Comments on: To Fight Once More. http://www.susiehemingway.com/2010/02/21/to-fight-once-more/ A Power Within Fri, 10 Sep 2010 08:35:42 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Susie Hemingway http://www.susiehemingway.com/2010/02/21/to-fight-once-more/comment-page-1/#comment-1429 Susie Hemingway Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:32:16 +0000 http://www.susiehemingway.com/2010/02/21/to-fight-once-more/#comment-1429 Thank you for your good advice and support, thoughts and prayers as dear Hamada undertakes Chemotherapy once again. I make a note of all advice given and keep it by in case of need. @ Beth Hamada is receiving oral Dex as a course 40mg twice weekly on the day of the Velcade push and the next day. I am also monitering his BP and Temp twice daily. @ Dear Dianne I have read carefully your lovely advice and comments, yes the Velcade push is very quick but we have a two hour wait on each day while they spin and read the results of full CBC taken each time before the infusion, which makes it a long wait. We continue to wish Vern well - Dare I dream this will do some good? Thank you for your good advice and support, thoughts and prayers as dear Hamada undertakes Chemotherapy once again. I make a note of all advice given and keep it by in case of need.
@ Beth Hamada is receiving oral Dex as a course 40mg twice weekly on the day of the Velcade push and the next day. I am also monitering his BP and Temp twice daily.
@ Dear Dianne I have read carefully your lovely advice and comments, yes the Velcade push is very quick but we have a two hour wait on each day while they spin and read the results of full CBC taken each time before the infusion, which makes it a long wait. We continue to wish Vern well – Dare I dream this will do some good?

]]> By: Beth http://www.susiehemingway.com/2010/02/21/to-fight-once-more/comment-page-1/#comment-1424 Beth Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:48:09 +0000 http://www.susiehemingway.com/2010/02/21/to-fight-once-more/#comment-1424 I like your phrase, "Multiple Myeloma is not for the faint hearted." If Hamada develops hives from Velcade, it can be helped by a shot of benedryl and dex in the IV before the Velcade push. The hives are an allergic reaction that have made some people I know stop using Velcade, but I found that the benedryl and dex worked well for me. Beth I like your phrase, “Multiple Myeloma is not for the faint hearted.”

If Hamada develops hives from Velcade, it can be helped by a shot of benedryl and dex in the IV before the Velcade push. The hives are an allergic reaction that have made some people I know stop using Velcade, but I found that the benedryl and dex worked well for me.

Beth

]]> By: alaine http://www.susiehemingway.com/2010/02/21/to-fight-once-more/comment-page-1/#comment-1423 alaine Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:14:33 +0000 http://www.susiehemingway.com/2010/02/21/to-fight-once-more/#comment-1423 Fervent prayers for you both. xa Fervent prayers for you both. xa

]]> By: Dianne http://www.susiehemingway.com/2010/02/21/to-fight-once-more/comment-page-1/#comment-1422 Dianne Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:09:12 +0000 http://www.susiehemingway.com/2010/02/21/to-fight-once-more/#comment-1422 I will be thinking of you and Hamada as you begin this new treatment. Velcade has been good for Vern ... and since he and Hamada have shared some similarities along their MM journey, I do hope the same holds true for Hamada. It wasn't a walk in the park, but it was bearable. PN came but eventually left; I highly recommend nightly foot massages to help with that. More importantly, remission came - 2 years of it. Yes, the ol' beast has returned now but once again Velcade appears to be knocking it back down, just a little slower this time since he's receiving it only once a week now. The infusion itself is one of the shortest, which is nice to not have to spend hours in the infusion room - and Velcade doesn't affect the functioning of the kidneys ... very important since V is on dialysis and H's kidneys are compromised. This horrid cancer can change so very quickly. As another MM caregiver said to me, "This disease is a sneaky devil....just when things are going well, it mutates into a very aggressive form." We must stay ever vigilant. Are we in battle? You bet. And you have an "army" of people standing with you to fight this good fight. Dianne xxx I will be thinking of you and Hamada as you begin this new treatment. Velcade has been good for Vern … and since he and Hamada have shared some similarities along their MM journey, I do hope the same holds true for Hamada. It wasn’t a walk in the park, but it was bearable. PN came but eventually left; I highly recommend nightly foot massages to help with that. More importantly, remission came – 2 years of it. Yes, the ol’ beast has returned now but once again Velcade appears to be knocking it back down, just a little slower this time since he’s receiving it only once a week now.

The infusion itself is one of the shortest, which is nice to not have to spend hours in the infusion room – and Velcade doesn’t affect the functioning of the kidneys … very important since V is on dialysis and H’s kidneys are compromised.

This horrid cancer can change so very quickly. As another MM caregiver said to me, “This disease is a sneaky devil….just when things are going well, it mutates into a very aggressive form.” We must stay ever vigilant. Are we in battle? You bet. And you have an “army” of people standing with you to fight this good fight.

Dianne xxx

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