Who will be at the IMF seminar in Philly? A friend and I are going to drive up. I’m going to try to get the MMA list members who will be there together after dinner Saturday night. I know of a few that will be there. If you’re going to attend, please leave a message!
Author: Beth
I was diagnosed with MM in January of 2003. I underwent various treatments, including thalidomide/dex, revlimid/dex, dex alone, a clinical trial of CNTO 328, and Velcade, Doxil and dex until late August, 2007, when I had an autologous stem cell transplant after high dose melphalan. I experienced what's known as a very good partial response (VGPR). Since then, my myeloma has been stable.
Dear SavetheInternet.com blogger,Net neutrality supporters are gearing up against a Senate vote on Sen. Ted “The Internet is a Series of Tubes” Stevens’ telecommunications bill (S 2686). This bad bill fails to protect Net Neutrality. To preserve Internet freedom, we need to be sure that this bill gets overhauled or stopped in its tracks.
Today, we launched a Senate map that makes it ridiculously easy to a) figure out where your Senators stand, and b) urge them to take a public stance in support of Internet freedom. The goal is to get as many senators on the record as possible before any vote on the Senate floor. You (and your readers) can help the cause by checking out the map and flooding the Senate with calls.
July is a pivotal month. The Senate leadership won’t schedule a vote on Stevens’ bad bill unless 60 senators say they’ll vote for it. Now’s the time to call senators and tell them to support Net Neutrality instead — and to oppose last-ditch industry efforts to push through a bill that more and more Americans are turning against.
We’re not the only ones who’ve been busy; there’s lots of creative work being produced in support of Net Neutrality. Check out this techno remix of Sen. Stevens’ recent speech, a slew of new clips on the SavetheInternet.com videos page and other artistic output at the SavetheInternet.com blog.
We need more creativity like this to call attention to what the telcos are trying to get away with — but eventually it all boils down to what the Senate does. So don’t forget to check out the map, call your Senators, and encourage your friends/readers to do the same.
With your help, we can match the millions of dollars spent by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth with millions of citizens speaking up for Internet freedom.
Tim Karr
SavetheInternet.com
Since I stopped the high dose dex and went to standard dose, remaining on 25 mg of Revlimid per day (21 days a month), my IgA has gone up. So has my m-spike. Not so much at first glance, but it is a 20% increase. I emailed my doc to see about having the stem cell harvest done soon. Don’t get this confused with having a transplant too though. I still haven’t made up my mind about that!
Persey (nickname for Persephone), a little schipperke was put to rest today after the vet diagnosed her with kidney failure. She was 16 years old. She also suffered from Cushings. She was a puppy that I got those many years ago, but could not care for her and almost immediately gave her to a friend. She’s no longer suffering, and we will see her again one day.
For reasons I can’t elaborate too much on, I want to urge everyone (no matter where you are) to keep you pets indoors. If you MUST have them out, do not do so without being there to supervise them. I have a good reason for saying this. A few weeks ago, my mom’s cat was killed by a human being. Her cat was taken from her yard and killed. She was brought back after having been cut in half. There was NO blood left. Only the back half of the cat was returned. I can’t say anymore, because I don’t want to interfere with the investigation. Please, please, please! Keep your pets indoors! This is something that is happening all over the country. It doesn’t matter where you live. If you love your pets, don’t allow them outsinde unless you’re willing to stay with them. If you don’t love your pets enough to do this, please take them to a rescue or no-kill shelter so they can be loved by someone who will care about them.
Last week I called my doctor about my never-ending cold. I had a sore throat for what seemed forever, and evidence of a sinus infection. Like a lot of people, I just thought if I waited long enough, it would go away. It didn’t. I got a prescription for Levaquin (500 mg) for 5 days. I have one more day to go. I have to say the stuff works! It’s not without its own set of side effects though. Who can tell what cause what when you’re on a bunch of different drugs though? Anyway, learn from my mistake (even though I never do). If you get a cold and it doesn’t seem to want to go away, call your doctor!
I’ve been reading things about coffee, such as it can help regulate blood glucose levels and that 4 cups a day can reduce the odds of getting cirrhosis of the liver by 80 percent. The reports never say if decaf works as well as caffeinated coffee. I quit drinking coffee because the caffeine makes me have PVCs and it usually makes me feel kind of sick anyway. But, I saw some coffee in the store made by Folgers that’s supposed to be stomach friendly. Has anyone tried it? I am about to get some, to see if it makes a difference. It’s called Simply Smooth.
I know that sometimes studies are funded by the industry, so I am going to try to look into that.
We’re starting a free blogging site for patients and caregivers, or anyone interested in health topics. The basic stuff is there, and we need people to create accounts and test. Please give it a try: www.healthblogs.org
Please create an account and try out all the features. When you run into a problem or have a question, use the online help form to submit your comments. Using your feedback, we can write the FAQs and make sure the blogging experience is easy for everyone.