And A Few More Things

Remember all those baby diseases, like measles, mumps, etc.? Well, it seems whatever immunities I had have been wiped out by the high dose chemo and transplant. I have no immunities to mumps, measles, polio, rubella, hepatitus A, B, or C, tetanus, and probably a few others. The debate among my doctors is whether to vaccinate me now or wait until I've finished with my chemo and/or next transplant. I guess I'll stay away from infants and unvaccinated small children.

I've found some relief from the dizziness and headache--sleep. I've been tryng to get through the days without my afternoon naps but have realized that depriving myself of the 2 hour nap in the afternoon was leading to the headaches. So I've resumed my napping and my head has settled down.

The revlimid is also causing more neuropathies. But, I've found a temporary solution for that as well. A heating pad beneath my feet at night seems to help with the pain, keep my feet warm and reduce the muscle cramping in my lower legs. I can't believe I've wrestled with cold feet for the past 3 years when such a simple solution lay at my feet, so to speak.

In addition to the blood counts, we're also watching the measures of my kidney and liver function, creatinine being the main one. My creatinine was slightly elevated when I returned from Little Rock. 1.0 being perfect and I was at 1.2. It has now risen to 1.6, which is too high. So far no remedy other than being told to drink more water. We have to be vigilant as the chemo and the myeloma are known to adversely affect kidney function. I've also got much more iron in me than I need. This is due to the multiple transfusions and is also a trait of the myeloma--it holds onto iron apparently. So that requires another drug in the morning before I eat. That drug has some awful side effects, but we're muddling our way through.

As the years go by with this nastiness it does feel that the complications and side effects become more complex. I still bounce back but it does seem the bounce isn't as high as in the early years. I'm sure my age is a contributing factor. We're not getting any younger, as they say. Which reminds me; I watched the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concert the other night on HBO. OMG, does Mick Jagger look tired!! That Rolling Stone has rolled a little too long. And with that, I'll close for now. ROCK & ROLL.
Dan