Beth Morgan Multiple Myeloma Treatment Blog
My life as a myeloma patient for almost two decades
The Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research has published some good videos which will answer some of your questions. These were informative for me, even after having lived with myeloma for the past 5 years.
http://www.imbcr.org/myeloma_QA.html
MMSupport.net unveils “Ask the Expert”, featuring Multiple Myeloma physician and scientist, James R. Berenson, M.D.
Ask the Expert is a free online web-forum where Myeloma and Bone Cancer specialist, Dr. James R. Berenson offers medical answers to questions surrounding quality of life and longevity issues for patients living with this rare form of cancer.
Los Angeles, CA – MMSupport.net and the Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research are proud to announce the creation of “Ask the Expert”, a free online web-forum featuring Multiple Myeloma expert, Dr. James R. Berenson.
MMSupport.net is the creation of myeloma-advocate, Beth Morgan. The website serves to foster community in the form of an online forum where patients and caregivers could learn more about Multiple Myeloma, a plasma cell cancer that resides in the bone marrow. Thousands of people visit MMSupport.net every day. Many visitors are Myeloma and Bone Cancer patients, caregivers and other medical professionals who actively participate in online discussions about treatment options and personal experiences. “Ask the Expert” is the latest addition to the MMSupport.net website and is available at no charge by registering on the site. Visit www.mmsupport.net for more information.
James R. Berenson, MD has 25 years experience in treating Multiple Myeloma and Bone Cancer patients. Dr. Berenson is CEO and Medical Director for The Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research and CEO and President of Oncotherapeutics, an oncology-specific clinical trials management service. Dr. Berenson is an active clinician who treats patients daily in his Los Angeles offices and acts as a specialist consult to patient’s primary oncologist or primary care physician throughout the world. For more information, visit www.berensononcology.com
The Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research, based in Los Angeles, California, is an independent cancer research institute with a primary focus on hematologic cancers. Established in 2004, the IMBCR is a 501 c (3) non-profit organization. Over the last four years, the IMBCR has created novel breakthrough therapies that have substantially increased the longevity and quality of life of myeloma patients. The latest initiative at the institute is “The Cure Myeloma Project”, a multi-year research project that targets myeloma cells while keeping the non-cancerous cells intact. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.imbcr.org
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Media contact:
Beth Morgan, MMsupport.net beth.morgan@connectnc.com or,
Cheryl A. Cross, MPH, Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research ccross@imbcr.org 866-900-1035
I got some sad news today. My e-mail friend and frequent commenter on this blog, Judith Meuli (Jude), passed away yesterday. Like me she had IgA MM, although hers was kappa light chain. We shared stories about living with MM and other things. She had let me know that her doctor had told her this would be her last year. I plan on making a donation to the IMF and the IMBCR in her memory. Jude was mom’s age.
Special Edition: Multiple Myeloma Series
Upcoming Webcast:
This year’s American Society of Hematology meeting in Atlanta has brought many exciting new developments. Join us this Friday for our discussion with two experts, Dr. Brian Durie, Founder, a Myeloma Specialist and Chairman of the Board for the International Myeloma Foundation and Dr. James Berenson, Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research. You’ll hear the latest groundbreaking news from the meeting and what these two renowned experts are excited about in Myeloma treatment and research.
“The Latest Myeloma News from the American Society of Hematology Meeting”
Friday, December 14, 2007, 2:00 pm Eastern (11:00 am Pacific)
Sponsored through an educational grant from Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
For a schedule of upcoming webcasts, to listen to recent myeloma program replays, and for further information, visit http://www.patientpower.info/specialeditionlymphoma.asp.
Featured Guests:
Brian G.M. Durie, M.D. is Chairman of the Board of the International Myeloma Foundation and a myeloma specialist at Cedars-Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles. He is also a member of the IMF Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Durie is the recipient of the Leukemia Society of America Scholar award and the U.S. Hematologic Research Foundation Annual Award, among many others.
James Berenson, M.D. is the Founder, President and CEO of the non-profit Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research (www.imbcr.org) and Berenson Oncology (www.berensononcology.com) in Los Angeles, California. A leading physician-scientist, Dr. Berenson has specialized in cutting-edge research related to myeloma and metastatic bone disease both in the lab and with patients for 20+ years. He has been involved in many of the major breakthroughs that have brought new treatments for patients with these diseases resulting in both an improvement in the length and quality of their lives. His latest initiative, “The Cure Myeloma Project” enlists the work of a full-time research staff engaging in rigorous pre-clinical and clinical trials, using human myeloma cells.
Andrew Schorr: Host and eleven-year CLL survivor
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Listen live at http://www.patientpower.info/specialeditionmyeloma.asp
Call in live 877-711-5611 or Email questions to andrew@patientpower.info
ABOUT PATIENT POWER:
Patient Power is a weekly show hosted by Andrew Schorr, ten-year leukemia survivor, patient educator and patient advocate. The show features renowned medical experts on topics that include cancer, pain, diabetes, and heart specialists, as well as experts in clinical trials and top pharmacists. The show serves to bring patients together in a radio and Internet community to provide information about available treatment options. Patient Power takes questions from callers and Internet listeners on topics such as how to find the right doctor, how to advocate for effectively, when to get a second opinion from a specialist and how to evaluate one treatment option over another.
I got the results of the tests done Monday at Duke. The full report was faxed to my office, and I haven’t seen it yet, but here’s what I have so far.
M-Spikes (I have two m-spikes)
Last month: 0.19 and 0.12 g/dL (Total is 0.31 g/dL)
This month: 0.16 and 0.22 g/dL (Total is 0.38 g/dL)
Immunoglobulin Profile
Last month: IgA 374 mg/dL Reference: 46-287
This month: IgA 465 mg/dL Reference: 46-287 (up 91)
Last month: IgG 709 mg/dL Reference: 588-1573
This month: IgG 603 mg/dL Reference: 588-1573 (down 106)
I have July and August here. Needless to say, I was fervently hoping for a drop in the IgA and an increase in the IgG. The one good thing is that the IgG is still in the normal range, where it has never been since I learned I had MM. It was usually below 300 mg/dL.
Can someone give me a good explanation about why I have two m-spikes? I’ve asked doctors about a zillion times, and I have either forgotten what they told me or didn’t understand it well enough to even remember.