Beth Morgan Multiple Myeloma Treatment Blog
My life as a myeloma patient for almost two decades
Life
I just finished Black River Falls, by Ed Gorman. I think I need to buy all of his books now. This one was good. It was a fast read and kept my attention. I really haven’t been able to read much since I took thalidomide. I was fortunate enough to have an autographed copy, sent to me by Ed. Check out his bibliography.
Right now, I’m listening to Freakonomics on my iPod.
Tomorrow I’ll check in at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center at 9 am. I’ll have blood drawn. At 10 I’ll go to have a Neostar triple lumen catheter put in. I’m not sure what’s on the agenda for the rest of the day, except I’ll have some Cytoxan. On Thursday I’ll have some more Cytoxan. On Friday I’ll go home. I’m NOT looking forward to this. It better be worth it.
I received a note from one of Chris’s friends in New Zealand today that Chris has passed on. It appears Chris had a heart attack, and that’s all I know at this time. Please consider making a donation to the IMF so we can find a cure for MM and they can continue to provide excellent services for patients and caregivers. He would be happy for that, for all of us who are still here. There’s a link to make a donation to the left.
Unfortunately, treatments for MM can cause damage to vital organs, including the heart. MM itself can cause damage to organs and systems. Please make sure to get regular checkups, and include visits to the cardiologist. In fact, a recent study showed that patients treated with a specific drug called doxorubicin can experience a decline in heart health over the years. Please keep yourselves healthy in preparation for a cure!
Do you know how hard it is to get an appointment with a cardiologist in a town full of old people? I faxed the report from Wake Forest to my local cardiologist. He was someone I saw a few times starting in 1998 when I was experiencing PVCs. They’re benign, but annoying. They pop up whenever I have caffeine, sugar, don’t get enough sleep, have too much stress or even before I catch a cold or something. I’ve had to give up caffeine.
Anyway, I have an appointment with him on the 25th of September. I’ll see what he says. I’ll just feel better having my heart checked out every now and then. We don’t know what all these meds could be doing to us.