You ARE still praying!!!
Dr. Hajdenburg said that it is one of the best possible test results for a Multiple Myeloma patient. He looked at 2 weeks of blood tests and a urine test and promptly came in and said that the results were EXCELLENT!!
What does it mean?
I have been on Revlimid and Dexamethosone for 2 cycles (21 days per cycle) and he said that it is a "very good partial first response". (Doctor speak for YEAH!!!) So much that he is not going to add Velcade to the treatment at this time. Velcade would cause bad side effects that I just don't need yet. People that have a "very good partial first response" with Revilimid and Dexamethosone alone is less than 10%. He was very excited! He said that the next time I see him in 6 weeks, I will have completed 4 cycles, and it will be time to do another Bone Marrow Biopsy.
He is also setting up a trip to Moffit in Tampa for a consultation. This will be for the future, if the stem cell transplant or the bone marrow transplant is needed. He wants us to know what is possilbly in the future.
Dr. Hajdenburg said that it is one of the best possible test results for a Multiple Myeloma patient. He looked at 2 weeks of blood tests and a urine test and promptly came in and said that the results were EXCELLENT!!
What does it mean?
I have been on Revlimid and Dexamethosone for 2 cycles (21 days per cycle) and he said that it is a "very good partial first response". (Doctor speak for YEAH!!!) So much that he is not going to add Velcade to the treatment at this time. Velcade would cause bad side effects that I just don't need yet. People that have a "very good partial first response" with Revilimid and Dexamethosone alone is less than 10%. He was very excited! He said that the next time I see him in 6 weeks, I will have completed 4 cycles, and it will be time to do another Bone Marrow Biopsy.
He is also setting up a trip to Moffit in Tampa for a consultation. This will be for the future, if the stem cell transplant or the bone marrow transplant is needed. He wants us to know what is possilbly in the future.
I was released by two doctors last week. Dr. Burry, the surgeon and Dr. Portee, the rehab doctor. Dr. Burry said I will have no permanent limitations, but it will take at least a year to heal. We asked the size of the tumor and he said it was about the size of a golfball, totally encompassing the T10. He said he just couldn't get over how much the tumor had engulfed the spinal cord. He was also amazed that I had no walker, brace or cane. He also said the 15% of the tumor he had to leave could not be detected on the x-ray we brought in, but you wouldn' be able to see it on just an x-ray, it would have to be on an MRI, which brought up our next question. Can I ever have an MRI again? He said that the material the pins and rods are made of, titanium, has been put in the middle of an MRI machine and it goes no where when it is turned on. So, yes I can have an MRI, it will just be blurry where the pins and rods are. Also, the plasmacytoma melts away with radiation so he is not concerned about the 15% that he had to leave.
Dr. Portee said I was doing extremely well, and he saw no reason to keep seeing me unless I thought I needed something from him any time in the future. He agreed with the time frame of one year for the swelling to go down around my spinal cord and just urged me to continue with the physical therapy, especially strenthening my core. So that is exactly what I am doing. Daniel is my coach, timing me on my core exercises and cheering me on when I score well on the balance, yoga, and aerobic games on the Wii Fit....even when I beat him. He's such a good sport.
And finally, a dear friend is training for a 26 mile marathon and is raising money for cancers like mine. Below is the link, please donate if you feel led.
http://pages.teamintraining.org/cfl/wdw09/kdottore
Jenny
