Good News....Bad News..

So the good news is actually very good.  It overwhelms the bad news.

As of May 28, 2015, after 6 months of Pomalyst, my number has slipped just into the normal range.  A normal, healthy person has 50/60 to 350/400 parts per deciliter of IgA.  Serum levels of IgM, IgG, and IgA vary with age (most everyone's levels rise with age), gender (higher in men than in women) and race (higher in African Americans the white).  The Ig stands for immunoglobulin.  And here's a useless factoid, in a map of prevalence, the two countries with the highest rates?  Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Go figure.

My number diagnosis in July, 2008 was 5850.  We've been up and down and over and out.....to quote Old Blue Eyes.  But on May 28, 2015, it was 349.

Bad news?  Dr. Miller says I can't stop taking Pomalyst.  I'm pretty bummed.  It's a quality of life issue.  Down for the count for 14 days, outright homicidal for at least 2 of those.  Recovering for 7 or so with recovery being harder with each month.  Then "living" for 7 to 9. Does that seem whiny and selfish?

How 'bout this?  It's making my hair fall out.  Dr. Miller seemed surprised.  He asked if I was sure.  Lol.  Yeah, I'm sure.  I remembered that it fell out with Cytoxan, but as it turns out, I also had hair loss with Revlimid in 2010.  I looked it up in this very blog earlier today.

So tomorrow night I start Pomalyst again.  It will be the 8th month.