Pins & Needles

As the chemotherapy treatment progresses there are signs of some of the side effects becoming manifest. One of these is Peripheral Neuropathy. This term describes damage to the nerves in the hands, feet, arms and legs and is both a symptom of Myeloma and it's treatment with Valcade (Bortezomib) and other chemotherapy drugs such as [...]

Aches and Pains

It is the end of my second cycle of chemotherapy and I enter into my chemo free week. This brings mixed blessings - firstly there are no steroids to take so that I shall hopefully be able to get better sleep as the week wears on. There are no Valcade injections so less trips to [...]

Progression

A progress update at the end of the second cycle.

Myeloma Treatment (The Battle)

A summary of the whole process I am undergoing.

World Blood Cancer Day

Today is World Blood Cancer Day #wbcd. The content of post comes from the WBCD website - I cannot summarise it any better myself. Diagnosis: blood cancer. Every 35 seconds, someone somewhere in the world receives the shattering news that they have been diagnosed with blood cancer. Many patients are children and young people. What [...]

Sunday Summary – 28th May (Symptoms)

Three weeks on from my previous Sunday Summary and a chance to take stock of where things are. This is a summary which is a good stopping off point if you are interested but don't want to wade through all my posts. I am now very much out of hospital and undergoing chemotherapy as an outpatient. I [...]

Steroids

Part of my treatment for a Myeloma involves the use of a steroid (Dexamethasone). Dexamethasone is a type of corticosteroid called a glucocorticoid. Dexamethasone helps to reduce inflammation and calms an overactive immune system. Dexamethasone mimics the effect of cortisol, a hormone released by the adrenal glands (located on top of the kidneys) that controls [...]

Outpatient

Today was the start of my second series of Chemotherapy. The first series had been entirely carried out on Waddington Ward, however today was the first time I had done this as an outpatient. The difference being that I first had to attend the doctor's surgery where I had my blood tested for my  INR. [...]

Work

Today I have done one of the very last things I need to do for my work as a teacher in Mwanza. Something I can do here in Lincoln, to prepare the end of year exams for Year 10.  The only other thing I will need to do is to mark those exams electronically in [...]

MK

I write this from Milton Keynes. If Lincoln is my childhood home. MK is definitely the home of my adulthood. Not a place I expected to be in the foreseeable future. It's a bittersweet experience.  Cancer has brought me here in more ways than one, for last night I attended the thanksgiving service for a [...]

Clinic 7

This past week at home has not been typical of what is to come. This has been a chemo free week. A pause in the treatment and a break from hospital. This is about to change. Most weeks there will be visits to hospital as an outpatient. Twice a week for a Valcade injection in [...]

Guilt

I'm home now. I'm feeling better but am I well? People say I look well They are encouraging  me,  I know  Bur... Part of my response is guilt! Guilt because in my head that means I'm well. Well enough to work?  I feel guilty 'cause I'm not. It's a geographical impossibility. My job in Tanzania [...]

Water

Water is the stuff of life - they say. For me water is very much centre stage at the moment. Water coming in and water coming out! I am required to drink 3L a day of water to keep my kidney flushed and to bring it back to good health, to mitigate against the paraprotein [...]

Pill Popping

Throughout my treatment for Myeloma I am required to take a cocktail of pills, morning, noon and night in order to tackle the disease via Chemotherapy and protect my body from the effects of the Chemotherapy . Added to that there are kidney drugs to tackle the problems in this organ too and general pain [...]

Light Chains

Myeloma can be classified by according to the type of defective immunoglobin (paraprotein) produced by the myeloma cell. However, it is easier to classify it by it's genetic subtype. There are several different types of immunoglobin (aka antibodies). Each is 'Y' shaped and made of two identical Heavy Chains and two identical Light Chains There [...]