Encouraging News

Finally...a Monday that produced some encouraging news.  Mom had her appointment with the transplant doctor today.  The news she received was uplifting and encouraging.  He mapped out what her course of treatment would be including a self-donor stem cell transplant.  What this means is they will take some of her bone marrow, which will be repaired by treatment, and will freeze it for up to 60 days.  At that point, once the marrow is completely clean of cancer cells, they will then complete the transplant.  The decision to go the self donor route produces a much higher survival rate than using outside donors.  This was also good news whereas now we don't have to seek out a donor. 

The doctor put her back on her medication and questioned why she was taken off of it in the first place.  He was encouraged by the results of it beginning to kill the cancer cells and accredited the pain in her body to the effectiveness of the medication.  The doctor is anticipating two rounds of medication (1 round=21 days on, 7 days off) prior to extracting the bone marrow.  He also prescribed her Zometa, which will begin to repair her bone lesions as well as strengthen her bones. 

Her next doctor's appointment will be in 3 weeks.  However, she'll continue with her weekly blood tests to monitor her levels and track the effectiveness of the medication.    We appreciate everyone's continued prayers for her recovery.

I'll keep you posted as treatment progresses. 

Love you all,
Marcia

Busy Week

Well...we've had a busy past week.  Last Monday, mom went in for her weekly lab work, which showed that her kidney levels were elevated and her hemoglobins were low.  Therefore she was admitted into St. Johns hospital.  During her stay, they gave her 4 units of blood and lots of fluids.  The doctor's also decided to discontinue her current medication treatment due to it possibly contributing to some of her kidney problems.  She's also been in a lot of pain due to the bone lesion on her hips.  While in the hospital, they were able to reduce some of the pain, but she is still struggling to get around.  After a long week, she finally got to go home on Friday, which was the first bit of good news we've received since her diagnosis. :) 

She has an appointment tomorrow with the transplant doctor who will be taking over with her treatment, beginning a new type of medication treatment, & coordinating her road to recovery.  :)  Please pray that tomorrow's appointment will be the first Monday to produce good news, as the last several Monday's have not. Stay tuned for updates from tomorrow's appointment. 

Love you all!
Marcia

Stage Update

Well, it wasn't the news we were hoping for but we're not giving up.  Today, mom got the results from her bone test, which showed that she had two lesions; one on her right femur and one on her skull.  The doctor considers this to be in a slightly advanced stage.  The plans for treatment are still the same.  They'll continue to keep a close watch on her cancer cell count.  Please continue to pray for a donor match as a bone marrow transplant is the only cure and mom says "she will be cured". :)  Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers.

Posted by Marcia

Mom's Diagnosis

Hello friends and family!    As most of you know, mom was diagnosed with multiple myeloma two weeks ago.  As you can imagine, it was shocking news for the whole family, and if you know mom, she does not give up easily and is ready to fight this.  As treatment progresses, I'll be posting updates, so please feel free to post comments and words of encouragement.  This will be a tough battle for her and our family, so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. 

According to the Mayoclinic website, multiple myeloma is defined as:  a cancer of your plasma cells, a type of white blood cell present in your bone marrow. Plasma cells normally make proteins called antibodies to help fight infections.  In multiple myeloma, a group of abnormal plasma cells (myeloma cells) multiplies, raising the number of plasma cells to a higher than normal level. Since these cells normally make proteins, the level of abnormal proteins in your blood also may go up. Health problems caused by multiple myeloma can affect your bones, immune system, kidneys and red blood cell count.

She started treatment last week.  Initially, she'll begin with a round of 21days on and 7 days off to reduce the number of cancer cells.  Once the cancer cells have been reduced, she'll need a bone marrow transplant, which we are still praying for a donor.  They'll start by testing her siblings and go from there.  As with any cancer, you find it in different stages.  Tomorrow she'll find out what stage it's in.  She has an appointment with the transplant specialist next week.  I'll post details from both of these appointments as soon as I have them.  Her spirits are high but energy is low.  So please pray for her as she takes on this challenge.  Stay tuned for further updates! 

Posted by Marcia (Trish's daughter)