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."