State of the Mike Address

I met with a doctor and nurse today to go over my overall cancer levels.  The tumor in my right shoulder is growing.  As explained in an earlier blog, it's simply too big for my new and suppressed immune system to tackle.  However, the great news is none of the other tumors are growing, in fact they all seem to be shrinking.  The tumors are one area where myeloma shows itself but it's also present in the bone marrow.

One of the measurements of cancer strength is called a monoclonal spike or M Spike.  It measures myeloma protein.  When it was first measured in Anchorage, the M Spike was somewhere around 6.0 or 7.0.  After months of chemotherapy in Anchorage, my M Spike got as low as 2.3 but now after two transplants and a lot of therapy it comes in at 0.1.  That's almost non-existent.

I'm pretty sure this is positive news but the tumor still has to be taken care of.  The doctor explained a three pronged method of attacking the tumor.  Spot radiation, oral chemotherapy with a drug called Revlimid, and reducing the immune suppressant drugs so the new immune system can do its work.  The immune suppressant drugs will be reduced very gradually over the next few months.  The radiation and chemotherapy will start within the next week or two.

The medical team was very cautious and technical.  They didn't seem happy that the tumor is still growing but the way I look at it is I'm just one tumor away from almost beating these cancer cells to a pulp.  I know it's too early to know for sure but I have a good feeling about where this is going.