We finally have the numbers

January 25, 2013
Site 97 Highlands Hammock State Park
Sebring, Florida

 

They aren’t perfect but they are mighty close.

David has had the major portion of his blood work numbers back for over a week.  We’ve been waiting for the specific numbers that detect the presence of Multiple Myeloma in his serum or urine.

They came in today.

 

A little history to make sense of this. 

Those of you who have been following us already know that at the beginning of our second year on the road David was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma which is an incurable cancer.  That was his birthday present last year.  He underwent a lengthy and difficult induction therapy with targeted chemotherapy drugs from January 2012 to July 2012.  At that point he was hospitalized for a stem cell transplant.  His stem cells were harvested,  his entire immune system was destroyed with melphelan and his stem cells returned to start all over again as if he were an infant.

The marker of note is known as an M Spike.  In normal folks it is always zero.  At diagnosis David’s was 5.8 – that’s huge.  They had gotten it down with the induction chemo to 0.3 before the transplant.

Following the transplant, for the next 3 months he was on no chemotherapy drugs but lots of other drugs to try to boost his immune system.  His three month labs showed his immune system still low but recovering and his M Spike only dropped from 0.3 to 0.2.   His comment was that the stem cell transplant was a lot to go through for only one tenth of a percent change.  His doctor said it could still drop as he continued to recover.

Now, six months after his transplant, his hemoglobin remains low although almost to the bottom of the normal rang.   His platelets  are back in the normal range.  His red and white blood counts are also slightly low.  We are hoping they will move up but his doctor says the follow up medications he takes will make this a slower process.

 

Today we got some FANTASTIC NEWS

His serum M Spike and his urine analysis show no detectable myeloma.   He was told he is in Stringent Complete Remission (SCR).  We are ecstatic!!

We have no idea how long this will last but clearly the stem cell transplant did its work and all of David’s strength and perseverance has paid off as he really does feel pretty much like he did before they gave him the surprise diagnosis.   He had no symptoms then and he has none now.  He is very lucky as many people with this disease have bone lesions and are in permanent pain.

AND he never did get this crud that is finally loosening its grip on me.  So his immune system and/or the vaccinations they have started giving him are working terrifically.

We celebrate now with the knowledge that there are still myeloma cells lurking and they will come back some day.  We just don't know when.

 

And now what?

He continues to take a daily low dose targeted therapy drug for myeloma, antivirals and medications to help with peripheral neuropathy.
He has have his bloods checked monthly and go to a hematologist to get a bone strengthening infusion of zometa once a month.  The latter is the most troublesome in terms of our freedom to travel.

 

That’s our happy medical report for the day.  

Back to our lives at Highlands Hammock a bit later.  We need to celebrate this milestone if only just to sit around with big Cheshire cat grins.   It’s been a long road but we’ve made it this far.  Here’s hoping for years and years of remission.

 

We are so grateful to those who have brought him this far.

Our heartfelt thanks to Dr. David Wright of Florida Cancer Specialists, Dr. Ken Shain and Dr. Melissa Alsina of the Moffitt Cancer Center and all their staffs who helped us through all of this holding our hands and explaining as we went.  You are the best!

And deep appreciation to you guys who have cared so much about a man many of you have never met.

 

We celebrate now with the knowledge that there are still myeloma cells lurking and they will come back some day.  We just don't know when.

We know he’s not “cured” but right now this feels almost as good!!

Tonight we are truly HAPPY CAMPERS  and are definitely doing the happy dance.