.98

After several months of chemotherapy treatment, my dad’s doctor has finally found a cocktail that is proving to be successful!  One of the major numbers we’re following is the M-spike.  When he was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma, his M-spike was around 1.5.  The number should be 0.  That result, in conjunction with the bone damage he’d sustained, placed him in stage II.  Today, he texted me to inform me that the M-spike is at .98!

This is the first time his numbers have gone below 1.  What does this mean?  It’s not curing him per se.  What it means is that the cancer density is coming down and healthy cells have a significantly better opportunity to repair the damaged bones.  He’s looking at several weeks of “healing” before he’s going to be in substantially less pain.  He said that he’s feeling overall less pain, but he is still living with a lot of broken bones.  In the coming weeks, he should feel a lot better!

He is still working at his job to the best of his physical ability.  Aside from the bones being painful, he’s experienced one of the biggest side effects of chemotherapy.  Fatigue.  The doctor has given him extra boosts of steroids to help combat that.  It has helped a lot.  It gives him the energy he needs to assist in sustaining a higher quality of life while living with cancer.  Medicine is incredible!

With this newfound promise in his current treatment, he could be at a point of maintaining the cancer for a long time.  I believe the plan at this point is to continue treating him twice a week with the chemotherapy until his M-spike reaches 0.  At that point they’ll wean him off his medications and let his body rebuild.  The doctor will monitor his blood work to make sure he’s able to stay ahead of the cancer when it comes back.  I would assume it’d be monthly and then less frequent as dad shows signs of being cancer-free!  

This is such great news and I’m so excited to be on the winning side of this fight!  Thank you so much to those who have kept my dad and our family in your thoughts and prayers!  Those well wishes and prayers in combination with modern medicine have clearly been heard!  I will keep updating my blog as this chapter continues to play out.  Again, thank you so much for all of your support!