Mixed Signals

The weather these first two weeks of April has been very March-like: cold and windy, one northern Pacific system after another marching through alternating snow and rain. Good for our mountains' snow pack! Paradoxically March was very mild with temperatures in the 50's and 60's.
Kind of matches my status with the Myeloma. Physically I continue to gradually regain ground from the January radiation. The bone marrow seems to be recovering as well, though my Hct sits around 28, limiting my aerobic capacity significantly (I'm bicycling and swimming further, but it takes me longer!). The most recent IgA (425) was only mildly up vs early March (366). But there are two worrisome developments. Beginning in mid March I've been finding new lumps under the skin (subcutaneous plasmacytomas, presumably). They are small and don't seem to grow once they appear, but they continue to accrue at the rate of about one per week?! Then in the last two weeks some of the right leg swelling has recurred. A repeat ultrasound excluded the possibility of another clot in that leg (like I had last Fall), so it's either increased myeloma in the pelvis, or possibly scarring from the radiation. We'll find out more from the PET Scan scheduled for next week. Though primarily aimed at giving an "inventory" of myeloma activity throughout the body , it can also include a CT with contrast of the pelvis to see specifically what's going on there.

My recovery allowed me to get my first full course of chemo since
December in late March, just prior to the Cabo trip. So I spent the first four days in Cabo in "recovery mode". The duration and severity of the chemo side effects seem to get a little worse with every cycle; they must be cumulative. But we could not have picked a better place and time to recover! We had perfect weather: sunny and warm, but never too hot, no humidity, no bugs. Mostly relaxed under a Palapa on the beach, read (two books), and enjoyed the company of our hosts, Steve and Claudia. Each day I was able to increase the distance and duration of my walks along the beautiful beach, and my swims in the resort's beautiful interconnected pools. Tall surf that breaks directly on the beach made swimming in the ocean hazardous all but two of the days (but the surf was still nice to look at and listen to!) On Thursday we ventured a few miles up the coast to a great snorkeling beach. That was a pleasure I never could have imagined a few months ago! We also had unbelievable luck with watching the annual Grey Whale migration. Nearly every day there were multiple sightings within just a few hundred yards of our beach, frequently closer. We saw their flukes, they rolled, and even did numerous full breeches!

I've managed to get in a few flights with local pilots. I offer to buy breakfast or lunch at some regional airport, and share the fuel. Pilots are always looking for an excuse to fly! Despite the "mixed signals" from my Myeloma I've been looking at 1940's Taylorcrafts on the market: simple, slow, inexpensive, reliable airplanes that qualify as LSA (Light Sport Aircraft) a category the FAA created 4 years ago that allows pilots to fly without an FAA physical. I'm also looking into getting my glider rating at a nearby airport. Being philosophically more inclined to motorless activities, this is something that has always attracted me, and it's another area of Aviation not requiring the FAA physical.
I've also started weekly guitar lessons with a good local instructor. I've been strumming chords on my grandfather's beautiful Martin intermittently for years, but I finally admitted that I'm never going to make any progress without some structure and direction.
On April 20th Mary Catherine fly East to Boston for a week long visit with my parents, and a follow up visit with the Myeloma specialist at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Dr Anderson. With the results of next weeks's PET Scan in hand, and my recent "developments" I sincerely hope he'll be able to come up with some effective changes, maybe even some definitive treatment. At last December's visit he mentioned the possibility of a third stem cell transplant if we could get a significant reduction of the Myeloma with radiation and chemo, which, overall we have.

Hopefully,

Philip