Dom's AMAZING Week

This week has been full of surprises.

On Monday he complained to his Slidell Cancer Center doctor about his neuropathy acting up again.  It's slowly creeping up his leg.  Also the backs of his hands.

Dr. C. canceled his chemo and asked us to go to see Dr. Safah at the Tulane Cancer Center in NOLA.  (These 2 doctors work hand-in-hand, but Dr. Safah calls the shots.  We've elected to get treatments in Slidell out of convenience)

We happily got an appointment with Dr. Safah on Tuesday morning.

She was puzzled about the neuropathy, saying that Kyprolis RARELY causes neuropathy.  We told her that we didn't want him back in a wheelchair.  She understood that.

I said, "Doc-  his numbers are great.  The radiation shrunk the lesion (Plasmacytoma) to 20% of its original size.  Does he REALLY HAVE to have more chemo?"

She looked at his most recent numbers.  No M-Spike.  And much to our delight gave him the summer off of chemo.  She did another M-Spike test and wants us to have another in 3 months.  Just keeping an eye on it.

(The only reason that he was back on chemo was that solitary plasmacytoma on his left hip)

So, we're hopeful that it'll be another 8 years of remission and that no rogue cancer cells create problems for him.

That was our Christine's last day here.  She had been carting us around in her rental car.  We thought we'd go to one of our favorite joints, Crossroads Seafood and Grill, on the way home.

Dom had gotten a fried pork chop there about a year ago.  He said, oh wouldn't it be great if they had a pork chop lunch special?

We arrive.  We walk in.  LUNCH SPECIAL:  Fried Pork Chops!

We told the owner our wonderful news before being seated.

Had a delicious meal.  When we got the check, it was for ZERO.  The owner picked up the tab.  She's done that now THRICE.  What a doll!

So... it was a VERY GOOD DAY. 

That night, I found out that I had $100+ in unclaimed dividends sitting in Louisiana. WOW!

The stars were aligned!

An Update on our Patient

We had to drive into NOLA for a visit with Dr. Safah at the Tulane Cancer Center.

Over the summer, his blood pressure dropped dramatically from the Velcade and Revlimid.  They took him off of his blood pressure medications.

All was well for months.

Flash forward to yesterday.  It was SKY HIGH.  Again at Tulane today it was around 180 over something.  An hour later it was 160 over something.

So, Dr. Safah wants to get his blood pressure normal before any new chemo.

We have an appt. with our family doctor tomorrow morning, then a meeting with our Slidell Oncologist shortly after.

Once again, Dr. Safah is calling the shots.  We go to Slidell for treatment out of convenience.  The new plan is Kyprolis and Dex.

Once his blood pressure is normalized, they'll begin giving him infusions of KYPROLIS:

KYPROLIS Info HERE

He'll be taking that along with Dex.

Wish us luck!

And, So it Continues......New Lesions But with Zero M-Spike!

We went to Tulane yesterday.  It was one of those "good news - bad news" things.

Dr. Safah said that he had ZERO M-SPIKE.  That he was in remission after just a couple of rounds of chemo months ago.

BUT-

He's got a new lesion on his "good" hip.

She wants us to get radiation in Slidell, continue Physical Therapy, and then return to her in a few weeks.

She wants to start him on KYPROLIS® (carfilzomib) as soon as he's done with radiation for pain. Doesn't think that it will cripple him like Velcade/Revlimid did.

This makes absolutely NO SENSE to us.  His blood is clean, but these Plasmacytomas keep popping up?????

So, we met with our Slidell Cancer Center Radiologist, Dr. Mannina today.  We LOVE the guy.  He was zapping Dom's other hip last Spring/Summer.

We're headed back on Monday morning for measurements, etc. and will begin 10 radiation treatments over 2 weeks on BOTH hips.

Anyway, gang.... our heads are spinning.  We're on a new journey.  Please say a prayer.