Chemo maintenance – end of cycle 23
Had blood work today and visited the UofM Cancer Clinic to meet with Dr. Jakubowiak and assess my progress. Things continue to go well, with all indications that the cancer remains in “complete remission” – very good news and a trend that I hope continues for many years.
NEWS FROM MY CLINIC VISIT
At the end of cycle 23 we met with Dr. J alone – due to a collection of circumstances all of his PAs and medical assistants were out of the office. There were no surprises in my lab work, but I did have an ailment to complain about: loss of “range of motion” in both shoulders, particularly my right shoulder, which is quite painful when lifting medium-heavy objects (like a gallon of milk), or when performing familiar tasks (like putting on a coat). Ouch!!
Dr J does not think the shoulder problem is related to Myeloma, but perhaps to other inherited age-related {AGE RELATED? I ain’t old enough to have “age related” ;-} ailments like the bursitis that my mother experienced. He ordered a slew of x-rays and a pair of MRI’s. Stay tuned for results in my next update.
Dr J also reviewed the results from my recent bone density test, which reveals some osteopenia (bone loss/weakness) in my pelvis, spine and neck. Nothing critical, nor unexpected. This is what Myeloma is all about. We’ll get another test next year and compare.
MEDICATION CHANGES
In view of the “complete remission”, we’ve once again reduced my Revlimid chemotherapy dose – from 15 mg to 10 mg for 14 days of a 21 day cycle. For my bone density problem, he recommended an over-the-counter drug with vitamin D and calcium: Oscal – 500 mg twice a day.
SIDE EFFECTS
Neuropathy – No change from my previous report. However, the reduction in Revlimid dosage may make my feet feel a little better. Sure hope so, I have a l-o-n-g plane ride in my future.
Neutropenia – No big news here. My WBC and ANC counts (see previous update) continue to vary greatly from blood-test to blood-test, but my body seems to be able to recover by itself.
NEXT STEPS
Dr J wants to see what’s happening with my shoulders before we leave for South Korea (vacation/visit with son who is in the Army). So today’s x-rays, and two MRIs, will be the most medical excitement during this next cycle. Other than than, it’s just daily pills and a monthly blood test.
We don’t meet with medical staff again until late June, so my next blog posting won’t be until then.
That’s the latest news from Hamburg.
-larry