood tests which will tell them when I'm to the point where they can "harvest".

I was going to have to go to the center twice a day to get the injections. But, they are going to let me give myself the late afternoon shot. That way we have only one trip to the center per day and I'll only be exposed to people once instead of twice a day.

We may have a little snow tonight, but I don't think it's supposed to accumulate. I hope it doesn't!

Thanks for your prayers and notes.

Hi, Chuck!! I hear you are reading my blog.

Black Bag is Gone!

This afternoon I was unhooked from the "little black bag"! Tomorrow I start growth factor injections twice a day to build up my stem cell count, working toward harvest. I was assigned to an advance practice nurse who will follow me though the process and make sure I'm doing okay.

Please pray from our friend Gwen Simmons who also has myleoma and is here for treatment, as she is having some other health problems.

Last Day of Chemo

By this time tomorrow, I'll be finished with the chemo treatments. I'll leave this little black bag with the gals at the infusion center!

I really can't complain too much, as aside from a little nausea and some swelling in my legs, I've not had any bad side effects. However, I do think I'm losing more hair.

The nurse told me that the effects of the chemo on my blood counts will be their worst about next Sunday.

Thanks for the comments, the cards and the prayers.

Chemo Day 3

Day three of chemo has been completed, except for the "little black bag" of drugs that's with me for 24 hours. I'm feeling pretty good, except for some nausea from the chemo.

It is so cold here in Little Rock. It had warmed up a bit for a few days, but the cold and wind is back.

2nd Day of Chemo

Today was not as tiring as yesterday, as we were only at the infusion center for 4 hours. I had my second round infused at the center and they refilled my "little black bag" for me to take back to the apartment. Being tethered to the bag is interesting, as it has to go where ever you do.

We have to be at the center early tomorrow to pick up all those meds I mentioned in a previous post from the pharmacy. I have never taken so much medicine/drugs in my life!!

Time to watch the Olympics!

Meant to tell you that while in the waiting room George recognized a woman from his hometown -- Elaine Bass Fontenot. Her niece Gwen Simmons, from Tennessee, is being treated for myeloma and Elaine is staying with her this week. George really enjoyed visiting with her in person and it was nice for me to meet her. They have been chatting for years on an online hometown chat site.

Ist Day of Chemo

Had an appointment to start chemo this morning at 10am. It was after 11 when I was called back. We left the infusion center at 4:30pm this afternoon. After a long infusion of saline and a chemo drug "Etoposide", I was sent home "hooked" to a little black bag that has 2 other drugs that will be infused over a 24 hour period -- Cytoxin and Mesna. I will repeat this for 3 more days.

George and I are both really tired after 4 long days. Oh, starting this morning, I have to wear a mask anytime I am outside our apartment. My doctor wants me to be very careful about not "catching" anything.

Good News & Chemo to Start

Saw the myeloma doctor today. She had the results of the genetic testing and it shows that the myeloma I have is not aggressive and not high risk. Until this time, I had been told it was high risk. So, this was really good news.

I'll start a 4 to 6 hour chemo infusion tomorrow with several drugs. I'll have this for 4 days. Then I'll have injections twice a day to raise my white counts. When they get high enough, stem cells will be harvested. In addition to the chemo IV's, I'll be taking antibiotics, anti-virals, anti-fungals and Tami-flu by mouth each day.

Particular prayer requests:
1. That I'll be able to harvest plenty of stem cells with no problems
2. That I'll not have any infections while my counts are so low

Thanks for the prayers.

Arrived!

You should have seen us packing the Jeep this morning. It was like putting a three dimensional puzzle together!

We got to Little Rock around 3 this afternoon and moved everything into the apartment, which is nice and has plenty of room.

Have to have blood tests in the morning and then go to the grocery store. Will see the doctor on Friday, so will know about a treatment schedule then.

Time to watch the olympics!

What To Take!!

I've been trying to decide what to take to Little Rock. George keeps telling me the Jeep will only hold "so much"! I did a lot of deciding/packing yesterday and will finish today.

Several people have asked me if I'm nervous or worried about the upcoming treatment, prognosis, etc. I have my moments, but overall am pretty calm about it all. God has seen me through many things over my 64 years, and I am confident He'll be with me through this as well.

People are amazing! You expect your family, friends and church family to be supportive at times like this. But, it's the caring of relative strangers that amazes you. Last summer a customer in California called to order something off my website. During the conversation I learned that she is a cancer survivor, so told her about my situation. Over the months, we have become long distance friends and prayer partners. Recently she sent me a box of lovely little head covers/caps, as I will be losing my hair.

A more recent acquaintance in Arizona, who I met through an online myeloma support group, sent me a beautiful scarf that she wore to cover the catheter in her neck during the days when she was having stem cells collected. She told me the scarf must be lucky, as she collected sooo many stem cells. She wanted me to have the scarf for luck during my collection days.

A long-time jewelry friend in the UK sent me a CD several months ago -- "The Spooky Men's Chorale". It is sooo funny. Other internet jewelry buddies I've "known" for years have been faithful in emailing to check on me and give encouragement.

Local friends have been such a support over the last 2 years with cards, calls, pies, brownies, meals from fresh garden produce, etc. If food cured cancer, I would have been cured months ago! Others have offered assistance in different ways.

I'm a compulsive reader -- will read cereal boxes if nothing else is available. A sweet neighbor has kept me in books over the last year. Yesterday she came in with more books, a basket of goodies I'll need in Little Rock and a couple of lovely lap covers she'd made.

I don't mind if you share the link to my blog with individuals who may be interested. Please feel free to email me anytime, as I'll have my laptop with me.

Back to packing!
Dotty

A Little History

For those of you who may not know what's been going on with me since February 2008, I thought I'd give you a little "history".

At the end of February 2008, I was diagnosed with a tiny localized breast cancer. After a lumpectomy, 7 weeks of radiation and a really bad internal staph infection my blood counts started dropping -- bad thing!! For the next 10 months the counts would drop, come up a little, drop again, etc. In April my local oncologist said we had to do a bone marrow biopsy to see what was going on.

I had the biopsy on April 27,'09, and saw my doctor on May 7th. She gave us the news that I had multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells of the bone marrow. I was somewhat familiar with the disease, as our pastor had been fighting it for a number of years.

The end of May I started taking Revlimid and dexamethasone which worked well for several months. In December I had to change to Velcade and dexamethasone because the Revlimid had quit working. I ended up having 6 days of treatment with Velcade starting 12/14 and ending 1/14. After 4 treatments I began to experience some neuropathy pain in my legs and feet.

During this time I learned that my insurance has a contract with the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy. On January 4th, I asked my local oncologist to refer me to MIRT.

Hubby George and I went to Little Rock on January 24th. I had 3 days (Jan. 25, 26, 27) of testing -- MRI, CT scan,PET scan, bone marrow biopsy, skeletal x-rays, lot of blood tests, EKG, Echo, lung capacity tests.

On the 28th we met with a doctor who is a specialist in myeloma. Since I had, had problems with two different drug treatments, she said it would be best to go ahead with high dose chemo, stem cell harvest, more high dose chemo and then the actual stem cell transplant. (Auto Stem Cell Transplant - your own stem cells are harvested from your blood, high dose chemo is given to kill as much myeloma as possible, then your stem cells are re-infused into your bloodstream). After 10 to 16 days, the re-infused stem cells will start making new blood cells. Hopefully, this process will put me in remission.

On Wednesday, Feb. 17, George and I will head for Little Rock where we have rented a furnished apartment for a month. I have labs on Thursday and meet with the doctor on Friday to learn when treatment will start.