Nov 4th-I'm home

I was released from SCCA on Oct. 30th. I will be staying at my son's house for several months which is only 5 mins. to the hospital and cancer clinic in Mt. Vernon. I am feeling very well outside of the times fatigue hits me then I go take a nap. I usually last about 4 hours. I can go along not watching the time then all of a sudden it hits me and I know it is time to stop. My blood counts are all in normal ranges. It will take about a year for my immune system to be back to normal. The nurses explained the importance keeping my hands washed and be careful not to be touching my face much. I stay away from crowds which means I will still have to miss church for awhile. I did go to bible study fellowship several times and during the lecture time I sat in the back away from everyone.
The last week in Seattle the clinic keep me busy with appts. with various doctors on my team and attending a long term care class. Basically, I can't isolate myself and if someone in my home is sick, we just stay apart from each other. We have handy wipes to wipe things done often so germs aren't spread. I even put paper towels in the bathroom because I can't share hand towels. I plan on staying healthy.
I start my maintenance therapy on Dec. 16th. It will involve a 28th day cycle of Velcade and vorinostat. Velcade is the same drug I was given when I was first diagnosed and I did real well with it. It will be given to me the 2nd and 5th days of the cycle. I will miss my pick lines when they give me that. I will have to be hooked up to an IV for treatment. For those who din not see me I had a pick line in my upper right arm for 10 months. It was removed in Seattle and I was given a Hickman line in my chest. That was removed on Oct 29th.
Vorinostat is a pill that I will take for the first 14 days of the cycle. It is used for other types of bone marrow cancers but not in post transplant patients for myeloma. It is a protein inhibitor. I will be part of a research study of about 30 post transplant myeloma patients to see what effects this drug combination has on people after a autologous transplant. They want to see if by using this as a maintenance therapy if it will keep the cancer from coming back and increase the survival rate.
This last paragraph reminds me that when I saw my doctor at by release appt. and he is telling me all about the chances of this cancer coming back or that I am at high risk of getting other cancers, I told him I have a powerful almighty God who will heal me completely. I was impressed with his reaction. He actually agreed it could happen.
This blog is getting long time for me to go. Pray that I will do well with my maintenance therapy. Also, notice the start date of Dec 16. I have to go to Seattle for 2 and a half weeks. This is through Christmas. My name is on top of the list to move up sooner. I am suppose to go to Oregon this Christmas for my dad's 75th birthday. We planned a big party on Dec. 27th plus I got a call this last weekend that we are having Christmas dinner and gift exchange at my parents house. Pray there is a cancellation so my treatment won't interfere with these times.
God bless, Becky