Since Christmas we've both enjoyed a little bit of a reprieve from a life filled with hospital visits. They didn't end, just lessened significantly for a time. The good news is that even without dialysis, his kidney's are holding their own and his creatinine levels are slowly working back to normal. We don't have numbers for how much his kidney function is, but it's enough to not need dialysis. About two weeks ago they were able to remove the dialysis catheter and the wound is created is starting to heal. He says frequently how amazing it feels to have that gone. Not doing dialysis is a huge blessing and we are so grateful for this miracle. Dialysis was pretty draining on him and really wore him out. For the past few weeks the main thing we've had to do is chemo. It makes him feel pretty crummy for several days but good news is that it's working and his lambda light chains are getting closer and closer to normal. They were over 300 at diagnosis are are now down to 2.68. It's a burden lifted when the pain and anguish you are going through is at least not in vain.The side effects from Chemo are numerous. The main one being neuropathy, numbness, tingling and pain in his feet and a finger. It is a little bit better since they lowered one of the chemo meds but it still makes getting around difficult and painful. He's trying hard to overcome and is walking a bit more. I had a three day weekend last weekend and to celebrate the freedom of no dialysis port we decided to to try a weekend getaway. We haven't been out of the house much except for doctors appointments for a very long time so this was huge. We picked a hotel that had a couple of our favorite restaurants nearby and ordered takeout. It was very nice and relaxing for both of us. At work January is a tough month with so many things to do and not enough time to do them. I'm also trying to prepare my store for inventory next month. A few days away from work and medical appointments was glorious. I even got to sleep in a real bed!
Yesterday we went back up to the main Huntsman for chemo and to meet with Dr Sborov. He started his 4th cycle of chemo and is now just over half way done. They want to start the process for transplant. Our short couple weeks off from appointments is over and they will be doing all sorts of tests to check and prepare for any problems. They sent me home with a binder full of information and I'll attend classes to be able to be his caregiver. After he finishes his 6th cycle he will enter a "priming" period. They will give him a shot that triggers his body to produce a whole bunch of young stem cells. In a process similar to dialysis they will filter these off and then freeze them. After that he'll be in the hospital for several weeks, and then home with extreme care for several more and very cautious for about 100 days post transplant. A transplant isn't easy but hopefully it will be worth it. Many myeloma patients need multiple transplants, so our prayers are that this one is successful and he will have many months (or years) of remission. Chris felt much better after our appointment yesterday and again was so grateful to have Dr Sborov on "Team Chris". They started him on a few medications which helped with some of his side effects and he got his first decent night of sleep so far this year.
Today we also were again at Huntsman for assessment for rehab. Just trying to walk or climb the single step into our house has been difficult so being able to safely try to rebuild his strength is important.
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