I've read in several places that the 3rd and 4th cycles are when the side effects start showing up, but so far they have been minimal. I did get a call from the infusion folks the Friday before the cycle started again on Monday that I had to get the labs again Monday morning because my platelet count was so low (platelets stop cuts from bleeding; mine was 61 with normal being above 130 I think). Fortunately it rebounded to 80-something so we went on with the infusion that afternoon.
I did get a little nausea (and another digestive problem that I won't detail) on Tuesday after the first infusion, but it didn't last. I'll pay more attention to this in the future. Hope that's all happens for a while.
They have scheduled me out through June, and told me that I'll probably start a once-a-week infusion then. News to me! I assumed twice-a-week until the numbers were (hopefully) good, then go to pills (Revlimid) after that. I don't like having to plan around infusions but there're not a lot of options I guess.
P.S. Above, I posted too soon about the side effects. The infusion was Friday, Saturday was normal, but Sunday was when it hit. Still minor, thank goodness, but enough to really get my attention. I was so weak Sunday morning that I had to go back to bed for a while after my shower. My appetite was gone and my stomach was tied in a knot. Monday and Tuesday were better, so I'm hoping things will return to normal before the next round.
3rd Cycle - January 25 thru February 6
And like before, this cycle was uneventful. The only thing to report is that I had a mild, one-day reaction to the H1N1 flu shot I got. Which I'm taking as a good sign that the immune system is doing something again. I had no reaction to the seasonal flu shot I got several months ago. It was probably worthless.
Even though I'm not much of a joiner, I decided to go to an MM support group meeting Saturday, and I'm glad I did. Considering that only a small percentage of patients even know about or can attend these meetings, I am really surprised that over 30 people attend. It's somehow encouraging to know that there a lot of others who are in the battle too. But best of all was hearing about a number of different treatments that are being tried. I had always assumed that there was a standard therapy and that was what I was getting. Instead, there are all kinds of combinations of drugs being tried, since everyone's disease apparently reacts differently. And a lot of side effect situations too. It was interesting and educational to hear what's going on outside my own MM world.
I have no knowledge of how my MM is responding to the recent Velcade. I can't get the lab results that really matter; this is going to have to change somehow. I'm pretty sure that my onc has blocked their release to keep me from getting discouraged but it's making me anxious instead. There's going to be a confrontation... (He'll probably win out. He usually does.)
Even though I'm not much of a joiner, I decided to go to an MM support group meeting Saturday, and I'm glad I did. Considering that only a small percentage of patients even know about or can attend these meetings, I am really surprised that over 30 people attend. It's somehow encouraging to know that there a lot of others who are in the battle too. But best of all was hearing about a number of different treatments that are being tried. I had always assumed that there was a standard therapy and that was what I was getting. Instead, there are all kinds of combinations of drugs being tried, since everyone's disease apparently reacts differently. And a lot of side effect situations too. It was interesting and educational to hear what's going on outside my own MM world.
I have no knowledge of how my MM is responding to the recent Velcade. I can't get the lab results that really matter; this is going to have to change somehow. I'm pretty sure that my onc has blocked their release to keep me from getting discouraged but it's making me anxious instead. There's going to be a confrontation... (He'll probably win out. He usually does.)
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