At the end of January they tested his iron and found out that it was low ... again. Last year they started with trying to boost his iron, first with a 5 minute "push" and when that wasn't successful an hour and a half infusion that they paired with his chemo for months. This time they decided to try a different version of Iron, Iron Dextran which unfortunately took forever for it to get approved by insurance. It should be longer lasting and only require one dose instead of many, but it also carried with it more risks of a serious and potentially lethal reaction. In addition to spending Wednesday doing chemo during this cycle, we were at the infusion center on Monday for a long day. Luckily all went well, he had no reactions and we are hoping it will help.
One of the side effects from being anemic is that Chris has been quanked. He often gets 10-12 hours of sleep at night, and still be exhausted and fall asleep during the day. Even though I constantly tell him not to worry, he always feels guilty that I'm off working and he's home napping. Or on my day off that he would be sleeping instead of hanging out. To help him get the rest he needs on my days off, I often would often hang out in bed reading books or watching TV to avoid waking him up. 
Chris's goal to "see past the myeloma" has included a focus to make some fun memories. In January his Kansas City Chiefs helped us with that goal with some EPIC playoff games. In February they helped again not only with playing in the Superbowl. Some secret elves made our house extra festive with the flags lining our sidewalk. 
Just prior to the game I said that they should win it with an easy to remember score our birthday's. As the game wrapped up, the final score was 31-20! We should have bet in Vegas! Chris has been on cloud nine and it's for sure a memory to last a lifetime!
This month we have a long trip to Vegas planned and we are crossing our fingers that we don't have to cancel it. The Corona Virus is making us question if we should go. For most people, it's not something to really even be worried about. But Chris happens to fall in the category of those who should be worried, and, well, probably the most worried. Myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells (a type of white blood cells). Plasma cells help you fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and fight attack germs. The most common cause of death for myeloma patients is infection. Not only does he fall into the "at-risk" population, but profoundly at risk. 
Ever since his diagnosis, when I go to work and interact with strangers from all over the world, it has made both of us a bit nervous. Without my job and it's insurance, we couldn't afford the treatment that is keeping the myeloma in check. The job that is keeping him alive is also now putting him at risk, I don't have the option to work from home. I'm holding tight to the fact that we've been OK so far. COVID-19 is just barely making it's way to Utah, and I know the chance of interacting with someone with the virus is pretty minimal, but it does cause worry for both of us. The changes since just last week, and how quickly things are escalating make us very nervous. It's hard to not worry us too much! Our trip to Vegas is for some rest and relaxation, nothing really big. It's something we both really need, especially since our last planned vacation also had to be canceled. His doctor has gave us the OK last week (especially since we are driving and not flying), but this week it seems like things are changing so quickly. In actuality, I will probably have less interaction with the public than I do at work each day and we will probably be safer. We had supplies before hand that we can take with us. Being afraid of a vacation is one thing... the bigger question. How do we conquer that fear? Do we cancel and self isolate? Or do we go and try to have a good time? What would you do?
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