L5 Compression Fracture
Starting some weeks back, I was experiencing lower back pain. It wasn’t getting better. It was getting worse! I report anything out of the ordinary to the research team (I’m in a phase I clinical trial), and had been doing so with regard to this ailment. Since the pain was only getting worse over time, … (Source: beth's myeloma blog)
Source: beth's myeloma blog - July 25, 2022 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Beth Tags: Myeloma CT Scan fluoroscopy fracture PET Scan Spinal Compression Fracture Source Type: blogs
Back to getting talquetamab every week
I was getting talquetamab every other week for what seemed like a short while. I think it might have been two cycles. The talq dose was triple the dose I had been receiving every week. I had pretty severe headaches on the increased dose. I tried to hang in there, but it was bad enough … (Source: beth's myeloma blog)
Source: beth's myeloma blog - April 23, 2022 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Beth Tags: Talquetamab Source Type: blogs
Evusheld significantly protected against symptomatic COVID-19
Astra Zeneca says “Evusheld significantly protected against symptomatic COVID-19 for at least six months in PROVENT Phase III trial in high-risk populations.” https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2022/evusheld-significantly-protected-against-symptomatic-covid-19-for-at-least-six-months-in-provent-phase-iii-trial-in-high-risk-populations1.html I’m glad I received the injections. I’ve read that we will probably continue injections every 6 months while needed. I’ll be getting my next vaccine booster on Monday. I was told to … (Source: beth's myeloma blog)
Source: beth's myeloma blog - April 22, 2022 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Beth Tags: Evusheld Source Type: blogs
Evusheld
I’ve had two doses of Evusheld during the last month or so. After my initial injections, there was an advisory from the CDC to get a second set of injections. It’s thought one dose isn’t effective enough. Evusheld is Astra-Zeneca’s pre-exposure prophylaxis for covid. I keep reading that people seem to be unaware of its existence, and … (Source: beth's myeloma blog)
Source: beth's myeloma blog - March 31, 2022 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Beth Tags: Life Myeloma Evusheld Source Type: blogs
“ Why multiple myeloma returns ” …
That’s the title of an interesting Science Daily article that I came across this morning (and that blog reader Ana also told me about in a comment I read soon afterward, thank you!). Here’s the link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220301131117.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email
In a nutshell, a group of researchers at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin discovered that the culprit to the HUGE problem of drug resistance (non-genetic drug resistance, in particular) in myeloma is the increased production of a protein, the CDK6 protein, which not only activates cell prolifera...
Source: Margaret's Corner - March 2, 2022 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll CDK6 protein in myeloma Source Type: blogs
Almost through cycle 8 of talquetamab / daratumumab / pomalidomide trial
I’m nearly finished with cycle 8. For those of you who’ve asked, the side effects have remained the same throughout for me. the situation with my nails has improved, though! They’re not peeling away from the bottom of the nail anymore. Still, I have issues at the tops of the nails. I have to keep …
The post Almost through cycle 8 of talquetamab / daratumumab / pomalidomide trial appeared first on Beth Morgan Multiple Myeloma Treatment Blog. (Source: beth's myeloma blog)
Source: beth's myeloma blog - December 23, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Beth Tags: BiTE daratumumab pomalidomide Pomalyst Talquetamab compazine masks Zofran Source Type: blogs
Doing Well
Still doing pretty well. I ' m currently taking Darzalex monthly, Pomalyst 2 mg daily (28 days of 28), and dexamethasone (Dex) 8 mg weekly. Monthly blood tests don ' t normally show any cause for concern, and I feel pretty good. Except lately calcium has been a bit high, and the doctors and I are paying some attention to that. Maybe a PET scan is due, or even a bone marrow biopsy, since my myeloma seems to have become "nonsecretory " (it may not secrete detectable immunoglobulin fragments). Ugh.I like a beer in the evening, but I skip that on Dex days and on the two days afterward. On infusion day I don ' t exercise a...
Source: Myeloma Hope - October 31, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: daratumumab Darzalex DEX dexamethasone pomalidomide Pomalyst Source Type: blogs
End of Cycle 5 – Talquetamab and Daratumumab plus Pomalyst
During cycle 5, the study team was given some freedom to adjust my dose of dexamethasone. We could do anything, from eliminating it completely to decreasing it. For 3 cycles, I was having 40 mg of dex a week. Dex is rough. If you have taken 40 mg of dex for any amount of time, …
The post End of Cycle 5 – Talquetamab and Daratumumab plus Pomalyst appeared first on Beth Morgan Multiple Myeloma Treatment Blog. (Source: beth's myeloma blog)
Source: beth's myeloma blog - October 7, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Beth Tags: Talquetamab CRS cytoxan release syndrome dexamethasone Source Type: blogs
New study: ursolic acid and myeloma cells
Conclusion: “These findings suggest that MRBE and its active ingredient, ursolic acid, […] may have significant chemopreventive potential against MM.” Very exciting, don’t you think? Of course, we must remember that this is a study that used MM cells in a lab setting (not human patients, I mean), so, as always, we mustn’t get overly excited. But still, a wee bit of excitement can’t hurt, right?
I have already ordered some white mulberry tea, while I do some more research to find a reliable source for ursolic acid (I hope to find the Morus Alba extract…but so far, I’ve foun...
Source: Margaret's Corner - September 30, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll Morus Alba myeloma ursolic acid white mulberry Source Type: blogs
The fun is over …
Sirmione, Lago di Garda
Stefano and I had a lovely relaxing holiday in August. The first leg of our trip consisted of three days in the medieval town of Sirmione on the shores of one of Italy’s largest and prettiest lakes, the Lago di Garda.
To be honest, though, I couldn’t wait to leave. It wasn’t the heat that got to me (after Florence, practically anything would have felt cool…), but rather the throngs of unmasked tourists surrounding us as we walked along the town’s narrow streets. I found that quite unsettling. True, you don’t have to wear a mask now when you’re out in the ope...
Source: Margaret's Corner - September 17, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll hip replacement surgery Lago di Braies Mantova Tre Cime di Lavaredo Source Type: blogs
Cycle 4 of talquetamab and daratumumab
I’m in cycle 4 now. I still go every week for treatment, but here’s something to look forward to: At the end of cycle 6, I’ll have a PET scan. If everything looks good on the PET scan, my treatment schedule will change to every other week. My Pomalyst dose has been decreased to 2 …
The post Cycle 4 of talquetamab and daratumumab appeared first on Beth Morgan Multiple Myeloma Treatment Blog. (Source: beth's myeloma blog)
Source: beth's myeloma blog - August 31, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Beth Tags: BiTE daratumumab Pomalyst Talquetamab PET Scan Source Type: blogs
Another Bone Marrow Biopsy
I had another bone marrow biopsy last month. My nephew took this picture of the samples being prepared for the lab. The dish near the top of the image looks like a tiny little crime scene.
The post Another Bone Marrow Biopsy appeared first on Beth Morgan Multiple Myeloma Treatment Blog. (Source: beth's myeloma blog)
Source: beth's myeloma blog - August 31, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Beth Tags: Bone Marrow Biopsy Myeloma Talquetamab Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, August 23rd 2021
In this study, we used the UK Biobank (n = 440,185) to resolve previous ambiguities in the relationship between serum IGF-1 levels and clinical disease. We examined prospective associations of serum IGF-1 with mortality, dementia, vascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer, finding two generalized patterns.
First, IGF-1 interacts with age to modify risk in a manner consistent with antagonistic pleiotropy; younger individuals with high IGF-1 are protected from disease, while older individuals with high IGF-1 are at increased risk for incident disease or death. Second, the association between IGF-1 and risk ...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 22, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Strength Training and Aerobic Exercise Reduce Cancer Mortality
Researchers here note that undertaking strength training and aerobic exercise acts to reduce mortality due to cancer, to a similar degree as these activities are known to reduce all cause mortality in later life. The mechanisms involved are likely diverse, but it is worth noting that (a) muscle tissue is metabolically active in beneficial ways, such that more muscle is better than less muscle, (b) better immune function is linked to exercise, and immune surveillance is critical to cancer prevention, and (c) exercise helps to reduce chronic inflammation, where chronic inflammation helps to drive the establishment and develo...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 17, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Hip surgery
Well, yes, I’m having hip surgery in late September. The test results from my recent MRI and X-ray showed that the coxarthrosis is getting worse…fast. But we have holiday plans for two weeks in August, and nothing is getting in the way of those. So…September.
Today I made appointments for heaps (or hips, hehe) of pre-surgery tests and exams. I will be meeting with the surgeon and his team in early September…I suppose, since I’ve never had surgery before, that I should view this as an interesting experience, one that I could certainly have done without…but…oh well…
This is wha...
Source: Margaret's Corner - July 27, 2021 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Margaret Tags: Blogroll fast-track surgery hip surgery with myeloma Source Type: blogs
