I’m starting this health journal to communicate with all my family and friends while I’m facing a serious health issue. I want to provide this information to you myself rather than have you start to hear rumors or such. While adjusting to retirement and starting to realize that I wasn’t just on a long break from work we received some news that puts our family on a journey we weren’t expecting.
As background, my doctor has been monitoring my blood counts for several months for indications of anemia, even before I retired. Recently, I have had more blood tests and have been referred to the hematology/oncology department in Kaiser.
I was diagnosed on October 31st, 2016 with Multiple Myeloma. It is a cancer of the blood. You can read more about this online and I found that WebMD has a good article on it. There is no cure for this kind of cancer, but it can be treated and managed. My symptoms are relatively mild at this point, but the lab results all indicate that the disease is advanced and I will be starting chemotherapy treatments on November 15th, 2016.
I will appreciate your prayers or good thoughts for both me and Joan as we start this journey. As you probably know, the chemo drugs are strong and I don’t know how I will respond to the treatment. I have several good factors working in my favor and of course, I am clinging to God and His promises to walk this valley with me. I intend to maintain a “normal” level of activity, but will need to modify my activities to focus on the treatments and other health issues that may arise. I am already coming to understand that “normal” will mean following all the directions and cautions of the treatment which may mean that I minimize contact with others because of the risk of infection. Apparently, my immune system will be weakened by the chemotherapy.
I am claiming Psalm 23, all of it, for this journey. I would love to receive other Bible promises or inspirational thoughts and encouragement you may wish to share. This site allows you to post your thoughts and comments for me here. You may share this news with others as you think may want to know.
My family and I will use this site to post news, progress, and thoughts overall. Thanks to all of you who want to stay connected with us here as it may be difficult to communicate individually during this journey.
CaringBridge is a nonprofit social network dedicated to helping family and friends communicate with and support loved ones during a health journey. Learn more about CaringBridge.