Last Thursday

Last Thursday....not a day that sneaks its way into my top 10 days of all time. I had my three months post transplant bone marrow biopsy in the afternoon. Obviously, if I could share that experience with you I would.....I'm thoughtful like that!! I've got an appointment with my consultant on Tuesday 14th May, so will get the results and be told whether I require any follow up 'maintenance' treatment at that time.

As I said earlier, not the best of days last Thursday. I received my paraprotein results in the morning from my last set of blood tests taken on 23rd April. The paraprotein is a good indicator of the level of disease, and mine has gone from 13 pre transplant to 9. I was expecting a bigger drop....not based on any facts, just the hope that the paraprotein would have reduced by at least 50%. I was really upset and worked up.....I've gone through all this...for what? I don't know....maybe I'm too positive at times and I just set myself up for a big fall. I don't know.

What proved to be good in the end (just as Len had told me) was the fact that I could talk to my haematologist about the blood results prior to my biopsy. He's a very positive and approachable guy and really helped put my mind at ease. As he said, the key with this disease is stability, not absolute values. Having a stable plateau moving forward is what we need, even if that level is 9. My calcium levels are fine, kidney function good and my sole plasmacytoma (tumour) has significantly reduced....all positive signs that need to be taken into account. So, not the best blood results, but lets wait and see what the bone marrow results are like, and as my consultant says, I just need to get back to living a more normal life. San Miguel and a few rounds of golf it is then!!