Just a quickie to confirm that I am having Balloon Kyphoplasty (not Vertebroplasty) on my back tomorrow (Friday) afternoon.
Involves a General anaesthetic while they also do an epidural and some biopsy – I didn't really ask what they were biopsy-ing as hope to be fully unaware of the entire thing. Not quite sure how long recovery will be or when we will know if it has worked and I will once again be able to heft a 10 pack of Diet Coke from a low shelf into and back out of my Waitrose trolley (thanks Claire White for taking me just now and doing the honours).
I have also – on a bigger topic – emailed Prof today with a heavy heart but one that know it has no choice whatsoever – to confirm that I will start chemotherapy on Mon 8th Feb. Will be on the 'new' triad of drugs – Revlimid, Velcade and Dexamethosone.
Chemo days will be Mon & Thurs, plus a monthly bone strengthening IV drip.
Probably will need to go through 4-6 'cycles' of treatment – and each cycle takes 21 days. Will depend how my paraprotein responds to the chemo and how fast (or if..) it drops from its current level of 8 to – ideally – zero.
At this point, I will have my stem cells re-harvested (yes, that whole process of being injected in the butt for 4 days to mega-grow a maelstrom of stem cells, and then have them removed over a 4 day period). Liz T – you'll remember one of the previous days when they actually bent the needle that they were trying to inset into my wrist into a right angle to get at the cells, as they could only find my bone and not the vein…
I wonder what similar tales will emerge over the next 6-8 months as we go through it all again…
Finally I will have my 2nd Stem Cell Transplant – probably in around July/Aug time, but it will depend on the paraprotein response to the chemo.
To cheer myself up I have just bought Onion Rings (the crisps, not the deep fried veg) in Waitrose. And am summoning the energy to make a cheese & salami wrap to go with them for lunch, when my back is killing me and my shoulders feel like they have a 10 stone yoke hanging off them.
Also need to nip to the dentist at 3.20 as I have to have your teeth checked before embarking on treatment – bloody weird world hey?
All I can say is, things can only get better. Please God. Without trying to play for sympathy, I do feel like utter shit all over and a little silver lining (like the back op working) would really help.
Cheers all – treasure every healthy day, cos as the song goes 'you don't know what you've got, till it's gone'.
OK – enough schmaltz for now. Where's that avocado?…
S x