Nick's Myeloma Blog

I created this blog so that I, and others, can track the progress of my Multiple Myeloma and my efforts to combat it. I am blessed to have my family and many good friends to help me defeat this and if you are reading this, you are likely included in that group. Thanks for your support -- with it, I will beat this. So for your edification and perhaps even amusement, read on!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

New lab results (no M-protein data yet), and portacath update, etc.

I went back to Dr. GD's office, carrying my jug of urine this time, so they could draw two more vials of blood that must be assessed at ...

Monday, August 31, 2009

Post rated R for adult language -- skip this one if you are offended easily

I'm apologizing in advance for this rant because I know I have some genteel readers, including my in-laws. But I want to record my feel...

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Something beautiful...

I've been waiting to post this. My shingles still hurt, although they aren't getting worse. I'm still tired, my shoulder hurts...

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Shingles and portacath update

Because there's not much else to write about. I wound up keeping my appointment with my primary care physician, PZ, for this past Monday...

Friday, August 14, 2009

Self diagnosis proves correct

These stupid shingles hurt a great deal. I called the clinic this morning, and described the situation, and they said that it sounds like sh...

Mostly good news...except the answer to "how am I the same as a ranch-style home's roof?"

I got a call a couple of days ago from a nurse at the clinic just checking up on me. She didn't seem light the brightest bulb, SO I AM ...

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

M-spike update (favorable) and a few other things

Hello folks. It seems the Adriamycin et. al. takes a couple of weeks to finish mangling my cells. My hair, which was about 70% back in, is ...

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Tamiflu could be the nightmare culprit

Just read that a UK study indicated that children on Tamiflu frequently suffer nightmares as a side-effect of the drug. I wonder if this is...

Friday, July 31, 2009

My arm hurts and American Airline disappoints...

We had such nice expectations for our return home. A combination of advanced ticketing and the use of some hard-earned frequent fliers had ...

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Positive comments in my discharge appointment with BB!

First, they placed the portacath on my chest near my left shoulder in surgery this morning. All I can say is....OUCH THIS HURTS!!! It rem...

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Hello left hand? Meet the right hand. You guys should talk more often!!!

So there was no surgery this morning. I got up painfully early and went in to make sure my platelets were still in good shape. While there,...

The future of this blog...

Just a very quick note. The end of my primary therapy does not mean the end of this blog. Far from it. After the end of this week, I will ...

Confirmation on the reimmunization issue

In addition to BB saying no reimmunization was necessary, I spoke with SF at City of Hope to get a second opinion on it. At the prestigious...

Pictures of M-spikes and matchstick men...and some random thoughts on a few other things...

Another fairly sleepless night. I attribute this to (1) excitement over my final surgical procedure this AM, removing my central line and r...

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

A note on reimmunization

This is a sufficiently important topic as to deserve its own heading -- I didn't want to bury it in the remarks about my meeting with BB...

Neupogen pain and the penultimate BB meeting

We're getting down to the nitty and the gritty of my primary treatment here. I've been going to the infusion center for my daily lab...

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Vivid dreams and nightmares...

One of the things I noticed at several points during my treatment was my propensity for increased frequency and vividness of dreams. I gene...

Friday, July 24, 2009

Quick update on a few fronts...

First of all, I forgot to mention this yesterday but I finally shed the last couple of pounds from the dex this time out. It was a 15 pound...

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The worst song by the band Rush...

...is probably one from their little-listened-to self-titled CD. The song is called "I Think I'm Going Bald." And it's a...

Nothing new to report, but one piece of info on shots for those about to undergo this...

Lab results from yesterday very normal. Platelets down to 87, as expected. Whites recovered to 4.4 or so, which is the peak before the cra...

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Consistent labs, inconsistent points of view on lesser matters

Well, they were quick in the lab and I got the results of yesterday's blood draw, which were consistent with last Thursday. Trace M-pro...

Monday, July 20, 2009

Progress!

First, I am neutropenic. I know this because I am utterly exhausted. It started to hit me yesterday afternoon when I was inexplicably drag...

Saturday, July 18, 2009

(Edited and updated and corrected!) No more chemo, no new information, other than tips on female facial hair

I went into the clinic today and waited for 90 minutes before they were ready for me...slow day but not a lot of nurses working in the infus...

Friday, July 17, 2009

Gunga Din vs. Carl the Greenskeeper, VGPR vs. CR and other errata...

Thank you for all the responses to my previous blog! I'm especially tickled that my Eduardo Gianelli references prompted my big brother...

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

What a difference a day makes (in labs)

This is something that hopefully everybody with this diagnosis -- or anybody looking at their blood on a daily basis for some other reason, ...

A glimpse of normalcy and other observations

Let me begin with observation #1, which I've made before. Ambien has nights were it works brilliantly (the night before this past one I...

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Nick: Los Angeles, CA

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