Still in Limbo

Just before my second cycle of DVD (Decadron, Velcade and Doxil) we had a houseful of guests the weekend of the 8th of August: Mary Catherine's brother Joe and family, Joe's in-laws the Lahti's up from Lewiston, plus Sarah and Ethan. Fortunately Joe and Michelle pull their own "motel" behind their truck. They were headed for Canada's Banff Park, and then Glacier Park in the U.S. The Lahti's brought the first local sweet corn of the season, and delicious homemade apple pies!
The chemo over the next two weeks went pretty well. The right leg swelling again decreased, but not as much as it did with the first round. My Oncologist thinks it is more due to the pelvic radiation in June than to obstruction by the right pelvic mass. Two new mysterious problems arose: left knee and hip pain, and right rib pain. A bone scan last week showed "hot spots" in all those areas plus the left pelvis and top of the skull. However, myeloma bone lesions are supposed to be "cold" on bone scan, so it's unclear what the significance of these "hot spots" is. In the meantime the pain is well controlled with regular ibuprofen, and overall is less. My blood tests two days ago indicate that my bone marrow is standing up well to the chemo. The IgA is down to 1720 (1810 last month), a modest but definite drop. Before my myeloma became resistant to Velcade I had seen much more dramatic drops. I queried my oncologist whether we need to look at newer protocols, but he actually was satisfied with my response. "It's moving in the right direction. Slow and steady is good". So for now we're sticking with the current regimen, hoping the pelvic mass will start to decrease and that the leg swelling will eventually resolve.
I put 18.4 hours on the Comanche in August: There was the trip to Orcas (mentioned in the previous blog), a flight to Seattle to attend a wedding with Sarah and Ethan, a couple of Saturday breakfast fly-ins, and scenic flights with friends, and my nephew Matthew from Long Island. He was out here last weekend with my sister Nancy. The weather was beautiful (as it has been all summer) and they also partook in a wine tasting, a BBQ, kayaking, hiking, sailing, and fly fishing during their 4 day visit. Now they know why I don't like to leave the Northwest in the summer.
The other thing that keeps me closer to home is uncertainty. Is the modest decrease in the IgA just a temporary drop or a real trend, the beginning of a true response? Will the right pelvic mass eventually shrink? Is the right leg swelling getting worse? What is the significance of all those "hot spots" on my bone scan?
If I make plans I feel compelled to follow through on them. Frankly, with all that was going on in June and July it was a stretch pulling off the River trip. Only having very competent, helpful people on the trip made it possible.

I hope I have more definitive, better news next month.

Phil