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“Drugs are not always necessary.  Belief in recovery always is.”  – Norman Cousins

You’re going to start treatment. You are going to be receiving Melphalan as one of the chemotherapy cocktail drugs. This is what you need to know.

Sadly, it is just one more thing YOU have to be proactive about – maybe. Some nurses, docs and facilities think that because this has not been proven in studies to be helpful, they don’t always tell you about this important thing you can do to minimize serious complications of Oral Mucositis. (Anytime you hear “itis” at the end of a word, it is a suffix meaning inflammation.) Continue Reading »

“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” – Dr. Carl Sagan

An article over at The Myeloma Beacon by Dr. Raijkumar, a researching physician in Multiple Myeloma, who graciously contributes to The Beacon from time to time, has written about the newer drugs not yet available broadly, but available, that are showing promise in treating relapsed Myeloma patients.

 

“My cancer scare changed my life.  I’m grateful for every new, healthy day I have. It has helped me prioritize my life.”  – Olivia Newton-John

You’ve just learned you have cancer and it is called Multiple Myeloma. Most of you will have never heard of it. Most of you will have had symptoms for sometime but didn’t know and some of you will have had a traumatic event that led to your diagnosis.

My guess is, that like most, you are frightened beyond words, in pain, and meeting new doctors you never thought you would have need for. Some of you may have had cancer in your family or friends who have gone through it and now you are faced with something you have not ever imagined you would be dealing with. Some of you may have even had cancer before, and so you have been there done that, but this is now a new hurdle to overcome.

First thing I want you to do is BREATHE….

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Dave, South Yuba River Summer 2010

“There is good news tonight” – Gabriel Heatter

Well, we have completed our tests and consultations in Little Rock. What should have been a 6 month check was an 8th month check due to some moving around of the schedule as our doctor was unexpectedly called away. Dave continues in Complete Remission with all lesions disappeared except one on his T7 which is stable. We thought they were all gone, he had so many, but we are fine that if only one is left, that is good news.

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Me, Jan & Margaritas

“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”  – Christopher Robin to Pooh (A.A. Milne)

When Dave and I were originally scheduled to go to Little Rock in February, we were disappointed we would miss Jan & Bruce. Then Bruce was out of remission and it looked like we would see them as they were re-staging him to begin treatment again. We were sad to hear this news, but happy we would see them. Continue Reading »

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room’s only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation..

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Short and sweet. I put it up because it mentions MULTIPLE MYELOMA and Geraldine Ferraro. (hat tip Pat Killingsworth at Living With Myeloma)

Research costs A LOT! Litigation costs A LOT! It takes a LONG TIME! And then we are a small group, relatively speaking. Although I often feel like Myeloma is EVERYWHERE!

I want them to make money. I want the research to be profitable. I want it to be a win/win. But I don’t want it to be unattainable for those in need. Sigh…

Article here

 

“He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything.” – Proverb

See Newer Posts Below…

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“Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them.” – Orison Swett Marden

I wrote this piece for The Myeloma Beacon. I hope it helps those of you struggling with chronic pain, which can be so debilitating, both physically and emotionally. While Dave and I aren’t big medicine takers, if you need it, then my view is, it needs to WORK! So in light of that, we were fortunate enough to have someone who brought it to our attention and it changed our lives dramatically when Dave was in such pain.

click to enlarge

We had so much to deal with when newly diagnosed, and this was one thing that we were able to manage well enough that it allowed us to concentrate on all other stuff in the journey through treatment. At the time it seemed like I had several spinning plates on sticks to balance and not drop. This was one I was able to grab and handle, thanks to our dear doctor friend, Marilyn.

I hope it helps for some of you, and if you do decide to give it a try, I would be pleased to hear your results.

Article Link Here

Kadian

See Comments from Dr. Giles

 

My Blog Roll

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”  – William Wordsworth

There was a time when there were few bloggers writing about Myeloma, in the not too distant past. I was one of the few caregivers who started to write about my experience, and then as I’ve mentioned recently, there was Susie Hemingway, Caregiver Extraordinaire, Published Poet, Gardner, Cook, Mother, Sister, Grandmother, Friend.

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Bob & Sarah

“Take small steps and celebrate the successes.” – Sarah’s minister friend

Sarah, a Myeloma caregiver has been dealing with the often overwhelming onslaught of Multiple Myeloma entering her life. She has been blogging about her journey and has a delightful honesty about her struggles and her successes. Continue Reading »

“Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.” – Henry David Thoreau

 

I was drinking my coffee this morning and listening to the morning song of the birds, contemplating my day and how happy I feel.

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“Service to others is the rent you pay for living on this planet.” ― Marian Wright Edelman

Another great post over at The Myeloma Beacon by Sean Murray who blogs on Myeloma Youreloma.

Sean has a delightful family and dear friends and I enjoy the generosity of his sharing snippets into his life as he manages his Myeloma. Go on over and check the article and if you are so inclined check out his blog and read his past posts, you’ll get a chuckle and it will uplift you to know that there are others shining in “Myelomaville”.

 

Open weave scarf, hand painted Blue Heron, Boucle, Rayon, click to enlarge

“When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.”  – Joyce Brothers

It’s been a whirlwind around here, which is like my “old life” and it feels really, really good. Like an old overcoat that may be a little worse for wear, but is filled with good memories and feels very comforting when you put it on.

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“Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have.” – Horace

Beth Morgan’s Myeloma Listserv has some wonderful folks who are intimately connected with Multiple Myeloma. This recently went out by a Myeloma survivor that was incredibly impressive to me, and I hope to you as well. If you are doing OK at the moment, and not in the throws of your treatment or relapse, perhaps you can appreciate and be inspired by this man’s LIFE. It is presented in relationship to Multiple Myeloma, but imagine if he didn’t have MM, wouldn’t you still be impressed? Continue Reading »

According to the study, one would have to “undergo 50 airport body scans to equal the amount of radiation received from a single dental X-ray”

When the full body scanners hit the airports, I hit the roof. Having spats on my Facebook page with those who support stronger security and those who find this an invasion of our privacy.

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Political

“For a brief time earlier this month, the National Cancer Institute, a branch of the federal government’s National Institutes of Health, had posted a webpage touting the possible benefits of marijuana in fighting cancer tumors. But less than two weeks after it went up, the webpage was altered and the approving words stricken.” – Article

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“We were prepared for death, we were not prepared for disability.” – Lori Puente

A good article (hat tip, Pat Killingsworth) at Everyday Health talking about the high cost of treating Multiple Myeloma. Beth Morgan, who runs the Myeloma ListServ (Thanks Beth!) offers some her experience with the high costs she has encountered.

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“Here comes the sun (dooda doodoo), here comes the sun, and I say it’s all right.” – The Beatles



It’s just an incredibly beautiful day here in N. California. Blue skies, light breeze, sunshine, birds singing, flowers blooming, kids playing and one happy dog named Kip who got a midday walk!

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“It is now clearer than ever that the human species is in the midst of a war with the microbial world – a resilient foe that will never be completely defeated.” Anthony S. Fauci, Journal of the American Medical Association, October 20, 2004

Germs! Germs! Germs! They are EVERYWHERE! We share our world with all sorts of invisible creatures and many of them are germs, stealthily moving about our world and even in our bodies. There are even good germs, like probiotic bacteria that we are trying to put back into our bodies digestive systems. Continue Reading »

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