Still Waiting Until October

My monthly blood tests are "stable". They are not without issues, but they are stable and Doc is still saying that we can wait until the 10/18 appointment. So, that's the plan. Going back to Phoenix during the first week of October. bye

Good News and Bad News

Hi - I'm back after a summer delay.
The blood tests continue once a month or so. At first, the rate of increase was alarming. Then it slowed, and even turned down for a month. The Doc said that it is common to oscillate a little. The good news is that he feels I can wait until October to see him, and I do not have to come back to Phoenix early. So, we are staying in Jackson, WY into September and will go back to Phx then. The bad news is that there is cancer activity, and I will have to have more Chemo soon. bye.

New Blood Test Results Not the Best....

My Cancer is a more active than we had hoped. Instead of going for a blood test every three months to monitor the levels, I have to go every month now. Doc wants to see how fast things are changing to determine when additional treatments will be needed. The next test is mid-May. Oh well!

Going Away for the Summer

Sorry for the silent period since December. That's indication of how well things are going.
I have been going for my blood tests every two months and the results so far are very good. The Doc says that the cancer is not in full remission, but the activity level is so low that treatment is not recommended at this time. In fact, we are going to change the blood test timing to every three months, and we are going to get back on our summer RV schedule. This year, we have arranged for a job in Jackson Wyoming. We will work three days a week in exchange for the campsite and services. We will work in the office taking reservations. I have my last blood test scheduled for 4/13 before we leave. I will post more then. bye George

My Feet Are Getting Better

My feet are not bothering me as much lately. Most of the time, now, I take the Vicoden only twice a week to get to sleep. I notice different feelings in my feet. Not really "better", just different. I am imagining that the new tingles are signs that feeling is coming back to my feet. Once or twice a week they are stonger and keep me from falling to sleep - so I take two pills and off to sleep.

Neuropathy in my Feet

I am still dealing with the pain/tingling/numness/hot-flashes in my feet. I use the pain pills 6 days out of the week to get to sleep. Exercise (gym or jogging) does not seem to make a difference. I found a discussion on Velcade-induced neuropathy which does a good job of summarizing the situation.......
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"Velcade-induced neuropathy can take months and months to remit. We often state that tingling alone can resolve in a week, tingling and numbness can take months, tingling/numbness/pain can take a year, and severe painful neuropathy will likely get better but never fully resolve. This is not a very positive thing to tell a patient, but it's the truth."
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bye

100-Day Test Results

Well, we did not get the best report that we expected but we did get a "good" report. The cancer is not in total remission - there is still some cancer activity going on. It is at a very low level and I could live with that for "years". I will go in for a blood test every two months to keep an eye on the cancer. When it grows, it creats a byproduct which can be measured in my blood. The doc sais that as long as the measurement stays below a certain value, that we will just go on with it as is. If it goes above a certain value, I will start on another drup to fight it back down. - - This was the first test after the chemo. I will go again in late December to see if there are any changes.