Cycle 4 - Week 3

I interrupt our updates on the SCT to provide you an update on Cycle 4, Week 3. 

Today we headed to Mooreland Reserve for our regularly scheduled treatment. 

We had a super early appointment today - labs at 7:15 - which was great...but I actually felt like it took 'a bit longer' to get results.  Maybe it was too early.  Maybe the lab techs didn't have enough coffee yet.

Overall, things look good - some up, some down. But overall, right where we need them to be.  In fact, we were a little surprised that Andy's WBC was where it was, because the cough, that we thought he had gotten rid of, has decided to come back!  

Hg - 14.4 (exactly where it was last week).  Check out that nice progression since our admission into the hospital back in October!  Holding strong in the green - Way to Go, Andy!!

ANC 3.6 (up from 2.6)

Platelets - 204 (down from 219)

WBC - 5.7 (up from 4.4)

RBC - 4.44 (exactly the same as last week)

Calcium - 8.6 (down from 9.0) 

Total Protein - 6.6 (down from 6.8) Check out this beauty too!  Love seeing those proteins come down and stay in the green!

Oh - and then later on in the day Andy received a notification that his light chain numbers were back...I did NOT get the message...because...healthy boundaries from MyChart 😆

Kappa - 7.0, up from 6.0

Lambda - 6.3, down from 7.1

Ration - 1.11, up from .85

Mostly in the green and I still don't really know what we really want these light chains to mean or which part of the protein is Kappa, and which part is Lambda.  I just know I'm always scared of them.  But, they seem to be behaving.  

So - back to the Infusion Rooms we went.  I don't want you to ever have to go to the Cancer Center at Moorland Reserve, but it is really nice.  It's open and bright and at 7:45 AM, it's very quiet!  We got settled into our room and waited for our intake nurse.  Yesterday's snow may the center even brighter and we enjoyed our view...AND were delighted to find Bubble Guppies on TV!  This was Oliver's FAVORITE OBSESSION as a baby, so it did bring us some joy.  

We were also very excited to have one of our favorite nurses from Menomonee Falls today at Moorland!  We went through ALL the questions of side effects and complications...none of which Andy had.  And then Andy got his Velcade and his Dara.  

Now here's the weird thing.  And I don't know if I'm right.  But you guys.  There is a VERY good chance this was our last visit to the cancer center infusion center for 50 years.  Our last dose of velcade and dara for 50 years.  I don't totally know what our maintenance phase is going to look like.  I don't totally know we will take on a regular basis going forward.  There has been mention of Revlimid...but not ever of the injections.  

So.  We walked out.  And left the Cancer Center behind us.  Ready for the next journey ahead of us.  

And I'm going to just keep saying, we're done for 50 years.  We know Andy is not getting CURED from MM.  We know, or at least highly suspect, his MM will come back some day.  And we'll be back at this spot.  But no one knows when.  So I feel like...50 years is a good compromise.  If his cancer HAS to come back...then it can come back...in 50 years.  So.  I'm just gonna need you all to get on board with this theory.  

And for now - we celebrate.  We celebrate that Andy has been an amazing rockstar. He has responded SO well to his treatments that we get to take our next step in rocketing his cancer in remission!