We both slept!

WOOHOO!!!!
The sleeping pills worked.  He did wake up to use the "facilities", but was able to fall back asleep.
Ah, nothing greater than a good nights sleep!
Have a great day everyone!

Chemo Day #16 - but, no chemo administered

Well, his infection continues.  Actually, worse, not better.  Very inflamed. No fever symptoms.
The routine started all the same.  Blood work is good.  Numbers are where they should be.
However, the visit with the doctor was surprising.  She feels that the chemo might be interfering with the antibiotics from the past two weeks.  We got an immediate ultra sound appointment just to see if there's something else going on.  The technician advised Tony to see his doctor ASAP.  Felt he needed meds.  So, back up to the oncology department.  Fortunately, the entire staff was still there, including the doctor.  She prescribed two different types of antibiotics for a further two weeks.
Also, she booked an appointment with a specialist for this as she hasn't experienced this type of swelling.  Doesn't feel it's related to multiple myeloma.
ALSO, Tony continues to be sleepless at home......which means I'm not getting my rest either.  I miss my straight 7 hours.  Not sure if I mentioned this earlier, but she recommended chamomile tea and melatonin at night before bed.  He did get about 3 hours straight, but that was it.  So, today, she commented on how tired he looked and decided to prescribe sleeping pills.  She says he needs to be well rested and strong for the transplant coming up soon.  We shall see how tonight goes.  Day one of Steriods which means he is high energy today.  OMG!  Drugs to pump him up and drugs to pump him down :(

Chemo Day #15

Tony continues to progress well with the treatments.  All numbers are impoving.
Regarding the infection he had from last week, the urine test showed, in the doctors words "pristine".
How funny is that word to use as a description of urine results.  We had a nice laugh.  However, he does have an infection with little discomfort in the pelvic area.  So he's on antibiotics for another week.
Steroids continue to disrupt his sleep.  He only gets a maximum of 2-3 hours continuously, and then up for the rest of the night.  We tried camomille tea with Mellatonin and it seemed to work on the first night after taking the steriods.  Wednesday night we tried it again and he slept more.  It's now Thursday evening and he is showing the usual crash signs.  He's very tired.  Personally, I think he's working too many hours a day.  He needs to slow down.  As for his weight gain, this past week it's been the same.
The oncology department has made some changes and chemo days will be on Thursdays from now on.
Good night everyone.
We're both tired.......

Chemo Day #14

All went well with the Chemo last Tuesday.
Tony has been feeling some discomfort internally. The doctor requested an ultra sound of his pelvic area to rule out a possible blood clot or infection......The results showed he has an internal infection.  Back on to the antibiotics for 14 days.
The steroids continue to give him sleepless nights for about two days after taking them.  He's dosage is once a week, Tuesday mornings.  HIGH energy on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and then he crashes come Thursday evening.  I suspect people who deal with him are seeing this Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde personality.  With this high energy, he has an enormous appetite, which means weight gain, which means he's looking healthier.  Hang in there, Tony. We're in the home stretch.  Bone marrow transplant is about 5-6 weeks away.
Mary

Chemo Day #13

Well, today marks day one of Tony's last month with chemo.

Every 4 weeks they call it a cycle, so we have 3 cycles behind us.  Can you believe it?

Today was a very long day.....7 hours at the hospital.  They did a 2 hour drip to help with his bones.

Hemoglobin continues to hover around the 110-112 mark.

Not much else to say this week.

Warning to those seeing Tony on Wednesday......he's taking his steroids in the morning, which means he will be in high energy mode.  

He tried taking his steroids before bed last week.  Well that kind of didn't work.  He was wired all day, all night and the rest of the week his nights were horrible.  Minimal sleep. Watched TV while the house slept.  Hopefully, tonight he will get lots of rest and be good for Wednesday.....me, well, as you can see, it's 12:44 am and I'm not tired.  He is sleeping peacefully and I think I better get to bed now too.

Nite everyone.

LATE BREAKING NEWS: From the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

Here's a letter we received via email.  Not sure if the links will work.  Keep in mind that this is from the U.S.  Around the corner for Canada, I hope.

Follow them on FaceBook, too.

Mary

Dear Tony,

Today is an extraordinary day for myeloma patients! Moments ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Pomalyst^® (pomalidomide), an IMiD (in the same class as Revlimid^®) as a treatment for patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma.

For the past five years, the MMRF and our clinical research network, the MMRC, have proudly collaborated with Celgene to accelerate the early clinical trials that led to this historic approval. In bolstering the clinical development of this breakthrough treatment, we:

• Facilitated the clinical trials that provided the basis for Pomalyst’s accelerated approval


• Drove rapid patient enrollment to the trials, shortening the timeline to FDA approval by several months


• Continue to support the study of Pomalyst in additional clinical trials opened through the MMRC, including trials combining the drug with Kyprolis^™ and Velcade^®

The approval of Pomalyst is so critical because data show the drug works even in patients who no longer respond to other treatments like Velcade and Revlimid. Countless patients who have exhausted all other treatment options can now benefit from this new and much-needed therapy.

Check out the resources below for more information on Pomalyst:

• Read the
MMRF press release on the FDA approval of Pomalyst


• Visit the
MMRF website for detailed information about Pomalyst


• Register for a teleconference on February 28 on new therapies, including Pomalyst

On behalf of all those who will now benefit from this life-extending treatment, we extend our sincere gratitude to the FDA for recognizing the urgent need for expanded treatment options and to Celgene for its tireless commitment to patients with multiple myeloma and other cancers.

Best regards,

The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

Chemo Day #12

Wow, three months under the belt.  Where did the time go?

Dr. K at Humber River says Tony continues to respond in the right direction to treatment.
Hemoglobin last week was 111.  (highest was 114, I think).
I didn't have to give that needle, so that's good news.

Today was a huge storm in Toronto...which means LOTS of SNOW.....makes us think of snowmobiling and  we miss it very much. Tony needs to stay away from high impact activity :(

Next week is our LONG day at Humber River.  He gets that 2 hour drip to help his bones strengthen.
Stay warm my friends!

Mary