Bright Sun and Clouds
June 22, 2016
Bright Sun:
After the 10th Darzalex infusion, with daily 2 mg Pomalyst and weekly dexamethasone (DEX), IgG is down once again, from 644 to 515 mg/dL, another drop of 20%. M-spike is down too, by a similar ratio, from 0.6 to 0.5 g/dL. Both myeloma markers are now at a level never seen in my 13 years
since diagnosis, and apparently continuing down. It probably means that the actual count of myeloma cells in my bones is declining by roughly the same ratio, a very hopeful thought.
Clouds:
HEMOGLOBIN: For the first time in years my hemoglobin is down a little, at 13.2 g/dL, where it is nor...
Source: Myeloma Hope - June 26, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: angina daratumumab Darzalex heartburn pomalidomide Pomalyst Source Type: blogs
Review of ICER Report on Treatment Options for Multiple Myeloma
Who is ICER?
ICER is the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review. As far as I can tell, it is funded primarily by insurance companies and by nonprofit organizations who, in turn, are funded by insurance companies. They claim some funding by the federal government as well. Other members include pharmaceutical companies who apparently participate in order to have some voice in ICER ' s proceedings. A quick Google search shows that the title of many of ICER ' s documents is " Building Trust through Rationing, " which I believe is their mantra and suggests that rationing health care is their real purpose...
Source: Myeloma Hope - June 12, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: ICER myeloma report Source Type: blogs
Review of ICER Report on Treatment Options for Multiple Myeloma
Who is ICER?
ICER is the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review. As far as I can tell, it is funded primarily by insurance companies and by nonprofit organizations who, in turn, are funded by insurance companies. They claim some funding by the federal government as well. Other members include pharmaceutical companies who apparently participate in order to have some voice in ICER's proceedings. A quick Google search shows that the title of many of ICER's documents is "Building Trust through Rationing," which I believe is their mantra and suggests that rationing health care is their real purpose....
Source: Myeloma Hope - June 12, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: ICER myeloma report Source Type: blogs
Yellow Roses
Wednesday, May 25, 2016:My sweeties and I bought a nice bouquet of yellow roses to celebrate my latest treatment results. In the last four weeks on Pomalyst (pomalidomide)(POM) and Darzalex (daratumumab)(DARA) my IgG has dropped 20% from 807 to 644 mg/dL, and M-spike 25% from 0.8 to 0.6 g/dL. These numbers are the lowest that I have seen in my 13 years with myeloma.
Not all of that progress comes in the last four weeks, of course. Here is a chronology of treatments and results since January, 2016:Wed Feb 17 First Zometa infusion, serious reaction to something, likely the Zometa (not relevant to these results...
Source: Myeloma Hope - May 30, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: daratumumab Darzalex DEX dexamethasone IgG immunoglobulins M-Spike pomalidomide Pomalyst Source Type: blogs
Yellow Roses
Wednesday, May 25, 2016:
My sweeties and I bought a nice bouquet of yellow roses to celebrate my latest treatment results. In the last four weeks on Pomalyst (pomalidomide)(POM) and Darzalex (daratumumab)(DARA) my IgG has dropped 20% from 807 to 644 mg/dL, and M-spike 25% from 0.8 to 0.6 g/dL. These numbers are the lowest that I have seen in my 13 years with myeloma.
Not all of that progress comes in the last four weeks, of course. Here is a chronology of treatments and results since January, 2016:
Wed Feb 17 First Zometa infusion, serious reaction to something, likely the Zometa (not relevant to thes...
Source: Myeloma Hope - May 30, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: daratumumab Darzalex DEX dexamethasone IgG immunoglobulins M-Spike pomalidomide Pomalyst Source Type: blogs
Pomalyst, Darzalex, and Corticosteroids
Weekly Infusion Number 6: Blood draw, doctor visit, pre-medications, and Darzalex, about 6 hours total.
I took 20 mg dexamethasone last night, as part of the Pomalyst regimen, and received 100 mg of prednisone IV before the Darzalex, as part of that regimen.
As before no problems, no infusion reactions. This is getting boring.
Boring is good. I love boring. (Source: Myeloma Hope)
Source: Myeloma Hope - May 10, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: corticosteroids daratumumab Darzalex dexamethasone pomalidomide Pomalyst prednisone Source Type: blogs
Pomalyst, Darzalex, and Corticosteroids
Weekly Infusion Number 6: Blood draw, doctor visit, pre-medications, and Darzalex, about 6 hours total.
I took 20 mg dexamethasone last night, as part of the Pomalyst regimen, and received 100 mg of prednisone IV before the Darzalex, as part of that regimen.
As before no problems, no infusion reactions. This is getting boring.
Boring is good. I love boring. (Source: Myeloma Hope)
Source: Myeloma Hope - May 10, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: corticosteroids daratumumab Darzalex dexamethasone pomalidomide Pomalyst prednisone Source Type: blogs
Infusion Number Five
And the Orange County Marathon in California last Sunday, my 95th since diagnosis, Whooee - still on track for 100 marathons this year.
This was also the third weekly Darzalex infusion at our local hospital. Arriving at the infusion center at 7:45 am, I left at 2:45 pm, total seven hours. That includes a blood draw for a CBC and metabolic panel, a visit with the doctor, the pre-medications (Tylenol, Benadryl, and prednisone), and finally the Darzalex itself.
No issues. In particular, I have never had any kind of infusion reaction from Darzalex. Apparently that makes me a lucky myelomiac, because th...
Source: Myeloma Hope - May 3, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: daratumumab Darzalex Source Type: blogs
Infusion Number Five
And the Orange County Marathon in California last Sunday, my 95th since diagnosis, Whooee - still on track for 100 marathons this year.
This was also the third weekly Darzalex infusion at our local hospital. Arriving at the infusion center at 7:45 am, I left at 2:45 pm, total seven hours. That includes a blood draw for a CBC and metabolic panel, a visit with the doctor, the pre-medications (Tylenol, Benadryl, and prednisone), and finally the Darzalex itself.
No issues. In particular, I have never had any kind of infusion reaction from Darzalex. Apparently that makes me a lucky myelomiac, bec...
Source: Myeloma Hope - May 3, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: daratumumab Darzalex Source Type: blogs
Stunning Myeloma Marker Results
In the three weeks of this new three-drug regimen, Pomalyst, Darzalex, and dexamethasone (DEX), IgG has dropped 39%, from 1330 mg/dL to 807 mg/dL, in tests done by Mayo Clinic. This spectacular result brings IgG to the lowest level I have seen since my diagnosis in 2003. To confirm that result M-Spike dropped 33%, from 1.2 to 0.8 g/dL, also the lowest value since 2003, when it was measured once at 0.52 g/dL.
This appears to be a spectacularly good omen, but a few things temper my enthusiasm just a little:
1. Three weeks ago, at the beginning of the new regimen, my blood also contained about a half dose of a diffe...
Source: Myeloma Hope - April 27, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Darzalex dexamethasone Pomalyst Source Type: blogs
Stunning Myeloma Marker Results
In the three weeks of this new three-drug regimen, Pomalyst, Darzalex, and dexamethasone (DEX), IgG has dropped 39%, from 1330 mg/dL to 807 mg/dL, in tests done by Mayo Clinic. This spectacular result brings IgG to the lowest level I have seen since my diagnosis in 2003. To confirm that result M-Spike dropped 33%, from 1.2 to 0.8 g/dL, also the lowest value since 2003, when it was measured once at 0.52 g/dL.
This appears to be a spectacularly good omen, but a few things temper my enthusiasm just a little:
1. Three weeks ago, at the beginning of the new regimen, my blood also contained about a half dose of a d...
Source: Myeloma Hope - April 27, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Darzalex dexamethasone Pomalyst Source Type: blogs
Neutrophils 3700
I was guessing 1700 / uL, with a little false bravado, actually just hoping they would be over 1000, so I was shocked to see the smiling nurse with the printout showing 3700, nine times as many as yesterday ' s count of 400. Yesterday the doctor and nurses were concerned about neutropenia, asking me how I felt. Based on prior experience, however, I believed that the neutrophils were there all along, just not measurable for some reason. After a good night ' s sleep they have to be teased out of hiding, or out of some other phase, or whatever neutrophils do.
Note: I am not a doctor - what happens to neutrophil...
Source: Myeloma Hope - April 26, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: neutropenia neutrophils Source Type: blogs
Neutrophils 3700
I was guessing 1700 / uL, with a little false bravado, actually just hoping they would be over 1000, so I was shocked to see the smiling nurse with the printout showing 3700, nine times as many as yesterday's count of 400. Yesterday the doctor and nurses were concerned about neutropenia, asking me how I felt. Based on prior experience, however, I believed that the neutrophils were there all along, just not measurable for some reason. After a good night's sleep they have to be teased out of hiding, or out of some other phase, or whatever neutrophils do.
Note: I am not a doctor - what happens to neutrophi...
Source: Myeloma Hope - April 26, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: neutropenia neutrophils Source Type: blogs
Where Oh Where Have My Neutrophils Gone?
In advance of tomorrow ' s planned fourth Darzalex infusion, the doctors did a CBC with differential today to see how my neutrophils were standing up to the Darzalex / Pomalyst combination. Surprise! Neutrophils were just 400/uL, where the reference range for this lab is 1800 to 7700 /uL.
In other words, my neutrophils measured less than one fourth of the value representing the very bottom of the reference range - the lowest count that I remember in almost 13 years with myeloma. Doctors and nurses were all asking if I felt OK, because a low neutrophil count (neutropenia) can result inneutropenic fever, poten...
Source: Myeloma Hope - April 26, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: neutropenia neutrophils Source Type: blogs
Where Oh Where Have My Neutrophils Gone?
In advance of tomorrow's planned fourth Darzalex infusion, the doctors did a CBC with differential today to see how my neutrophils were standing up to the Darzalex / Pomalyst combination. Surprise! Neutrophils were just 400/uL, where the reference range for this lab is 1800 to 7700 /uL.
In other words, my neutrophils measured less than one fourth of the value representing the very bottom of the reference range - the lowest count that I remember in almost 13 years with myeloma. Doctors and nurses were all asking if I felt OK, because a low neutrophil count (neutropenia) can result in neutropenic fever, p...
Source: Myeloma Hope - April 26, 2016 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: neutropenia neutrophils Source Type: blogs
