Sunday, November 17, 2013

Our New, Old Reality

So, the results are back from UMCCC and there still appears to be a trace amount of Myeloma showing up in my blood test. Bummer.

Bummer because....

....I was really enjoying staying awake past 7:30PM because I wasn't so dawg gone tired every night b/c of the chemo
....I was hoping my children would never have to really experience our families fight with MM
....I was not expecting any sort of relapse for at least 5 years, if not ever
....I stopped thinking about Myeloma for 9 months and it was bliss
....I don't want to have to go back on chemo
....I spent 3.5 years dominating this thing and I was hoping that would be enough
....I don't want to give MM any more mindshare 
....I want to live a normal life of a 33 year old with a young family
....my business is taking off and I don't want treatments to slow that


Here's the good news....
....it's a very small amount which should have little affect on my body
....it didn't increase since the last blood draw
....treatments and research continue to advance
....I have it's number and I am ready to dominate it again


Life is so interesting. It is so unpredictable. I thank God for the great family and friends that have been placed in our life to help us through this next stage of the doMMination. 

Keep dominating life in your own journey. Overcoming challenges just gets you closer to the prize.

Phil

6 comments:

Carole Leigh said...

Phil,
With your great spirit and attitude, you will DOMINATE it again. I am sorry that you are having to deal with this again, but I am happy to hear that it is a small amount and your doctors are on it. My doctor keeps reminding me that there are many options and I hold onto that.

I will be here cheering you on....
Love,
Carole Leigh

Karen said...

I know how much it sucks when test results are not what you want them to be. I know every case is different, but if it helps, I have never been in remission and have always had a trace amount of myeloma in my blood for the past eight years. I can still run (just ran a marathon!) and be very active, and it hasn't kept me from doing what I want to do. Best of luck to you!

tim's wife said...

Phil, My husband had zero m-spike, off chemo, for about 2 1/2 years. He began showing a blip(too small to quantify) in his m-spike in Jan of 2011. It is at .2 now and has been for months. He has not had any chemo in 5 1/2 years. You may very well stay stable at this point for a LONG time. I know many people who never even got to zero m-spike but continue to do well after MANY years. I believe you will be one of them. Prayers from Jersey.

Mike said...

Hi again Phil, I have had a trace of less than 2 since my SCT nearly 3 years ago, I have not had any treatment at all since the SCT and have stayed at below 2 with 3 monthly consultations, so maybe you might dominate without further chemo for now. :-)
Mike.

Julie said...

Ditto, ditto and Ditto Phil! I thought I would have remission for a long long time too after everything I went thru. But you are young and strong and MM doesn't stand a chance with you! Hopefully you can do low dose Revlimid and low dose Dex and kick MM off your planet again! Better to have caught it early in minimal recurrence, then down the line in more exponential form. Congrats on your new business and DOMINATE on Phil!!

Nick said...

Phil - I just emailed you, but this may actually be a signed of profound disease eradication and it could augur well for improved outcome. Check out this MAYO research and let's discuss. If it's not the precise original protein, you may be simply seeing signs of an immune system in recovery. I am in the same boat...so I hope for both our sakes, that's what it is. Be well and let's talk about this!

http://bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org/content/early/2011/07/15/blood-2011-04-349175.full.pdf