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

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Happy Birthday to Me! HaHa Myeloma! I'm Still Here!

Dear Myeloma-

Wow! Hey, I made another birthday!!! hahahaa on you Myeloma cells, I'm still here. You may have completely changed my life, and the course of my life, and what I can do with my life, but I'm still here Myeloma! I've beat my own odds and medical statistics! And my 5 year Myeloma anniversary is coming up end of next month! Winning!!


I don't have any "big" birthday plans, as I don't feel very energetic, but that ok's with me as I still get up each day, function on the level I can, do what I can, and revel in just being alive!

Speaking of plans... I sometimes (really not too often) reflect on Who I would be now, What I would/could be doing/accomplishing at this time in my life, if it weren't for YOU myeloma. But, WHATEVER Myeloma, I'm not Wasting any time on What was, What could be, What might have been... I'm living IN today, FOR today, as much as I can.

Ironically, my last Revlimid pill of this current 21 day cycle is today. The timing is funny to me. And, just to ensure I will feel ok on my birthday, I saved YOU Dexamethesone, my bi-polar nemesis, for my birthday! Yay for "Roid-Rage" later today and 24hours of Fake-Feel-Good. I'll worry about your angry crash later lol!

So cheers to another year of survival, another year of successful battling, and another year of REVISED goals and dreams. Monday I will see my oncologist and receive my monthly status update. So until I know differently, I'll say it again Myeloma... I'm still here, and not planning to NOT be, any time soon!



This video makes me "Happy" and smile!

 
Thank you Pharrell Williams and "catmantoo"



This video makes me cry for so many different reasons....

Thank you Stacy Westfall for your breathtaking performance!

Wishing all of you unlimited birthdays!


Live happy, live well, and make a difference somewhere, somehow, with someone or something as often as you can!


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9 comments:

  1. LoveyNovember 23, 2014

    Happy Birthday, Julie, and thank you for giving the gift of these videos to all of us cyberspace MMers. Lovey

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JulieNovember 30, 2014

      Thanks for checking in Lovey! So glad you enjoy my all time fave videos :) Hoping you are doing well! xoxo Julie

      Delete
  2. ronNovember 23, 2014

    Happy Birthday Julie and congratulations of beating the odds with Myeloma.Your amazing attitude I am sure has been a key.Let us know
    soon on your appointment Monday.
    Ron

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JulieNovember 30, 2014

      Hi Ron, thanks for checking in and appreciating my style :)
      Hope you and your family are doing well! Julie

      Delete
  3. LindaNovember 24, 2014

    So sorry I'm late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!! Love the videos, and your outlook for the future. Praying Rev/Dex has knocked your MM down a notch!
    Hope you had a marvelous birthday celebration!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JulieNovember 30, 2014

      So good to hear from you Linda! I miss checking your family's and EZ's status on your blog :( ... hoping all is great with EZ and all of you! Thank you for the birthday wishes :) xoxo Julie

      Delete
  4. Vivienne SmithNovember 27, 2014

    Wishing you a very (slightly belated) happy birthday Julie. I hope your day was just as special as you are and wish you everything of the best for the year ahead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JulieNovember 30, 2014

      Hi Vivienne! So nice to hear from you! So glad we are international girlfriends! Hoping you are feeling better, and I will be checking your blog about Jimmy's status all the time :) Thank you for the sweet birthday comment :) xoxo Julie

      Delete
  5. mackytonAugust 17, 2015

    I am glad that you are doing well dear and fighting this monster. Anyway, I am also planning a family party at best party venues Houston TX and was thinking it will be great if you can suggest me some good party locations.

    ReplyDelete

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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.