I started my second cycle of Rev/dex yesterday. So far, nothing bad! Just the dex sleeplessness and a bit of a headache. Normal dex stuff. Just 3 more months to go, and then I go to dex just 4 days a month and the Revlimid 21 days, like now. I had the quantitative Ig’s and SPEP done, as well as CBCs. The CBCs were all in the normal range. The RBC, HGB and HCT are all at the low end, but still in the normal range!
Category: Myeloma
Myeloma
This morning I got a call from the doc at Wake Forest University, telling me they’re now enrolling people in the Rev/dex EAP trial. That was good news for me. Winston-Salem is a lot better drive for me than Charlotte. I have an appointment next week. I’m dreading the dex, but am hoping it helps me.
Here is a quote published in Cure magazine this month from Dr. Paul Richardson, MD, clinical director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at Dana Farber Cancer Institute:
“I don’t want to overstate the case, but in myeloma patients who do respond to Revlimid, which is about one-third of patients, they can enjoy very durable disease control on the agent.”
Dr. Richardson is a wonderful, caring person. I wish I lived closer to Boston so he could be my doctor. :)
I had a bone marrow biopsy yesterday. I got one of these, and decided to take a picture of it so you could see what the needle looks like. This time I had an IV of 2 mg ativan. I can’t say that it helps much, but it sure doesn’t hurt. I don’t know what all these parts are for, but here they are!
Manufacturer’s Home Page. This used to include some video demonstrations of the Goldenberg Snarecoil in use. Now it’s branded Monoject.
If you’re on steroids, you should avoid melatonin.
Precautions: There are no known serious side effects to regulated melatonin supplementation. Some people may experience vivid dreams or nightmares. Overuse or incorrect use of melatonin could disrupt circadian rhythms. Long-term effects have not been well studied. In rats, melatonin decreases T4 and T3 uptake levels.
Melatonin can cause drowsiness if taken during the day. If morning drowsiness is experienced after taking melatonin at night, reduce dosage levels. In some cases of depression, daytime doses of melatonin can increase depression.
May be contraindicated for those with autoimmune disorders and immune system cancers (e.g., lymphoma, leukemia).
Because melatonin suppresses corticosteroid activity, those who are taking corticosteroids for anti-inflammatory or immune suppressive purposes (e.g., transplant patients) should exercise caution with melatonin supplementation.
Melatonin could interfere with fertility. It is also contraindicated during pregnancy and lactation.
Lack of sleep and insufficient exposure to darkness may suppress natural production of melatonin.
http://www.wellfx.com/InfoBase/vitamin_melatonin_.htm
Date of specimen: 3/24/2003
| TEST | RESULT | LIMITS |
| Protein, Total, Urine | 5.2 mg/dL | 0.0 – 15.0 |
| Protein, Urine 24 hr | 150.8H mg/24 hr | 30.0 – 150.0 |
| Albumin, U | 59.6 % | |
| Alpha-1-Globulin, U | 14.3 % | |
| Alpha-2-Globulin, U | 11.0 % | |
| Beta Globulin, U | 7.5 % | |
| Gamma Globulin, U | 7.6 % | |
| M-Spike, % | Not observed | |
| Immunofixation result, urine | ||
| Bence Jones Protein positive | lambda |
Drawn: 01/30/2003
PROCEDURE |
NORMAL |
AB-
|
UNITS |
REF RANGE |
HEMATOLOGY |
||||
| white cell count | 6.8 | 10^3/uL | 4.5 – 11.0 | |
| red cell count | 3.96 | 10^6/ul | 3.80 – 5.10 | |
| hemoglobin | 13.0 | g/dl | 11.5 – 15.0 | |
| hematocrit | 37.5 | % | 34.0 – 44.0 | |
| MCV | 94.8 | fl | 82.0 – 101.0 | |
| MCH | 32.9 | pg | 26.0 – 33.0 | |
| MCHC | 34.7 | g/dl | 32.0 – 36.0 | |
| RDW | 12.6 | % | 11.0 – 14.0 | |
| PLATELET CT | 308 | 10^3/ul | 140 – 400 | |
| MPV | 6.8 | fl | 7.8 – 11.0 | |
| ALLEN’S SMEAR | DONE | |||
GENERAL CHEMISTRY |
||||
| CREATININE | 1.00 | mg/dl | 0.40 – 1.50 | |
| CALCIUM | 9.1 | mg/dl | 8.4 – 10.6 | |
| ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE | 166 | iu/l | 50 – 150 | |
| SGOT (AST) | 27 | iu/l | 15 – 40 | |
| LDH | 83 | iu/l | 100 – 190 | |
URINALYSIS |
||||
| COLOR | yellow | yellow | ||
| CLARITY | slightly cloudy | clear | ||
| SPECIFIC GRAVITY | 1.010 | 1.005 – 1.030 | ||
| pH | 5.0 | 5.0 – 7.5 | ||
| PROTEIN | Negative | Negative/trace | ||
| GLUCOSE | Negative | Negative | ||
| KETONES | Negative | Negative | ||
| URINE BILIRUBIN | Negative | Negative | ||