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Last week, doctor I went in for my monthly big blood test for April to determine what my Hematology profile is (how my body responds overall to my chemo treatment) and learn what my Serum Proteins (Electrophoresis & Immunoglobulins) are, which are my cancer levels. I’m happy to report that my cancer levels dropped again.
My myeloma protein (M protein) is the abnormal protein/cancer/bad stuff and it resides in my Beta 2 Globulin. It is the most important marker for following my progress. If my M protein is 0, then there is no cancer/myeloma detected in my blood stream, which is ideal.
M protein
Dec-Mar = 3 g/L (same each month)
Apr = 2.5 g/L
Dropping to 2.5 g/L from 3 is pretty amazing! It means right now there is less myeloma/cancer in my blood today, than last month.
My general cancer marker (igG) and my specific cancer marker (Beta 2 Globulin) both decreased.
BOLD = outside normal levels
| Date | Albumin | Beta Globulin 2 | Gamma Globulin | igG | igA | igM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reference Range | 34.0-53.0 | 1.8 – 4.8 | 5.1 – 15.0 | 6.7 – 15.2 | .70 – 4.00 | .40 – 2.30 | |
| Apr | 44.9 | 5.8 | 4.8 | 10.8 | .76 | .22 | |
| Mar | 38 | 6.3 | 5.8 | 10.4 | .84 | .46 | |
| Feb | 36 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 10.4 | .84 | .46 | |
| Jan | 36 | 6.5 | 4.9 | 11.7 | .81 | .23 | |
| Dec | 43.6 | 6.4 | 5.1 | 11.6 | .78 | .37 | |
| Nov 30 | 43.3 | 7.4 | 5.4 | 11.2 | .84 | .49 | |
| Nov 2 | 45 | 7.7 | 4.8 | 12.5 | 1.00 | .68 | |
| Oct | 48.5 | 9.0 | 4.0 | 13.3 | .82 | .43 | |
| Sept | 44.1 | 9.2 | 3.2 | 12.9 | .66 | .31 | |
| Aug | 47.7 | 10.7 | 3.0 | 14.8 | .62 | .32 | |
| July | 45.8 | 11.4 | 3.6 | 15.7 | .56 | .37 | |
| June | 41.2 | 15.2 | 3.9 | 16.5 | .49 | .40 | |
| May | 42 | 17.2 | 2.5 | 18.7 | .28 | .33 | |
| Apr | 44.4 | 19.2 | 1.5 | 21.4 | .29 | .41 | |
| Mar | 39.1 | 27.1 | 2.6 | 27.5 | .26 | .50 | |
| Feb | 38.9 | 33.9 | 3.0 | 36.1 | .33 | .53 | |
| Jan | 39.3 | 30.6 | 3.7 | 33.4 | .29 | .22 |
My Hematology profile (how my body responds overall to being on treatment) also remains great.
| Date | WBC | Hemoglobin | Platelet Count | Neutrophils |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reference Range | 4.0 – 11.0 | 135 – 170 | 150 – 400 | 2.0 – 8.0 |
| Apr | 6.0 | 131 | 296 | 4.9 |
| Mar | 6.8 | 133 | 339 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 7.5 | 130 | 336 | 6.4 |
| Jan 25 | 8.3 | 129 | 335 | 5.7 |
| Jan 11 | 4.9 | 126 | 335 | 5.7 |
| Dec | 15.6 | 129 | 356 | 11.2 |
| Nov 30 | 8.8 | 133 | 416 | 7.0 |
| Nov 2 | 5.7 | 136 | 447 | 4.7 |
| Nov | 8.1 | 137 | 387 | 5.9 |
| Oct | 10.5 | 139 | 329 | 8.8 |
| Sept | 5.3 | 130 | 363 | 4.4 |
| Sept | 13.7 | 122 | 304 | 5.2 |
| Aug | 6.1 | 130 | 378 | 4.9 |
| Aug | 12.0 | 133 | 329 | 8.3 |
| July | 12.8 | 131 | 302 | 9.47 |
| July | 4.8 | 123 | 386 | 3.8 |
| June | 10.6 | 124 | 281 | 8.0 |
| June | 6.5 | 122 | 439 | 4.7 |
| May | 12.4 | 118 | 271 | 8.9 |
| May | 10.0 | 118 | 320 | 5.2 |
| Apr | 12.5 | 123 | 297 | 9.8 |
| Apr | 7.6 | 113 | 357 | 3.9 |
| Mar | 7.0 | 133 | 247 | 5.6 |
| Mar | 6.8 | 127 | 467 | 5.2 |
| Feb | 5.5 | 133 | 191 | 4.6 |
| Jan | 4.4 | 129 | 206 | 2.3 |
To recap: On Sunday, April 24th, I completed Cycle 16 Week 3. I have Multiple Myeloma and anemia, a rare blood cancer. It is incurable, but treatable. From February to November 2013, I received Velcade chemo through weekly in-hospital injections as an outpatient. Since February 9th 2015, I have been on Pomalyst and dexamethasone chemo treatment (Pom/dex).
Weekly chemo-inspired self-portraits can be viewed in my flickr album.
May 2014: Fraser River Canada Line Bridge
Hello Phillip,
I’m glad to hear that you are doing so well as a result of your pomalidomide treatment . It’s nice being off chemo, isn’t it? Enjoy and be happy!
All the best,
Marilyn
Thanks Marilyn. Yes, I’m very happy and how well I’m responding to treatment. However, my chemo is indefinite, so I will be on it for a long time still.