Surviving Two Cancers – Page 2 – Couldausedanotherday

The Best Medicine

I’ve been getting the Velcade shot every two weeks. The side effects with it are increasing. I didn’t think I had neuropathy in my hands because they didn’t feel the same as my feet.

But when I complained to the doc (this time actually the top nurse / doctor’s assistant) that they feel generally stiff, achy, and longer, as they keep bumping into things, and so numb some mornings that I have trouble turning off the alarm, she said that’s neuropathy.

Also, the first moment after I get up from sitting, the first few steps are hard to get going. That’s neuropathy, along with the sand in the feet, socks bunched up in the shoes feeling. These side effects are increasing; not debilitating – but quite annoying.

The nurse was going down a list of questions and got to, “any change in appetite?” I told her I’ve been eating everything in site and was approaching maximum capacity. I told her I might finally have a T-shirt printed that reads, “SEX MAKES ME HUNGRY!” I suggested I might make good money if I print and sell them to old, fat guys.

She started laughing so hard, it appeared it was all she could do to hang on to my medical chart. She was rolling so well I didn’t think it would take much to push her over the edge, so I told her about the T-shirt I would print for guys like me who’ve had prostate surgery, “BETTER ERECTIONS THROUGH CHEMISTRY.” She laughed and laughed, bent over laughing. It’s so much fun to make people laugh.

*My Nephew, John, recently took me to the LeMay Car Museum, it was Awesome*

Life is good

I recently met my grandson, my first and only grandchild. Every parent (including myself, many years ago) thinks their baby is the cutest, the most intelligent and most talented baby ever. Grandparents think that too. I have re-joined those ranks.

It’s been a long time since I held my own babies. It came almost as a surprise when I first held Kellen and felt my heart immediately go to him.

Suddenly I loved him. Suddenly, I loved him so much I would trade my life to protect him. It’s been a long time since I loved someone new.

Back To The Needle

I saw my Pulmonologist again. I asked him about the black spots I saw when he had the camera in my lungs. He said those spots were my bronchial tubes, and that he saw nothing unusual in there.

He said all my tests came back negative, and he suspects the Revlimid was causing the cough and the low blood numbers. He asked for another scan to confirm my improvement.

I saw my Urologist again. It was the three year anniversary of my prostate cancer surgery. The blood test results say PSA is undetectable. Those words are sweet to my ears. I am thankful for my recovery from that cancer and surgery.

I saw my Oncologist again. She agrees the Revlimid was probably causing a negative reaction. I stopped taking it a couple months ago. She strongly recommends that I continue my low dose chemo maintenance with Velcade.

Revlimid was a pill; Velcade is administered as a shot in the stomach. I’ll get one every two weeks. It’s the same shot I was previously getting twice a week.

She reminded me that maintenance medication will give me more time between transplants, and if it buys me a year, it’s well worth it, not just for pushing the next transplant a year farther down the road, but she said with the frequent new developments in the treatment of Multiple Myeloma, one year could make a difference in the future treatments I might receive.

*That’s me having a lot of fun with co-workers Bret and Geo at George’s Retirement Beach House Weekend*

Chipping Away

I’ve had a few doctor appointments since my last post. I always think I’m going to find out something when I see them, but it’s often a visit or so later before I do.

I gave blood to the pulmonary doctor, and saw him again the next week when he put a cable camera through my nose and into my lungs (a Bronchoscopy).

Before inserting the camera, they squirt really terrible tasting Novocain into your nose and down your throat. When you numb up, there is a temptation to panic, because you feel that you can not swallow, but you really can.

I saw the dark spots in my lungs. I didn’t want to look, but I saw them. Balls of cat hair were immediately ruled out. I won’t see the doc again until next week, but the shared tests results that are back are all negative.

That’s good, except the cause of the cough, spots on the lungs, and lack of improvement in my blood counts remains a mystery.

The prime suspect, though, is shaping up to be the daily low dose of Revlimid (chemo) I was taking. My rate of cough has dropped since I quit taking it.

*My latest Project: Power Steering on the ’57 Chevy*

My current project is installing power steering on the ’57. I’m nearly finished. If you know where to look, you can see the new steering box, rag joint, and just a little bit of the new steering column. It feels good to be able to chip away at a project.