One Year Since Transplant Began

10/21/11

On October 19, 2010 I began my transplant odyssey. While it seems impossible that it has been a year, it also seems like it was in another life.  On October 19 of this year I finished my 30 weeks of velcade maintenance. My counts are still up and down and my oncologist says I still have a "puny" immune system and it will probably stay that way until it has been a year from transplant. My light chains have been behaving themselves and I hope that continues. I would like to think I am finally in remission. There may be a bone marrow biopsy and an MRI at one year from transplant and then we will know for sure. I feel pretty well except I think I have developed a bit of “chemo brain” with the 30 weeks of velcade. I don’t have a lot of mental energy. I have also gained some weight which I hate. I think because I was unable to eat for so long, that I became very hungry when I could eat. Also, I haven’t been  going on walks like I should. I just haven’t had the energy. Hopefully, that will return now that I am finished with the velcade.

 
My mother now knows that I have multiple myeloma. She is having radiation on a small squamous cell skin cancer on her nose and while we were at her consultation, she told the nurse and the doctor about my stem cell transplant, etc. To make a long story short, when I said I had cancer of the bone marrow, her radiologist said, “So, you have multiple myeloma?”   Now my mother knows and she is sorry she ever found out. I was sure she probably suspected it, but she says she didn’t.   At least, she was spared knowing about it at the beginning when it would have been even more difficult for her to accept. For me, I am glad I don’t have to keep it a secret anymore.