Gil's myeloma returns with a burst of energy

Haven taken a month off of his chemo to do the knee replacement (rehab is going very well, thank you!) Gil's myeloma started making major mischief with his red blood cells, platelets (what helps the blood clot) and his kidney function. We didn't realize it til his energizer bunny battery was dying out this last week or so and he started getting feverish, weak and frequent nose bleeds. He had started back on his old chemo last week, but even before the knee surgery it had already started showing signs that it was no longer as effective .

We went to the clinic today and Gil's doc gave him platelets and several bags of red blood cells, as well as a big dose of his next chemo (which actually he had used before his stem cell transplant) Velcade, and 4 days of steroids to really kick it in to gear. He'll be in the hospital for the next couple of days as they try to get his blood levels and kidneys back into reasonable function.

It is a sign that we're into the next phase, and how important it is to be vigilant. Myeloma at full speed can do a lot of permanent harm in a short amount of time. There's every reason to think that Gil will respond and bounce back but the down side of Velcade is that it is delivered by IV twice a week , along with weekly dexamethazone, AND it tends to deliver peripheral neuropathy as a side effect. But hey, life is sweet and with a new knee the guy will be dancing and golfing and doing all those things he loves to do. Numbness and pain in the feet may be an OK price to pay for LIFE.

I'll be updating this blog as I get new info and numbers