Heading into another relapse?

Two months ago, our myeloma specialist saw the light chain numbers were drifting upwards. So he added cytoxan and prednisone back to the pomalyst; he was thinking a 'tweak' would be enough. But it wasn't. The bad numbers continue to climb slowly - Doug is headed out of remission. This will be relapse #5. So there will be a change to different drugs, but not yet.

Doug's glaucoma has not been controlled, although he has already had two surgeries and multiple kinds of eye drops. Vision has been lost. So we were referred to a glaucoma specialist in Colorado Springs. After a consult, he offered more surgery as an option. We decided to go ahead and have the eye surgeries, a different kind for each eye. The left eye got a newer kind of stent, and the right eye (which already has two stents) underwent a diode laser procedure. During this healing process, Doug's vision is very blurry. He can't even read the big F on the eye chart. The doc said this is fairly common and he expects it to get better. No telling how fast. So he can't drive.

So I am doing all the driving - which is okay, but I have a history of getting drowsy when doing highway driving. Once years ago, I did fall asleep and had a near accident. We are making lots of medical trips to Denver and the Springs - not my idea of fun. But the good Lord is protecting us. My tools for staying alert are praying, caffeine pills (I don't drink coffee) and listening to audiobooks. It's working so far.

Once Doug's eyes are healed, the oncologist will decide on what treatment for the myeloma. Fortunately for us, there are three good options - drugs that were not available a few years ago.
This leg of the journey is not that different from what we've experienced before, but it feels stressful.
We are blessed with excellent medical care, and people who pray for us.

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track."
Proverbs 3:5-6  The Message