Reprieve!

Well, after all my worrying, it turns out it was for nothing!

I had my next consultant appointment today to find out the results of my BMB and my MRI. We had been pretty much expecting him to want to start treatment so weren't surprised when he said straight off 'So we're looking to start treatment now'. BUT, within 10 minutes he'd totally changed his mind and decided that we could wait until I was showing further signs of deterioration. Talk about a rollercoaster!!!

It looks like my hb is 11.6 (down slightly), calcium dropped ever so slightly (good news), protein up to 45 (from 44 - not so good but fine), blood count fine, kidney fine, bones fine. The only thing that isn't is that my marrow has gone up to 50% abnormality from 10% this time last year. Not great as he said it definitely puts me down as having Asymptomatic Myeloma and that as it continues to get worse it will have an impact on my figures.

But no treatment!!

He wants to put me on zometa, and other than that has said that we'll watch and that if my protein continues to rise that he might advise treatment. He was great though as I explained that I'd found it really hard to think I'd have no notice of the treatment, and he said that if he recommended I started, that he'd let me go away for a week or two first. Brilliant to hear.

He said it is a definite 'when' and not 'if' I start treatment, and he wants to watch my marrow quite carefully (hmmm, think that prob means another BMB in 6 months :-() but I'm feeling very relieved and like I want to crack open the champagne today!!! 2 months more (before my next appt on the 4th Nov) to settle Sam, and 2 months more without treatment....all has to be good!!! Nick thinks I'm barking mad, I'm so happy!

Anyway, nearly time for the school run, but I am so so happy!!! I have never felt so much that every month is really valuable.

In Memory

I don't know quite how to start this post. I had some bad news yesterday....no tragic news....a friend from the Under 50 Myeloma site died after 6 months of fighting infection and GVHD (Graft v Host Disease) after an allo transplant.

She was a fighter and a really spirited lady, and whilst I hadn't met her in person, I'd read her blog and been in touch with her via text. She will be so sorely missed and sadest of all is that she leaves behind a daughter who is only 13...and who lost her dad to cancer 2 years ago. Bloody hell. Life is so unfair. And for the first time in this whole journey, I am so cross with God. If he is up there, he sure as hell makes some weird decisions as to who gets the bad luck.

A touched the lives of a lot of people in the Myeloma community with her blog, her advice, and last but not least, her language (as someone on the Under 50 site said, she's probably making the angels blush right now!!). All I want to say for now is that I wish her family lots of love and thoughts, and that I know they will have many many positive memories of someone who was an inspirational lady.

Here's to you A.