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

Friday, November 29, 2019

GoodBye November! (Snow Road Trip update!)

11.29.19
And November's a wrap...


Hello to December in just days...  Big Month of my 10 year Myeloma diagnosis!


CA had a crazy winter storm the last few days! Snow in areas that rarely get snow! So we took a drive today. Will be back with some really awesome pics!

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones. We did.

I'll be back to share some super fun pictures :))

===========================

Yes my BIG 60th Bday came and went, had several wonderful surprises at home, but no BIG GIANT celebration... I'll post some pics on my next Dec post.

Thanksgiving came and went, and had a wonderful little family dinner at home... will post a pic in my next post also.

But what was the BIG beautiful news in all of this, was the incredible SNOW STORM So Cal had. So many of you reading this will be, ya ya big deal... Snow. But for So Cal, this was a Winter Wonderland experience for all of us. Not often the snow level gets down as low as it did for this storm. It was fun to experience, but also a reminder to me that I wouldn't, couldn't live in super cold weather at this time in my life.

So caregiver Chris and I loaded Jim in the car, and took a quick drive to the local mountains for a sightseeing trip. I did worry, what if the road closed, what if a storm moved in quickly, what if we got stuck somewhere as so many drivers were experiencing. Any of those would be disastrous with our medical complications... But I tossed caution out the window, and off we went. At one point the opposite side of freeway suddenly had zero cars and traffic, for miles and miles...  I suspected my worst fears had come true: maybe the freeway was closed due to snow and ice! We were going to be stuck! Have you seen the news reports of freeways at a dead stop with thousands of cars going nowhere! People stuck in their cars for hours and hours! I always wonder what they do for heat or a/c or supplies or going to the bathroom! Truly one of my greatest fears since both our diagnoses!
Turned out HazMat closed the freeway for some sort of hazardous spill, and it was cleared up when we returned on that side. Thankfully, we made it to the beautiful snow covered hills and back with NO drama!

Of course before we went, I had to wait for my lower GI system to clear to be able to go on this little road trip, and couldn't eat or drink before or during the tour, but that's the price I've learned to pay for any event I want to experience. They say, get out and have fun. Just go Julie. Live Life. Be Happy. Do Things. Don't let all the medical issues limit your life. Ya Ya... few can fully understand the hindrances I have and what prevents me from doing much at all... I also think friends and family have "cancer fatigue", where they are tired of hearing of my status, side effects, how my life has changed, and how battling incurable cancer for 10 years has affected me so deeply. I think I'll write a pity party on that, next blog :))

In the meantime, enjoy these beautiful snow drive pictures!

Winter Wonderland

So pretty!

So much snow everywhere!

This is So Cal! Seriously!

Caregiver Chris and me

Unbelievable snow
at the shoreline!

Pyramid Lake

This lake is usually full of boaters and seadoos!
Lucky us, beautiful drive accomplished


Welcome to December everyone! Hope you can enjoy and not stress over the holiday busyness! All our medical stuff has so changed my ability to do things, and therefore... I have had to accept my inability to do what I used to do. So cheers to hot chocolate, spiced cider, a crackling fire, friends and family, and no malls for me :))






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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.