Finally getting a chance to post an update. I skipped last week because of one, it was a very busy week at work, but also there really wasn't much to report. No issues with treatment. Minimum side effects with medication. Which is great, but makes for terrible story telling on a blog. "Hey everyone, I'm all good, no news." I guess the main take away is I've been spending a lot of time working. Which is kind of my happy place. We've had some big dance jobs that have taken a lot of time, but I'm so grateful to be doing them. Spring is a busy time for our staff with all the sports.
In the meantime, the kids have also been busy being my biggest supporters (with the help of Stephanie and the rest of our family and friends. We've got bracelets galore over here and Multiple Myeloma tattoos. Grace and her friends made bracelets that say DSS (Dad Support Squad) and my mother-in-law got them a giant stack of Multiple Myeloma tattoos which they've been giving out like candy. It's amazing all the support we've gotten from the community and family.
We've had a meal train going for a few weeks now that has helped tremendously. I almost forget what it's like to cook sometimes because of all the graciousness of families in our community. We can't thank you enough. People have dropped off gift cards for gas and food, all kinds of sweets, offers to help with the kids. It's truly amazing.
Now for the progress. Overall, my energy levels seemed to have gone up over the last couple weeks. I still deal with some minor side effects from medication/treatment, but nothing crazy. A few muscle cramps here or there. The strangest one in particular is a muscle cramp in my tongue. It's very intermittent, but I'll just be talking and the right side of my tongue cramps, making me sound like I just spent an hour under the anesthesia of a dentist. I also get cramps in hands a little, which is a little more concerning for work, when you're working on a deadline and need to get photos done ASAP, but your right hand doesn't want to work the mouse. But I am learning to use my left. Maybe when this is all said and done I'll actually be ambidextrous.
My appetite has still stayed up, which is nice so I get to enjoy all those meal train meals! Probably the thing I notice the most is a heavy craving for pop. I've always had a bit of a sweet tooth anyway, but over the last 20 years or so I don't generally drink a lot of pop. I'll go through modes where I drink some here or there, but this is like a "I need a pop or some kind of sugary drink, now!" type of craving. I'm not really a doctor or a nutritionist so I'm not sure if it's because my sodium levels continue to be so low or if it's all just mental and I need to just scale it back. I did meet with the nutritionist yesterday for a few minutes at treatment and she seemed to think everything was perfectly normal and was glad to see I still had a good appetite.
So speaking of treatment, yesterday was round 5 and was the first time I've done lab work since starting treatment. I also met with my oncologist for a few minutes for an update. Treatment was just as uneventful as it's always is. Last week was only one shot (I didn't realize there was a cycle for one of the shots.) But we were back to two shots this week.
The meeting with my oncologist was good. No it was great. It was a pretty brief meeting, but the gist is everything is working as he thought. My levels are returning to where they should be slowly. My Hemoglobin which once sat at 7.2, almost half what it should be, is now at 9+ which definitely accounts for my energy levels going up. My kidney function moved from a 54 to a 74, which is a gigantic improvement. 54 puts you into Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease while 74 moves it up Stage 2 Mild. Still some ways to go to get it in normal range, but all in due time.
One of the things I have to watch is my White Blood Cell count. This is a result of one of the medications that I'm on, but I also take a anti-viral pill to help stave off infections right now. To be honest, Dr. Covut seemed to be unsurprised by any of this. Not in a bad way. Just in a 'this is exactly what we knew was going to happen' type of way. He's mentioned to me how effective the treatment is many many times, but I always try to exercise cautious optimism. But he was right. Treatment is doing everything it's supposed to be doing.
It was definitely some well needed good news. As positive as I've stayed, last week and the days leading up to yesterday grew a little harder. I think it's natural to start questioning your own mortality or worrying about the future. It starts with worrying about how long you might have, which turns into worrying about a whole host of other things. Things I've not done with my life. Things I felt I had much more time to do. Worrying about whether my family would be okay if something did happen. It spirals pretty quickly.
So this bit of good news was exactly what I needed. We continue to be thankful for all the support the community is giving us and I particularly am thankful for the support my family and Stephanie have given me. There have been many things that Stephanie has had to step up and help with and there will be more. But she's done it without complaining and no questions asked and I'm forever grateful.
I'll continue to keep everyone updated. I'm hoping to have another bit of good news later this week for next week's blog, but we'll just have to wait and see on that one.
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