Hermosa Beach - July 2019
I made it to Day 100 post transplant. That represents the end of the most dangerous
period where I would be most likely to experience rejection of the transplanted
cells. Happy to report that there is no
clear rejection. I am experiencing some
troublesome diarrhea, but my medical team thinks its from my medication and not
a sign of rejection. I’m riding up to 14 miles/day on a bicycle. And I’ve been hitting tennis balls with a
club pro…although I get gassed pretty quickly doing that. It will take awhile before I’m ready to play
competitively. My hair is growing
back. The hair on my head is growing slowly. It’s about crewcut length. Susan says it looks less like I’m a cancer
patient and more like I want it to look that way. My beard is growing a little faster and I
need to shave about every other day. The
hair in my ears is growing super fast. Go
figure!
My latest bone marrow biopsy was done last week…right on day
100. Results came in last night. I’m MRD-.
No cancer detected with very sensitive instrumentation. The best possible result. Could signal that I’m cured…although things
need to stay this way for awhile before we can make that claim. Nevertheless, it’s great news.
Next step….my lab sample will be sent for evaluation by an
even more sensitive test. This test…called
clonoSEQ will do 2 things: 1) it will
solve the question of whether my Myeloma and Leukemia are related to each other
or completely separate. This will be helpful
information should any additional treatment be required. 2) it will detect whether there are as few as
1 in a 1,000,000 cancer cells active.
The current results can ID 1 in 10,000.
Why do this? Cancer grows fast
and a small problem can be a big problem pretty quickly. So, if any evidence of
cancer is identified, it will be treated right away and I’m told it is easier
to knock it out when the numbers are that small. Not sure how long it will take
before the results of this test are available.
It’s pretty high tech stuff. FDA
approved, although there is a question of whether Medicare will pay for
it. Either way, I’m signed up.
Currently suffering from a cold…which can be problematic
since my immune system is still very immature.
But so far, it’s behaving like just about any other cold I’ve ever
had. I’ve been warned that it may take
longer to shake it than previous viruses.
C’est la Vie. In light of all the positives, it would be
churlish to get too upset about having the sniffles.
Great News! "Keep on Keepin' on! or "Keep on Truckin'" as we said in the Good
ReplyDeleteol' 60's.
Great, great news! Keep it up! XOXO
ReplyDeleteFantastic news Ed! Look forward to hearing more of the same. And as for your hairy ears.....you ARE the Wolfman after all!
ReplyDeleteI agree, churlish is definitely not where it's at. The ear hair thing is not surprising -- you've always been a good listener. 'slater
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the good news! Always great to know that you continue to trend upward!
ReplyDeleteThis is great news! Lori & Jim
ReplyDeleteYou have earned yet another medical degree with this new specialty. Go Dr. Ed.
ReplyDelete