Read
the news that Don (Big Boo) Baylor passed away.
He was a great baseball player and bravely fought multiple myeloma for
14 years. In 2014, his team, the Los Angeles Angels celebrated what
were then the only MVPs in club history by asking Vladimir Guerrero to throw
out the ceremonial first pitch and Baylor to catch it. Guerrero’s throw was low
and away, and Baylor’s right ankle gave way.
He limped off the field and was taken to the hospital where he learned
his leg was broken. It was the cancer,
of course. This is sad news,
indeed. He was a great player and a
great human being.
As for me, a few updates. After suffering from some nasty side effects
(frequent diarrhea and muscle cramps) I visited with Dr. V and he suggested we
take a medication break. So, the
Revlimid is suspended for now and I’m only taking Prednisone – every other
day. I plan on visiting with Dr. V again
when I return from a vacation at the beginning of September and at that time we’ll
determine whether to back to Revlimid, try something else, or just stay with a
steroids-only regimen. Dr. V did say he
has several patients who had gone to steroids only and were doing well. That would be wonderful, of course. But obviously I’ll want to stay with the best
regimen that maintains my remission even if it means dealing with some side
effects. So…we’ll see. Meanwhile, I’ve been off the Revlimid for
about 3 weeks now. The side effects have
diminished considerably and I’m also sleeping a lot better. I was waking up in the middle of the night
previously…unable to get back to sleep.
This could be due to the medication adjustment or to the fact that I’ve
begun a practice of daily meditation. Whatever
it is, it’s nice.
