Stormy Weather

Posted on February 11, 2012 by pmdello

Enough is enough! Last fall, snow came early to the valley, and then stopped. The foreshadowing of a long, gloomy winter evaporated with a succession of sunny December days. The New Year heralded more of the same. In front of the Post Office, snapdragons I’d planted last M ...

Challenges of Non-Secretory MM

Posted on February 6, 2012 by bk

The popular anti-Multiple Myeloma agent Bortezomib (Velcade) has just won FDA approval for subcutaneous injection. This means that it can be administered as a simple injection versus intravenous (IV) infusion. Velcade and it’s subsequent analogs work by being protein i ...

Neuropathy and Cognitive Impairment

Posted on January 27, 2012 by bk

There used to be an anti-drug advertising campaign that showed an egg and said “This is your brain.” Then they cracked the egg into a frying pan where it sizzled while they said “This is your brain on drugs.” I was just sitting here thinking over the ...

The Deludia Guide to Peripheral Neuropathy

Posted on January 1, 2012 by bk

This is an attempt at humor, although there is nothing at all funny about Peripheral Neuropathy. Primarily a side effect of chemotherapy, it is perhaps the most debilitating facet of Multiple Myeloma treatment. Then too, the information offered in these short videos is com ...

Old is the New New

Posted on November 21, 2011 by bk

Treating Multiple Myeloma is somewhat simplistic. While there is tremendous complexity in the tailoring and performance of therapy, the idea is pretty simple: put something in the body that kills the bad cells. The things is, we haven’t really been able to find a dru ...

Blue Collar Cancer

Posted on October 22, 2011 by pmdello

Tom, Mary, Jim, & me---The puppy's name is Skipper. Recently, I visited family in San Francisco, my hometown. My roots are urban, but 40 years ago, my wings carried me to more rural environs. I was born at Children’s Hospital on California Street in 1946. My parents w ...

Last outpatient Velcade/Decadron/Aloxi – September 9 2011

Posted on September 9, 2011 by rudi48

I went early this morning to Dr. James Moore's office in Fort Collins. I enjoyed my visit with Dr. Moore, per usual.After my doctor's visit, I had my last out-patient pre-stem cell transplant chemotherapy with Velcade/Decadron/Aloxi.My blood counts for today, September 9 201 ...

First Connection

Posted on August 28, 2011 by pmdello

Oriental Poppy Recently, at twilight, a deer appeared in my driveway. Silent as the emerging darkness, she stepped carefully onto the gravel. Behind her, a creamy froth of clouds smeared the horizon; crickets chirruped in celebration of the declining day. I watched as the do ...

Summer Solstice

Posted on June 22, 2011 by pmdello

Norway Maple Leaves For three months, the west wind scoured our Hood River Valley with an abrasive, hygienic brush. It burnished the trees, leaving behind a lustrous sheen of renewal. During that time, the Oregon spring doled out single days of warmth. Plummeting temperature ...

Passover

Posted on April 21, 2011 by pmdello

Another wonderful stormy spring day. Spring is putting on airs, choosing to arrive fashionably late. Each year our community celebrates its agricultural roots with Blossom Weekend. Normally, pear and apple trees, festooned with an array of white and pink blossoms, attract th ...

Renovation

Posted on March 27, 2011 by pmdello

Soon after the New Year I resumed my six-mile walks. Wet weather interrupted some outings; others surprised me with unexpected mid-winter sunshine. I work fulltime but my job is not physically demanding. Accordingly, these walks provide the best barometer of my health. This ...

Choices

Posted on February 17, 2011 by pmdello

In January, I met with Dr. M. Once again, my cancer showed signs of awakening. I feel good. I am not overtly symptomatic. Nevertheless, the myeloma stretched and yawned. After a nearly 2 1/2-year nap, my drug-free remission was about to end. When in doubt, trust your instinc ...

Oh Happy Day!

Posted on January 13, 2011 by L

Well, it's probably time for an update on Mama Bear and LIFE! How sweet it is :) Before I begin, i'll apologize in advance if my grammar and/or sanity get lost in translation. The repairmen came to fix a bunch of things in the apartment, so you know what THAT means! Yep, i'v ...

The Cat Came Back

Posted on December 26, 2010 by pmdello

Curly hard at work. Recently, the cat who keeps me company at the Post Office, Curly, disappeared. She adopted our office as her home seven years ago. She spends her day sleeping in a chair atop a red, white, and blue blanket knitted for her by one of our customers. At night ...

Trees

Posted on November 20, 2010 by pmdello

Trees “Keep a green tree in your heart and a singing bird will come.” Chinese Proverb Raked leaves from a sugar maple In November, the deciduous trees on our property cover the lawn with a radiant multi-colored blanket of leaves. Each fall, I spend several hours ...

Truth?

Posted on November 17, 2010 by L

When a pharmaceutical company tells you they "aspire to cure cancer", do you really believe them? Color me a cynic, but wouldn't that be the worst business model ever? You'll have to forgive my attitude. I feel like I'm bipolar today, going from disappointed and letdown to i ...

Cheers

Posted on November 16, 2010 by L

After a week of painstaking agony and stress, the results of the biopsy have finally come back. The percentage of myeloma cells now present in Mama Bear are about 12%. Definitely not what we were hoping for. I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say we were disapp ...

As Summer Fades – A Cancer Prayer.

Posted on September 12, 2010 by Susie Hemingway

As Summer fades and the air is filled with signs of Autumn.As the leaves start their change in colour and their sprinkling fall;the rhythm and flow of life continues its clever path.This in-between state that suspends betwixt the seasons, is all my heart desires.To call on t ...

Britney Spears

Posted on September 1, 2010 by L

The following is a copy of the message I sent out to all the members of our "Monsters Against Myeloma" facebook fanpage:Subj: Britney Spears!!!I just shaved my head.Where to begin, where to begin… If you grew up in the 90’s, like me, you might know what I look like. Yes, ...

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