Cowgirl Up!!! ... Does Horse Poop Cause Cancer??

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Sick of being Sick and other recent Medical tales

Hello Everyone that might still be reading my Myeloma blog-

Since my last happy posting, I kinda bit the dust... and not in the way I would like... like back in the day when it was "fun" to bite the dust from falling off or being bucked off a horse!

Yes, recently I bit a different kind of dust, as in, unwillingly being relegated to the couch and the bathroom for the last couple of weeks! ...
How can I put this delicately, sparing you the not so delightful biological experiences I've had recently...
First off, after recovering from a head cold middle of April, thanks to my darling daughter, I was well for a whole week! Yiippeee... then my darling son came down with the lovely intestinal bug!!! So being the good mother I am (even tho they are in their mid-20's) I glove up, mask up, and take care of them!!!

But I thought... even tho several of my blood levels are still sub-normal... I confidently thought I would be just fine, and not come down with his awful bug... and boy did Scott get it bad! Off from work almost a week. We talked about this "weird" undefinable stomach pain he had... like none other!
Not long after Scott began to feel better... I began feeling this same undefinable stomach pain... as a matter of fact, the picture of me with the doggies from the posting below this, is right when I was coming down with this awful bug... so a week was spent you know where, doing you know what... enough said... lol

BUT!!! I recovered just in time to.... drum roll... prep for my first ever.... COLONOSCOPY!!! So yes, it seems like I've lived in my bathroom for weeks now... hahahhaa
Yes, most of May has been a body janitorial experience I'm not anxious to repeat anytime soon!!!


Here I am "recovering" from The Procedure!

As a result of this non-elected cleansing (thank you my son) and then the required medical "cleansing experience"... I do have some been-there, done-that experiential tips for all of you reading this, dreading your upcoming experience of this ever so important internal medical viewing event!!!

First off, I tortured and scared myself the night before I was supposed to begin DRINKING the evil gallon of polyethylene glycol, aka GaviLyte-C... by reading online other people's experiences! Dumb! as I was ready to beg-out the next morning and call my Dr and cancel out!!!
But my head overruled my emotions, and I began drinking the cocktail of internal cleansing...

Honestly, the taste wasn't as horrible as I heard and read. But perhaps, after all the treatments I've been thru this past year... many things are now "cake".
So here's my recommendations for a less traumatizing colonoscopy prep:
Eat light and smooth days before
Opt for an afternoon appointment, so you don't "cleanse" all night
Don't eat the morning of the day you begin the prep; clear fluids and broth only
Don't guzzle the laxative prep every 30 minutes as recommended
Drink it slowly so it doesn't make you sick
Drink a glass every hour-ish
Don't follow it with water or sports drink if you feel full
Go with your intuition- if you feel full, don't drink
I used a straw to sip it in the beginning, then actually began to be ok drinking more at a time
Bring your phone, computer, magazines, books, etc into your favorite bathroom with you, as you'll be spending a lot of time there LOL

I actually was able to down 3/4 of the gallon over about 5-6 hours and was actually able to get to bed and sleep ok thru the night (no cleansing that is, during the night thankfully!)
I then drank one glass of prep 5 hours before my afternoon appt and didn't have any liquid 4 hours before the appt

No doubt I was really "drained" and "pooped" out... pun intended haha, and physically exhausted by the time I arrived for my appt, and very ready to have it over and done with!
Interesting to me was my emotional reaction when I was admitted and realized it was going to be a hospital-like, in-patient experience. That caught me off guard as it brought back a lot of feelings, memories and emotions from my July 2010 stem cell transplant hospitalization...


So after all the anticipation, all the prep, all the worrying that they might find "something" I was told I did a fantastic job at cleansing and they DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING! As my nurse assured me... my Dr's quote was :  "NOTHING MEANS NOTHING" :)

Finally, I will add that as I awoke from the "put your lights out" meds, I had a wonderful feeling of peace, calm and relaxation... hhmmmm what were those drugs anyway... I think I want some again!!!!!

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Thursday, May 5, 2011

5 + 5 = 10

Hello May 5
5 / 5 / 11

Happy 10 months Post Stem Cell Transplant to me on this 5 / 5



So you think I should play the next lottery with a bunch of 5's
Or perhaps visit Vegas and play some 5's


Not to mention... .5 Revlimid Chemo is
Saving My Life... one pill at a time!


Ha! Enough said on this one today,
as I think the numbers speak for themselves!

Signing off with 10 high 5's



Story to come about Miss happy Hanna (on my lap)
rescued from death row!!

Happy 12th Birthday to you Max, on this 5 / 5 / 11
RIP Maxie and thank you for sending Hanna to us!



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My Story... How my MM was diagnosed

October/November/December 2009...

Most of my life I was VERY presumptuous about being healthy, taking my (mostly) GOOD health for granted...
I was committed to annual check-ups for all of us, and so late October 2009, my daughter and I went for our annual and very routine physicals.

Surprise, surprise... my routine blood tests revealed extreme Anemia, significant White and Red Cell issues, low Platelets, and a variety of other CBC red flags! I was (stupidly) not worried when my GP doc left repeated phone messages to contact him, and when we did speak, I (stupidly) requested postponement of his referral appointment to the Hematology Dept until the end of the Fall academic term.

Arriving for my first appointment Dec 14, 2009, I was confronted with the check-in sign that read: "Hematology/Oncology"... What? Nooooo! not me... I must be in the WRONG place! And so my diagnosis journey began with vials and vials of blood drawn "stat", urgent Dr consultations, a surprise and painful Bone Marrow Biopsy, a full body Skeletal Scan, more blood tests stat, and then on 12.30.2009... THE revealing meeting... the "huh-what" moment ... the confirmation diagnosis that I, Julie, have CANCER!!!

Happy New Year to me, I just learned a new vocabulary word:
Multiple Myeloma!!! MM, Multiple Mye-what-loma!!!

January - June 2010

My medical metamorphosis began.
I read, and read, and read and researched and researched MM. I trusted my expert Oncology/Hematology team's plan and began my "New Normal" as a cancer patient.
My treatment plan was developed to include powerful Dexemthesone steroids paired with Revlimid chemotherapy, with the plan to be hospitalized for an Autologous Stem Cell Transplant July 2010.

I began living "one day at a time" like never before.
Jim was a wreck. Alissa and Scott were stunned; family and friends shocked.

Me... Cowgirl Up! I got back in the saddle and knew I was in for the ride of my life!
I did well on my initial pill-form Revlimid Chemo, "roid-rage" Dex Steroids and other supportive meds. I am forever deeply grateful and appreciative for all the love and support from everyone in my personal and professional life! I thank all of you for working along with me, and allowing me to continue to lead a semi "normal" life!
YOU have helped save my life!

My treatment trail ride forks to City of Hope hospital as I will saddle up beginning June 9, 2010 for a new rodeo called an Autologous Stem Cell Transplant!
Ye-Ha, let the adventure begin!

Chemical Warfare...

January 2010 - May 2010:
My initial chemo regimen:

Pill form Chemo= Revlimid (10mg, 15mg capsules)
Pill form Dexamethasone Steroids (40 mg, 4 days on, 4 days off!
Omeprazole for steroid acid reflux
Mepron (looks like yellow finger paint) Anti-fungal, Anti-viral, etc for my very compromised immune system
B-12
.81 Aspirin to prevent DVT, Revlimid complications
Allopurinol- keeping the kidneys healthy
Acyclovir- anti-Shingles, anti-viral

June 2010:
High dose IV Cytoxan chemo
Neupogen to build up stem cells for Apheresis, stem cell harvest, which was very successful, as City of Hope was able to collect 9.5 million of my own stem cells

July 2010 Hospitalization:
Two days of high dose Melphalan chemo
Then July 5, 2010 = my Autologous Stem Cell transplant infusion!

And you can read my whole story from that point forward in this blog!


What is multiple myeloma?

What is multiple myeloma?

Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer, and can spread to other areas of the body. To learn more about how cancers start and spread, see What Is Cancer?

Multiple myeloma is a cancer formed by malignant plasma cells. Normal plasma cells are found in the bone marrow and are an important part of the immune system.

The immune system is made up of several types of cells that work together to fight infections and other diseases. Lymphocytes (lymph cells) are the main cell type of the immune system. The major types of lymphocytes are T cells and B cells.

When B cells respond to an infection, they mature and change into plasma cells. Plasma cells make the antibodies (also called immunoglobulins) that help the body attack and kill germs. Lymphocytes are in many areas of the body, such as lymph nodes, the bone marrow, the intestines, and the bloodstream. Plasma cells, however, are mainly found in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is the soft tissue inside some hollow bones. In addition to plasma cells, normal bone marrow has cells that make the different normal blood cells.

When plasma cells become cancerous and grow out of control, they can produce a tumor called a plasmacytoma. These tumors generally develop in a bone, but they are also rarely found in other tissues. If someone has only a single plasma cell tumor, the disease is called an isolated (or solitary) plasmacytoma. If someone has more than one plasmacytoma, they have multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma is characterized by several features, including:

Low blood counts

In multiple myeloma, the overgrowth of plasma cells in the bone marrow can crowd out normal blood-forming cells, leading to low blood counts. This can cause anemia – a shortage of red blood cells. People with anemia become pale, weak, and fatigued. Multiple myeloma can also cause the level of platelets in the blood to become low (called thrombocytopenia). This can lead to increased bleeding and bruising. Another condition that can develop is leukopenia – a shortage of normal white blood cells. This can lead to problems fighting infections.

Bone and calcium problems

Myeloma cells also interfere with cells that help keep the bones strong. Bones are constantly being remade to keep them strong. Two major kinds of bone cells normally work together to keep bones healthy and strong. The cells that lay down new bone are called osteoblasts. The cells that break down old bone are called osteoclasts. Myeloma cells make a substance that tells the osteoclasts to speed up dissolving the bone. Since the osteoblasts do not get a signal to put down new bone, old bone is broken down without new bone to replace it. This makes the bones weak and they break easily. Fractured bones are a major problem in people with myeloma. This increase in bone break-down can also raise calcium levels in the blood. (Problems caused by high calcium levels are discussed in the section “How is multiple myeloma diagnosed?”)

Infections

Abnormal plasma cells do not protect the body from infections. As mentioned before, normal plasma cells produce antibodies that attack germs. For example, if you developed pneumonia, normal plasma cells would produce antibodies aimed at the specific bacteria that were causing the illness. These antibodies help the body attack and kill the bacteria. In multiple myeloma, the myeloma cells crowd out the normal plasma cells, so that antibodies to fight the infection can’t be made. The antibody made by the myeloma cells does not help fight infections. That’s because the myeloma cells are just many copies of the same plasma cell – all making copies of the same exact (or monoclonal) antibody.

Kidney problems

The antibody made by myeloma cells can harm the kidneys. This can lead to kidney damage and even kidney failure.