More Great News

Today was a day we received more good news in regards to the treatment Steve is on. His m-spike number was down from 2.6 to 1.8! The target number is zero. Steve's doctor was very happy to see this number. It means his treatment is working and his cancer is at a level where it should not cause him any problems with his bones. We are so relieved to know he his headed in the right direction. We'll know in about 2 weeks when he'll be going up to UCLA for his consultation for a possible stem cell transplant. Please keep praying.

Day #11 Cycle 3 of MPT Treatment

Sorry it’s been a few weeks since I let everyone know how things are going. Steve and I are noticing a pattern with this current treatment. Each cycle is 28 days, the first 7 days he takes all three medications; mephalan, predisone and thalidomide. Beginning on day 8 he just takes the thalidomide and this is when he starts to experiences an increase in his fatigue and peripheral neuropathy, which gets worse with each new treatment. He puts on a really good show and makes it look like he’s doing great, and yes, there are times when he has “really good” moments but I would say he is far from doing great.

The mephalan is the strongest of the 3 medicines. This is the one that is really going after the cancer, but along with the bad cells it’s destroying a lot of good cells, particularly the ones that make white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. This is where some of the fatigue is coming in.

Pray his blood counts stay in a safe range while at the same time the cancer continues to be destroyed. Pray also for the neuropathy to subside. I would say this is the hardest on Steve. Just 3 days ago he started to feel a very painful type of neuropathy in his chest. And pray for the coming months. My work load will increase a lot in September and this is the time we maybe going to UCLA. I’m not sure. But the next few months are a mystery which makes it hard to prepare for.

God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

Love,
Deanna