Summary of my treatment

(This summary was written in early July of 2015.  It is the first blog entry.  Since it is written in a summary format, I post-dated it so that it remains in front of the other entries.)

 Thanks to everyone who is curious about how I am doing.  I'm going to try to keep this blog going now and then to update anyone who is interested in my progress as I fight multiple myeloma.

I may eventually write a detailed description of the dozens of tests they have been giving me and the rationale for the various medical decisions but for now I'll just give a general update regarding what's going on right now.

I'm currently on day three of a four and a half day full time chemo session.  Since I'm getting chemo around the clock, I have to be in the hospital for the treatment.  So right now, I'm at the University of Washington oncology transplant floor.  There is a great view of the Husky Stadium and Lake Washington from a hallway window not far from my room.

When I get out of here, 90% of my treatment will be (and has been) at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance which shares the same campus with the Fred Hutchinson cancer research facility.  It's truly an amazing place and the staff seem to be first rate.  

The next step for me will be the actual transplant.  They will harvest my own stem cells, kill all of my bone marrow and then put my stem cells back into me.  My stem cells will regrow the bone marrow.  This will be a low time for me since this process also kills off all of my white blood cells.  I will be in a semi-quarantine status since my immune system will be completely gone.

After this transplant, I'm going for a second transplant from a donor.  This tandem transplant procedure was recommended by my oncology doctors because my version of multiple myeloma is on the aggressive side.  This will give me the best chance of a longer remission which is nearly the same as a cure.

I still view this whole thing as a pretty major inconvenience but it's not going to change my lifestyle or my view on the world.  When it's all finished, I should have many years before it could rear it's head again and by then they will have new treatments and possibly all out cures ready for people with this nasty disease.

For those who have asked how to get in touch with me, I am staying at the "Pete Gross House".  It's an apartment building for stem cell transplant patients and it's just four blocks away from the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) building.  You can always reach me by email or snail mail.

mdmartinson@gmail.com

Mike Martinson

525 Minor Ave. North #305 (no longer my address)

Seattle, WA 98109

I’m back!!

It’s been a few years. Everything is going well. The cancer is still hiding somewhere in my body with too few cells to detect. Today is one of many short visits to the the long term followup department. It’s a short visit to revise drugs and check on the ongoing GVHD issues. Although I’m doing great, it’s sad to again see that cancer is a booming business. The morning blood draw room is completely full with patients looking for hope to live a little longer.

It feels good to return again in part because the atmosphere here at the SCCA is positive and full of hope. I just met an elderly gentleman from Moose Pass, Alaska. Like everyone else he just wants to go home. He misses his dog and his home and his simple life in the wilderness. He deserves that just as we all deserve to live without cancer.