New Pain Rt Shoulder

Doug woke up this morning with a fairly severe pain in his right shoulder. We know, from the bone survey, that he has a lesion in the right humerus. He toughed it out all day - we are in the process of moving to a new home. We are hiring a moving company, and painters, but there is still a lot to do, and I think he overdid. Darn stubborn Hungarian!

He has an appointment with the Oncologist this Wed, and an appointment with the Radiation Oncologist on Thursday. And his left hip still hurts despite the radiation. I am praying he doesn't fracture the right arm. Tonight he finally consented to stay in his chair and take an Oxycodone.

Tomorrow our son and our youngest grandson are coming to help carry boxes and do whatever else they can. Please pray for pain relief and no fractures, and for Doug to take it easy.

"I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me."    Psalm 16:8 

Radiation on sacrum finished

Doug finished his radiation treatments Monday; he had a short course of five treatments this time. The treated area was the left sacrum. No pain relief yet, but we are still hoping. The biological effects of the radiation continue for a week or more after treatment is completed, so it could still kick in. At least the pain is not continuous like last November, when he had to take heavy duty narcotics. He gets pain relief when not weight bearing. We have a follow up appointment with the radiation oncologist July 12. If Doug has not had any pain relief by then, we'll go to step 2 - don't know what that is yet!

I did ask Dr. H, the Radiation Oncologist, this question: How can Doug be in remission and still develop new bone pain? She said - since the damage to the bones was already done before he was diagnosed, new pain can develop even though he is technically still in remission. Kind of makes sense, though not terribly reassuring.

We are slowly packing a few things, getting ready for the move. Moving is stressful in itself. Especially in today's economic climate, and we are praying for a successful closing with our buyers. I have had to really work to stay calm lately. Doug seems much better at that than I am sometimes.

Love to all.

"Fix attention on the task at hand, not on its potential consequences."   Robert Brody

Radiation Therapy again

Today we had the consult with Dr. H., the Radiation Oncologist at Shaw Cancer Center. She could see a couple areas that she thinks are causing the pain in Doug's left hip.  When Doug's hip was radiated last November, he got excellent pain relief then, so we expect good results this time too. We really like Dr. H and her excellent staff - it was good to see them but we'd rather see them some other place. Doug starts radiation this Wed, and it will be a short course. Since there will be no sensitive tissues (like bowel) in this field, the radiation can be given in larger daily doses. Could be as few as five treatments, but we won't know for sure until Wed.

We are so thankful that Doug has not had any fractures from any of his bone lesions, and this time he has been able to endure the pain without taking any pain meds. Our spirits are high and both of us feel so blessed, especially for God's timing. We have sold our house, and Doug should be pain-free for the moving process into the 'new' lower maintenance house. We have peace of mind.

Love to all.

"You Lord will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You."   Isaiah 26:4

Another CT on left hip

Doug still has pain in the left hip, so he called the oncologist, who ordered a CT scan of the hip and femur. Plain X-rays don't show the lesions very well. The CT was done without contrast due to compromised kidney function; if looking at soft tissue, contrast is needed, but bones show up well without it, thankfully.

The radiologist thought that one lesion might be "a millimeter" larger than before, but his reading was inconclusive. So the oncologist has sent both the previous and new scans to the radiation oncologist at the cancer center in Edwards. She is excellent and we have faith that she can read the scans better than the local radiologist. We are waiting for a call from the radiation oncologist, to find out if we have to go for a consult.

Meanwhile Doug is coping well and still doing work around the house in small spurts. The pain is manageable with rest, and he is not taking any pain meds. He enjoyed the river trip with his brother.

Love to all.

Maintenance Therapy

All has been well lately. Doug is eating well, and his weight is where it should be. He finished six courses of 25 mg Revlimid and weekly dexamethasone, and is on his rest week now. On June 5 he starts maintenance therapy, which is 10 mg Revlimid daily and no dex! He won't get any rest breaks from the Rev. The oncologist will do a MM blood panel every two months to see that things are under control. Doug will still be getting a Zometa infusion every six weeks since he has multiple bony lesions.

I am very glad that the heavy duty Revlimid is over; Doug has been so easily fatigued. Hopefully he will have a bit more energy with the lighter dose.

The only problem right now is hip pain. The same hip that had radiation last November. Doug has no pain unless he walks over two blocks or is on his feet a lot. Once he sits for a while, the pain goes away, so we have been trying to ignore it. It's a bummer that we can't go for walks together. If it gets worse we will have to address it.

We are moving to a 'new' house - one with less upkeep. We'll be less than a mile from where we live now. Once we get settled, we will have almost no yard work. We think it is best that we move while we can - before a new crisis hits. Worrying is not good - planning ahead is good.

Doug and his brother are going on a river float trip on the Arkansas this Friday. His brother Jeff will be fly fishing; Doug will be on the boat just enjoying the trip and the scenery.

Love to all.

"Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God."  

1 Peter 1:18 

EUS results - good news

Doug had the endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) done yesterday in Colorado Springs. Results are good - no signs of any mass in the head of the pancreas or in the bile duct. A small portion of dilated bile duct was noted, but not thought to be a problem. Some scarring could be seen in the pancreas, most likely from the severe case of pancreatitis Doug had in 2010. No signs of active pancreatitis. No major abnormality seen! The gastroenterologist said he could not explain Doug's elevated bilirubin level, or the weight loss. He recommended a repeat regular ultrasound in a month, and labwork including a CA 19-9. He did take one biopsy in the stomach, where he saw some gastritis; the biopsy is to check for H. pylori, a bacteria that can cause an ulcer.

The sedation this time was Propofol - yes, the drug that Michael Jackson was taking. They have gone to this instead of using Versed because the recovery time is so much faster. It does require having an anesthesiologist to monitor. We were impressed with the entire team at Penrose.

We also saw the cardiologist last Monday, because of Doug's continuing low blood pressure. He cut the dose of the Coreg in half. He noted that Doug has lost 30 pounds since last year, so now he does not require the higher dose.

The unexplained weight loss is still troubling, but if he can maintain this weight, I will be happy. No more 'Budda belly'!

For now we will just enjoy life in the slow lane.

Blessings to all.

Neck Pain - not cancer

Last Monday morning Doug woke up with neck pain, hurting but tolerable. The next day, Tuesday, he took his Dexamethasone (steroid) - no neck pain. No pain Wed. Thursday (when the Dex wore off), the pain returned with a vengeance. He took a muscle relaxer, which did not do much. Thursday evening he finally took Oxycodone (a fairly potent pain med); that helped some, but it still hurt. More Oxy during the night. I started thinking - what if this is the myeloma acting up? What if this is a pathological fracture? I had these thoughts even though the myeloma numbers look good right now. (Remember back to last fall when everyone thought Doug's hip pain was 'just arthritis'?)

So this morning we called and got in to see our most excellent nurse practitioner. She listened carefully (I love that about her), examined Doug, and said she thought it was 'torticollis' - basically a severe muscle spasm. But she said "since it's Doug, I'm going to order x-rays of his neck to rule out anything going on in the bone."  She showed us the x-rays (I am a retired radiation therapist and am used to looking at x-rays) and we could see lots of arthritis but no obvious lesions. She will send them to be read by the radiologist, but it really looks like we dodged the bullet this time. She recommended he stop the muscle relaxant and the Oxycodone since it wasn't doing much, and start taking lorazepam (generic Ativan) 3 or 4 times a day instead. Right now he is relaxed enough to take a nap - good!

When we got home I was surprised to find how tired I felt. Of course - I was all geared up for battle, ready for another course of radiation therapy, etc. Rationally, I shouldn't have been, but my emotions responded. Crisis averted, whew, I slumped.

This coming Monday, we are going to Colorado Springs to the cardiologist, to get Doug's heart meds adjusted. His blood pressure is still lower than it should be, resulting in some dizziness. This coming Thursday, we drive back to the Springs for Doug's endoscopic ultrasound.

Here's a tip that I hope might help someone - you can make an easy muscle warmer by putting two pounds (or a little less) of raw rice in a tube sock. Tie the end shut and heat in microwave for one minute, give or take. Easy, cheap and works like a charm.

On this Good Friday, I am humbled and awed by how much God loves us.

Blessings to all.