Stem Cell Transplant

When I was first diagnosed, I was advised that my best hope was a stem cell transplant. However, the hospital I was referred to had never done a stem cell transplant. I did not want to be their first! I was told that both Princess Margaret in Toronto and the Ottawa General Hospital do stem cell transplants. I went for a visit at the Ottawa General Hospital and was very impressed. They have a state of the art stem cell and research facility . I transferred to Ottawa and was very happy with the reception we received. I continued chemotherapy in preparation for my stem cell transplant.

Mammograms

Well I turned 50 this past weekend and my oncologist wanted me to have a mammogram. Although, I am really not keen about being exposed to any more radiation then necessary, I had the procedure done. The jury is still out on the benefits of mammograms and the verdict seems to be a moving target. I believe if you have a family history of breast cancer then it is a wise decision. However, I am not confident that you should be exposing yourself to radiation (which causes cancer) all the time. I have completed this mammogram, but for the future I think I will continue to use self examination and be aware of any changes. A tough decision to make, as you should be pro-active, not re-active.

Symptoms

Symptoms can be obvious or more often then not invisible. Obvious symptoms can be blood in stools, change in a lesion, pain, lumps or loss of weight. Other symptoms may be flu like or non-existent. Just go with your gut feeling, feelings that you are just not yourself. By the time I went to my doctor my symptoms had become very obvious. Why did I wait? Stubborness, lack of time? I'm not sure, but I now know that we need to be alert to our body and it's changes, we need to look after our health. Within 2 days of finally visiting my doctor I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Multiple Myeloma. Don't wait, you are worth the time to take care of yourself. Go with your gut and don't procrastinate!

Suppressed immune system

It has taken me longer then I want to shake this sickness. However, after chemo and transplants my immune system no longer has the strength and fortitude it once had. Coping with a suppressed immune system is something we cancer patients must contend with. It is why I quiver when I see people coughing and sneezing into their hands and then spreading their contaminates on every surface imaginable. The littlest infection can be of great danger to anyone with a damaged immune system. My greatest hope is that as I experience these illnesses it will help build some immunity in my new bone marrow and build some resilience for me. In the meantime I seem to pick up more things and take longer to get over them. As long as I always get over them, I can be okay with that!

Feeling Sick.

I wanted to blog about symptons today, however I have come down with some type of flu, although I did have a flu shot.  It started with headaches, chills and then vomiting, I am still not up to par.   The problem with getting sick is that after you were sick for years during cancer treatment, the littlest illness plays games with your mind.  I am sick again?  What's happening?  I have to remind myself that it is most likely something normal, just some bug that is making its way around.  I hate the grim reminder I get when being sick, it draws me right back into my treatment days.  I am taking it easy today so that I can get back to normalcy.  Until then ... stay well.

When it began.

Rolling nausea, headaches, fatigue and the pallor of death.   Walking, climbing stairs and getting dressed was becoming a chore. I would shower, lay down, get dressed, lay down and then sleep in our car pool  to and from work.  It was getting worse.  I was getting the shakes and wondering what the heck was happening to me.  I finally took time off work to make a doctors appointment.  My doctor  usually tells you to wait out the virus or cold etc, it takes time, however he seemed genuinely concerned about my appearance.  Perhaps because I was not one to complain or maybe I just looked really bad!   After several tests I was out the door and heading home, tired, really tired.  What was happening to me?  I certainly wasn't myself and I had been starting to drag my butt for the past several months, but maybe I shouldn't have been ignoring the symptoms, maybe there was something more going on.

You Tube Video

You can now watch my pictorial journey on you tube directly from my blog page. The link is located at the bottom of my page. The clip shows my fight with multiple myeloma and shares my website address. Take a minute to check it out

Order my book on-line!

You can now order my book from my website www.youcare.ca