Good test results, another marrow test

Here are photos of some of the key people at Rocky Mountain Cancer Center. The first person we see when we enter the clinic is Hollie, the receptionist. She always has a smile; her wacky sense of humor is a good match for Doug.

We got our new schedule from Vicki, our transplant coordinator. She is the "go-to" person who really has a handle on everything that is happening. If something needs to be done, Vicki gets it done. She is very competent and capable and makes sure Doug understands what is happening at every step.

Here is Dr Jeff Matous, our transplant specialist. He just got back from a medical conference on Multiple Myeloma; he stays educated on the latest developments in the medical community. We have a lot of faith in him.

Today Dr Matous gave us the results of all the restaging tests that Doug had on Feb. 20. He was very glad to see that there was no sign of myeloma cells in Doug's blood! Unfortunately the bone marrow biopsy was inconclusive -- so today Dr. M performed a marrow aspiration from the sternum. Not the same as a biopsy but it will give enough fluid to check under the microscope so the information will be there. This was done using a way smaller needle and local numbing. Doug said it hurt quite a bit but only for a few seconds.

Dr Matous said that as of now, Doug has achieved a VGPR "very good partial response" from the initial chemo. That puts him in a very good position to undergo the high dose chemo and stem cell transplant.

Today was the day to sign consent forms -- there were so many papers to sign and initial that it reminded us of a house signing.

Every one of the transplant team is not only very good at what they do, but they also have good inter-personal skills. They transmit to us a sense that we are indeed in good hands. I think God is guiding these people and we are so thankful for that!