On May 16, 2018 after 11 days in the Lethbridge Alberta hospital Dad was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma.
Multiple Myeloma is called "Multiple" because of the many ways it can present. For Dad it presented with debilitating back pain. Initially we had hoped and tests were suggesting that Dad's back pain was due to compressed vertebrae and muscle spasm. However, an MRI of the spine showed that there was "concerning" changes and further tests including blood work, urine and a bone marrow biopsy confirmed that Dad's pain was secondary to Multiple Myeloma.
Multiple Myeloma is a cancer in the blood. It affects the bone because the marrow in our bones produce our blood cells--both healthy and cancerous. Dad's bone marrow is affected by the Myeloma cells and this produced weakness in the vertebral bones and subsequent back pain associated with the compression and ongoing changes in the vertebrae.
If you would like more information on Multiple Myeloma please check out the Myeloma Canada website.
Multiple Myeloma is a cancer that is not cure-able but is highly treatable so the journey will be long with some intense periods as we learn to LIVE with this new reality.
Right now we are looking into the next year and there are many hurdles in front of Dad so we covet your prayers in these major areas:
1. Pain Control and Restoration of Quality of Life for both Dad and Mom
2. Cancer Treatment: at this time it includes chemotherapy for 4-6 months followed by an autologous (self) bone marrow transplant which requires 2-3 months of recovery and then further chemotherapy.
3. Treatment Teams: an amazing team of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health team members have blessed Dad, Mom and our family with outstanding care.
4. Research: Multiple Myeloma research is a blossoming field of Hematology/Oncology. Improving treatments is so important to us as we want the best treatments available to help us manage this disease.
Further updates on specific prayer requests and specific moments of the journey will be posted on the main blog site.
-- June 6, 2018
Multiple Myeloma is called "Multiple" because of the many ways it can present. For Dad it presented with debilitating back pain. Initially we had hoped and tests were suggesting that Dad's back pain was due to compressed vertebrae and muscle spasm. However, an MRI of the spine showed that there was "concerning" changes and further tests including blood work, urine and a bone marrow biopsy confirmed that Dad's pain was secondary to Multiple Myeloma.
Multiple Myeloma is a cancer in the blood. It affects the bone because the marrow in our bones produce our blood cells--both healthy and cancerous. Dad's bone marrow is affected by the Myeloma cells and this produced weakness in the vertebral bones and subsequent back pain associated with the compression and ongoing changes in the vertebrae.
If you would like more information on Multiple Myeloma please check out the Myeloma Canada website.
Multiple Myeloma is a cancer that is not cure-able but is highly treatable so the journey will be long with some intense periods as we learn to LIVE with this new reality.
Right now we are looking into the next year and there are many hurdles in front of Dad so we covet your prayers in these major areas:
1. Pain Control and Restoration of Quality of Life for both Dad and Mom
2. Cancer Treatment: at this time it includes chemotherapy for 4-6 months followed by an autologous (self) bone marrow transplant which requires 2-3 months of recovery and then further chemotherapy.
3. Treatment Teams: an amazing team of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health team members have blessed Dad, Mom and our family with outstanding care.
4. Research: Multiple Myeloma research is a blossoming field of Hematology/Oncology. Improving treatments is so important to us as we want the best treatments available to help us manage this disease.
Further updates on specific prayer requests and specific moments of the journey will be posted on the main blog site.
-- June 6, 2018
Comments
Post a Comment