Kidney Problem; 5 Year anniv

It has been five years since Doug was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. With the advent of new drugs, survival has increased but MM is still considered incurable. This year, two new drugs were approved by the FDA for myeloma (carfilzomib and pomalidomide). Doug has only taken one myeloma drug, and that is Revlimid. So there is an arsenal still to be tapped.

We went to Denver today to see Doug's myeloma specialist. He was very concerned about Doug's rising creatinine numbers. The lab work from August 1st shows a creatinine of 2, which Dr. M said is "troublesome". The high creatinine could be explained by the myeloma, but it could also be caused by a kidney problem independent of the myeloma. A rising creatinine can make the light chains go up.
Both the Lambda and Kappa light chains are up, but the ratio is still okay.

So the question is - is the myeloma relapsing, or is there a completely alternate explanation for the creatinine? At any rate, the kidney function is a concern.

So the first thing he wants to do is send Doug for a consult with a kidney specialist (nephrologist). Luckily there is a good one in Fairplay, which is 40 minutes from us. Dr. M called her office to explain the situation but she was out sick. Tomorrow we hope to find out when Doug's nephrology appointment is; we are hoping for very soon.

Today Dr. M ordered new labs - blood chem and MM panel. He also wants Doug to have a PET scan to check for any new bone lesions, and a repeat bone marrow biopsy. Those are scheduled for September 5 in Denver.

For now, the Revlimid is on hold until we find out what is going on. If the myeloma really is relapsing we will need to change to a different drug.
The Zometa is also on hold since it is known to be hard on the kidneys.

Doug's cardiologist has taken him off lisinopril because of the kidney function problem.

It was a long day, with a few travel delays. We made a quick stop on the way in at Hobby Lobby to get fabric for a reupholstery project. Had lunch at Wendy's, then on to the oncology office at PSL hospital near downtown Denver. We got caught up in a traffic snarl on Colfax St. After crawling along, we discovered it was due to a big accident that closed two lanes. Finally got past that, and once more traffic all but stopped. We were detoured around several city blocks at a snail's pace. We found out later there had been a shooting in Civic Center park and they were looking for the shooter. We happily made it to the oncology office just in time. We always allow extra travel time just in case.

Doug drove the whole way and did a great job. He's understandably tired. We stopped at a restaurant in BV for a nice relaxing supper. We are glad to be home in our little one-stoplight town.

We are taking things one step at a time, and are thankful for good medical support and good health insurance to pay for all these tests.

God bless you all.