20/08/2024 Here we go again...

Slightly less good news today.  Had a face-to-face with my NHS haematologist.  All bloods are good except that, after two and a half years of "undetectable", paraproteins are up.  But only to 2. Might be just a blip. Might be a measurement error. Equally, might be the start of a trend and my first relapse. Increasing the monitoring to two monthly rather than three. Can only wait and see...

10/08/24 Five

Today is my myeloma's fifth birthday. Not the day of the diagnosis, that's in September, but the day I knew beyond any question that I've got it. And I'm still on Line1, no transplant, no relapse yet, the hip lesion is fixed, in full remission for over three years and off treatment altogether for two and a half. In day to day life, apart from the continuing mobility problems, I rarely think about it at all.

Things could hardly have gone any better, and I've been very lucky. Very lucky indeed. When I was diagnosed, the consultant gave me five to eight years. Probably... Another three years will get me past that, and I see no reason why not as long as I don't get run over by a bus first.

Photos. 

Here at Walter House we like excuses for a celebration, and a casual comment led to me suggesting that we should celebrate Bastille Day with a trip to Ongar Petanque. The 4th of July didn't work out, but we did the visit a couple of weeks ago. I'm on the right:

 A walk in a nature reserve on the edge of Writtle a few days ago:

And yesterday, while our carpets were being cleaned, we went to Paper Mill Lock for lunch and a walk along the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. Summer at last!