Last week, I went in for my monthly big blood test for February to determine what my Hematology profile is (how my body responds overall to my chemo treatment) and learn what my Serum Proteins (Electrophoresis & Immunoglobulins) are, which are my cancer levels. I drank lots of water beforehand and the technician was able to draw blood out of my right arm as it wouldn’t work out of my left arm.
My general cancer marker (igG) remained stable and my specific cancer marker (Beta 2 Globulin) decreased. This means there is less myeloma/cancer in my blood stream (as noted by the Beta 2 measure).
| Date | Albumin | Beta Globulin 2 | Gamma Globulin | igG | igA | igM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reference Range | 34.0-53.0 | 1.8 – 4.8 | 5.1 – 15.0 | 6.7 – 15.2 | .70 – 4.00 | .40 – 2.30 | |
| Feb | 36 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 10.4 | .84 | .46 | |
| Jan | 36 | 6.5 | 4.9 | 10.1 | .75 | .31 | |
| Dec | 43.6 | 6.4 | 5.1 | 11.6 | .78 | .37 | |
| Nov 30 | 43.3 | 7.4 | 5.4 | 11.2 | .84 | .49 | |
| Nov 2 | 45 | 7.7 | 4.8 | 12.5 | 1.00 | .68 | |
| Oct | 48.5 | 9.0 | 4.0 | 13.3 | .82 | .43 | |
| Sept | 44.1 | 9.2 | 3.2 | 12.9 | .66 | .31 | |
| Aug | 47.7 | 10.7 | 3.0 | 14.8 | .62 | .32 | |
| July | 45.8 | 11.4 | 3.6 | 15.7 | .56 | .37 | |
| June | 41.2 | 15.2 | 3.9 | 16.5 | .49 | .40 | |
| May | 42 | 17.2 | 2.5 | 18.7 | .28 | .33 | |
| Apr | 44.4 | 19.2 | 1.5 | 21.4 | .29 | .41 | |
| Mar | 39.1 | 27.1 | 2.6 | 27.5 | .26 | .50 | |
| Feb | 38.9 | 33.9 | 3.0 | 36.1 | .33 | .53 | |
| Jan | 39.3 | 30.6 | 3.7 | 33.4 | .29 | .22 |
My Hematology profile (how my body responds overall to being on treatment) also remains great.
| Date | WBC | Hemoglobin | Platelet Count | Neutrophils |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reference Range | 4.0 – 11.0 | 135 – 170 | 150 – 400 | 2.0 – 8.0 |
| Feb | 7.5 | 130 | 336 | 6.4 |
| Jan 25 | 8.3 | 129 | 335 | 5.7 |
| Jan 11 | 4.9 | 126 | 335 | 5.7 |
| Dec | 15.6 | 129 | 356 | 11.2 |
| Nov 30 | 8.8 | 133 | 416 | 7.0 |
| Nov 2 | 5.7 | 136 | 447 | 4.7 |
| Nov | 8.1 | 137 | 387 | 5.9 |
| Oct | 10.5 | 139 | 329 | 8.8 |
| Sept | 5.3 | 130 | 363 | 4.4 |
| Sept | 13.7 | 122 | 304 | 5.2 |
| Aug | 6.1 | 130 | 378 | 4.9 |
| Aug | 12.0 | 133 | 329 | 8.3 |
| July | 12.8 | 131 | 302 | 9.47 |
| July | 4.8 | 123 | 386 | 3.8 |
| June | 10.6 | 124 | 281 | 8.0 |
| June | 6.5 | 122 | 439 | 4.7 |
| May | 12.4 | 118 | 271 | 8.9 |
| May | 10.0 | 118 | 320 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 12.5 | 123 | 297 | 9.8 |
| Apr | 7.6 | 113 | 357 | 3.9 |
| Mar | 7.0 | 133 | 247 | 5.6 |
| Mar | 6.8 | 127 | 467 | 5.2 |
| Feb | 5.5 | 133 | 191 | 4.6 |
| Jan | 4.4 | 129 | 206 | 2.3 |
To recap: On Sunday, February 28th, I completed Cycle 14 Week 3. I have Multiple Myeloma and anemia, a rare blood cancer. It is incurable, but treatable. From February to November 2013, I received Velcade chemo through weekly in-hospital injections as an outpatient. Since February 9th 2015, I have been on Pomalyst and dexamethasone chemo treatment (Pom/dex).
Weekly chemo-inspired self-portraits can be viewed in my flickr album.
The post Week 55 chemo complete: Cancer levels dropped again appeared first on Fade to Play.