MRD & Sani2C

The Sani2c mountain bike race is exactly a months time. Adriaan (my cycling buddy) and I have been up early in the now cold mornings, getting km's below our belts for the up and coming cycling event. I really look forward to it. It will be a great achievement for me, and something worth aiming for. It will also kinda be like a full circle, being able to get to a point where I was, prior to my diagnosis.

I was reading the headlines of some of the mm blogs, and one guy's blog reads, "have you climbed any mountains recently?" I guess for me, there is more than one.

So what about MRD, something new that I have learned. Earlier this year I had a normal bone marrow test, which still showed that I was clean. My doctor's rooms have subsequently acquired the newest testing equipment, which I understand now meets the international testing standards for MM. The flow cytometry test is for a million cells. My results recently came back, and shows 0,01% myeloma cells. The doctors are testing for minimum residual disease (mrd). Based on these results I will have to go onto maintenance therapy. The standard international treatment would be revlimid, or lenalidomide. These are not yet available in SA, and so I will be going back onto valcade, with one cycle every 3 months. I understand that this will be until my MRD is 0%.

I have been on valcade before, and has worked very well for me, so I don't anticipate huge problems. I have been following the IMF website, and there are so many advances in research and a push for a cure.... At the end of the day, my hope is in the Lord above, the maker of heaven and earth! Shalom!