GI Side Effects Worse

On October 13 Doug developed abdominal discomfort. Back in 2010 he had quite severe pancreatitis resulting in an ambulance trip and a hospital stay, so he wanted to make sure this was not the beginning of pancreatitis again. He called our local clinic and was told to go to the ER for the blood test. That proved negative which was a big relief.

On October 20 we went to Colorado Springs for Doug's yearly cardiology appointment. He had an EKG which showed evidence of his prior 'right bundle branch block' but no current problems, so nothing to worry about. He had a blood draw to check cholesterol; that is in the normal range.

Doug has had his CyBorD chemo every week. His GI side effects are getting more troublesome. The day after treatment the diarrhea starts and usually lasts two or even three days. Those days he stays home. Taking enough Immodium to deal with that causes constipation the next day or two; it has become a balancing act to take the right pills at the right time. He has a couple of good days a week when he feels like getting out and doing things. Medically this is minor, but does affect his comfort and our lifestyle.

Last Tuesday we went to Denver for the Zometa infusion, Velcade injection, and visit with the myeloma specialist. Doug's weekly labs have been within normal limits. Doug asked him if the Velcade dosage could be reduced; the specialist does not want to do that; he wants to keep hitting the myeloma pretty heavily until the light chains go down enough to get him back into remission. At that point the Velcade dose would be reduced to a maintenance level. Doug is now into the third cycle of chemo. A blood draw was done for the myeloma panel - results will be a week or so.

The specialist recommended that Doug get acquainted with the new nephrologist, just so he will be familiar with Doug's history if any kidney problems arise again.

That's all the medical news. We haven't gone anywhere other than medical visits but we have been able to see friends.

"Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections." 

Weird Rash; More Side Effects

Last week, the day after the CyBorD treatment, Doug noticed a strange rash at the site of the Velcade injection. Having a rash from the Velcade is not unusual; what was strange was the appearance of the rash. There was a circular spot about three inches in circumference, and several "fingers" coming off the red area below it. Another narrow finger was coming up, toward Doug's chest, about eight inches or so. He didn't notice this until 9:00 in the evening, and he had  no fever, the area was not raised or warm. So we didn't call the hospital, although I did check it during the night. In the morning it was much less red, and continued to fade during the day. I had taken a photo of it, and sent it in to the Denver specialist's office. The nurse emailed that it sure looked weird, and she sent it on to the doc. His opinion was that possibly the Velcade had gotten into the lymph system.
We also showed the photo to the chemo nurses in Salida today - they all agreed that it was "weird". No harm done.

Doug's blood counts were good today; within limits to proceed with the treatment. It went fast today - we were at the infusion center only a little over an hour. The weekly blood draw doesn't tell if the treatment is effective; it is done to see if his body is tolerating the chemo, judging by the blood counts.

Once a month the blood is sent off to a special lab. This test is called the "MM panel" and the results show if the bad myeloma cells (light chains) are going up or down. The lambda light chains have been going up every month for the last ten months. Last month's test showed a slight reduction! This is very encouraging and we hope for a steady decline in those light chains.

Meanwhile Doug has been experiencing more side effects. The chemo is hitting his GI tract now; he has diarrhea and sometimes constipation. The Zofran is still preventing nausea. This is not unusual for this type of chemo. More pills to prevent and cope with side effects! He won't sleep well for a couple of nights after the Dex, even with a sleeping pill. But his attitude is good.

My sister was here for a week's visit. We went to a women's retreat for three days. We had a great time and Doug enjoyed peace and quiet from our girl talk. While Carol was here we all got together with our son and daughter in law for quality family time together.

Love to all.

"God uses everything to call us out of apathy."    Ann Voskamp