Go ahead and live your life

Friday was my bone marrow biopsy review doctor appointment at UCSF. The one we have been waiting for since this all started in October. We were really ready to stop talking about the "I think" and move to "this is where you're at". We got that at this visit. So where am I at? I'm smoldering...

My Multiple Myeloma friends know what that means... For those who don't this is where I'm at:

I'm further along than being MGUS but I'm not full blown stage 1. My cancer plasma cell load in my bone marrow is right at 10%. I can stay in smoldering for years, if I'm lucky, or this might just be a phase I will move through. So far all the tests have pointed to this outcome. I'm very optimistic that I will stay here for a while! Dr. Martin did say I was very low in my Vitamin D. I don't think it really has anything to do with my M/M. He went ahead a ordered a re-test of my blood on Friday. They still had some blood left so I didn't have to get stuck again :) He will email me if I have to add vitamin D to my morning pill taking :-(.

Where do I go from here? Well I don't have to see Dr. Martin for a year if I stay stable. I have to take a blood test every 3 months. He wrote an order for that and I will take it to the lab on April 1st. The results will be sent to me, kinda strange but at least I don't have to pay for a Dr. visit. I will review the results and do nothing unless the numbers start to climb. If they do climb I will email Dr. Martin the test results and he will let me know if I need to step up the visits etc.

Once a year I will have to have a bone survey (x-rays), a bone marrow biopsy and a visit at UCSF. That will continue the rest of my life or until things move along.

One of the last things he said was "go home, forget about it and live your life". I don't think, at least for the short run, I will forget about it. I will go ahead and live my life. It isn't the best news I could have got, MGUS, but it is really close!

God let me meet a man in the waiting room. He was probably around 60 to 65 with a very nice wife. He was having a consult to figure out what the plan was for him after finding out the second bone marrow transplant didn't work! It put the news I got in perspective. It is a blessing to be where I'm at. My prayers go out to him, his wife and family. My new years resolution is to not waste this gift I've been given. To spend more quality time with my God, my wife, my kids, my grandkids and my friends (new and old)!!!!!

On other notes... We bought a new puppy, a Brittney Spaniel. She is 5 weeks old and we get to pick her up in a week or two. She is liver and white and adorable! We have had puppy's before so we know what is in store for us for the next year. It will be hard but a lot of fun.

I had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital on the Wednesday before Christmas because of really bad back pain. I couldn't move and wanted nobody to touch me. I have never had lower back pain before. They gave me some IV pain drugs, took some x-rays and then gave me some Norco and sent me home. I'm all better now. The strange thing is what has happened since then. I have had 2 problems. First numbness in my left foot and second left knee pain for several years. After this both are GONE!! Something must have moved...etc.. I never really thought about my lower back could be causing my knee pain. It is just another 2010 blessing. My foot numbness is back a little but still no knee pain. I'll wait for a month or so, as long as the pain stays away, and let all the Dr. bills come through. Then I will go see my GP to have him evaluate it all.

So that's it... I'm very happy where I'm at and 2010 is starting out great! I get to go ahead and live my life... what more could a man really want?

The body is sick, but thanks to Jesus the soul is alive and well...

Steven