Side Effects

Today I started my maintenance program for controlling my Multiple Myeloma.  Revlimid is the chemo pill I will be taking.  This is the pill I had an allergic reaction to when this all started.  Once while taking 25 mg and once at 15 mg.  The 25 mg was awful.  My head was so swollen with hives that my glasses had to be adjusted.  My head, I had hair then, was so itchy I thought I had lice.   Not fun.  Dr. Sarriera took me off and treated with steroids to control the swelling and itching. Then when we tried the 15 mg, I once again had the rash, itching and hives but not near as bad.  Still took me off the pills then too.

The Revlimid is the only drug used for maintenance besides Velcade.  Doesn't want me on the Velcade because that caused my neuropathy.   We are trying 2.5 mg, the lowest dose there is.  So far, so good.  But I remember with the other times it took a day or two before any reaction to the pills showed up.  And since this is a very low dose, if anything is going to happen, it may take several days.  Hoping nothing does so I am able to be on a maintenance program.   My blood work is the way the Multiple Myeloma will be monitored with or without the Revlimid.

Bill and I met our new family doctor last week.  We decided to change because of several reasons.  First the way I had to keep insisting I wanted an x-ray of the lump on my head.  The two PA there kept saying it was cellulitis or a maybe a fatty tissue.  Once I had the x-ray, the results were sent to the doctor's office and laid on someone's desk for days even though it was stamped STAT.  The day they finally found the x-ray and the doctor called us in to the office, he told me to get my affairs in order, not to be afraid to use Hospice.  Made us feel that I was going to die within a few weeks.  Kristi and Kerri were very upset about this too and was very insistent on us changing doctors.  So on to another doctor we went. We got all ready and went on Thursday only to be told our appointments were not till Friday.  Blame it on my chemo brain.

Quote:

It's often in the darkest skies, we see the brightest stars!