19 | July | 2012 | karl&myeloma

July 19, 2012

Day 4 in Cycle 5. Dosing day 2.

Lower leg pain struck again at 2:30 AM this morning, 2/10. Seemed slightly worse, 3/10, by 4:30 AM. I’m wondering whether I should take today’s dose of Velcade or not. I will discuss this with Lisa when I get to Lynn Cancer Center this morning.

7:30 AM – Took my dexamethasone and acyclovir at breakfast along with my vitamins. Had a lighter breakfast than usual. Feeling bloated.

9:45 AM – Arrived at Lynn Cancer Center.

10:30 AM – Spoke with Lisa about my side effects and we discussed palliative treatment. She said I should try acetaminophen for the pain and a gas product for the bloating. She encouraged me to go ahead with the treatment today to which I agreed. Lisa will call me tomorrow to see how I’m doing.

11:20 AM – Received my Velcade injection sub-cu from Lyn.

On my way home I picked up the gas relief product.

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July 19, 2012

July 18, 2012

Day 3 in Cycle 5.

Went to work today. Felt very tired in the early afternoon. Stuck it out for 2 teleconferences at 3 PM and 4 PM and left at 4:30. Not very hungry for dinner as I was feeling somewhat bloated after eating properly all day. Had a light dinner. Some of the Peripheral Neuropathy symptoms are coming back again.

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July 19, 2012

July 16, 2012

Day 1 of Cycle 5 – Dosing day 1

6:20 AM – Took my cyclophosphamide.

7:30 AM – Took my dexamethasone and acyclovir along with my vitamins at breakfast.

9:50 AM – Arrived at Lynn Cancer Center

11:00 AM – CBC sample taken by Carolyn. (The CBC results were good.)

11:30 AM – Velcade injection given sub-cu by Lyn.

Noon – Arrived home, feeling tired, but mostly OK.

1:30 PM – Had a scheduled appointment with Leslie, my primary cary physician.

2:00 PM – Had my annual appointment with my ENT for a hearing test and assessment of my hearing. Things are about the same as last year.

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July 19, 2012

July 14, 2012

Day 8 of 9 with no cytotoxics or steroids.

Happy Bastille Day!

Felt pretty good the last few days. You may have noticed that my complaints of dysgeusia have pretty much disappeared. I still get the fuzzy, seemingly coated, dry tongue sometimes, but my taste senses have improved. The calf pain has also gone away.

Today, Kathleen and I went to a meeting at the Chapel of St. Andrews about the Order of St. Luke healing ministry at the chapel. After, we had our meeting, I received laying on of hands from Deacon Faye, Cheryl and Emily Nell. This is always a wonderful experience. I have so much to learn about all this.

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July 19, 2012

July 11, 2012

Day 5 of 9 with no cytotoxics or steroids.

The lower leg pain had dropped to 2 this morning. Discussed all these side effects with Warren. We agreed to a revised dosing schedule. Starting August, I would receive the Velcade only on Mondays for 3 weeks in a row, followed by a week off. For this 5th cycle starting next week in July, I would have 3 doses, the 16th, 19th and 23rd.

Warren said that lower leg pain is not a typical presentation of peripheral neuropathy, but not impossible that it is related.

Blood samples were taken to check to see where I am on improving numbers. Those results will be available next week, probably the 19th.

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July 19, 2012

July 10, 2010

Day 4 of 9 with no cytotoxics or steroids.

The lower leg pain was worse today. I rated it a 4 on a scale of 10. Basically, a 4 means: “So strong you notice the pain all the time and cannot completely adapt.” Issues with stomach bloating also persist. Can’t wait to see Warren tomorrow.

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July 19, 2012

July 9, 2012

Day 3 of 9 with no cytotoxics or steroids.

Perhaps I was a little too sanguine about the peripheral neuropathy. My calves seemed sore yesterday which remains into today. I don’t know what it is, but will discuss with Warren during my regular visit on Wednesday.

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