30/09/19 (2)

Radiotherapy #3 went fine and on time, then we had about an hour and a half to kill before the appointment with Dr.Ch. Sat around over coffee in the reception area of the Oncology Centre, and went for a bit of a walk outside the hospital. Got to outpatients a good ten minutes ahead of time, then he ran about fifty minutes late...

Good news on the recent bloods - paraproteins continuing downwards from a high of mid-30s through 24 to 15 on 20/09. Not much from the biopsy except plasma cells about 5%, which means that they aren't taking over. Those are the ones that make antibodies, and it's a sub-population of them that has gone rogue.

He's prescribed another 4-day burst of dexamethasone (steroid) starting tomorrow - so I'm expecting some more sleepless nights in front of the computer... And the full chemotherapy starts after a fortnight's recovery time from the radiotherapy - i.e. Oct 16th. Then it's four weeks on and one week off for between four and six cycles, each lasting five weeks, depending on how I respond. We're both a bit relieved to have a date for that at last.

I've been researching side-effects of Velcade / Bortezomib, Thalidomide, and Dexamethasone both alone and in combination as I'm going to get them. It's good to be prepared (I hope). I haven't had any reaction from the radiotherapy yet, but it's early days and they say the side effects may not kick in until some time after the treatment has stopped. The Oramorph is ready and waiting!

Writing that made my realise that I had forgotten the post-shower application of the skin gel that's supposed to minimise  any skin reaction to the radiotherapy around the pelvic area. Done it now - which proves that this blog isn't entirely useless.