Our dear friends and family!

Nearly another half year has zoomed (sorry) by since I last piped up on this site; lest my silence be misconstrued I wanted to send out greetings to our friends who kept us going over these last twelve years.  Twelve years it has been since that dread diagnosis came down, and after all the chaos and procedures and confusion and distress things have calmed down.  I am happy and thankful to report that Mr. M slumbers on, and the issues I deal with on the health front are too minor to warrant mention.  I feel very fortunate - blessed, really.

Other than frequent checkups and tests, my only medical involvement is in a clinical trial at UCSD - having to do not with myeloma, but with a little-known, nefarious small-particle lipid (lipoprotein(a)) that quietly wreaks havoc on vascular systems, but is not affected either by statins or lifestyle changes.  I suspect it is what caused my mother to die of a massive heart attack at age 56 (when no one had heard of this factor), and might well be involved in the two heart attacks I have had, since my lp(a) levels are triple the maximum safe level.  Finally a medication is under development that has shown great promise in reducing lp(a) levels, and the trial is in its final stages.  I don't know whether the monthly shots to the stomach are the actual med or a placebo, but either way I am more than willing to be involved in a trial that could bring an effective treatment to market.  Once it comes to market, if you have any heart disease in your family, you might want to have your lipoprotein(a) checked - supposedly (per the Lipoprotein(a) Foundation) one in five Americans has an elevated lp(a) level.

Here things are quiet; spring is bursting forth, with citrus trees laden with white blossoms filling the air with their bewitching fragrance.  Bird life has picked up -  mockingbirds are tuning up their repertoires and house finches are setting up a nonstop chatter as they search out nooks and crannies to build their nests.  We have a handsome spotted towhee who perches on a branch by our window and keeps peering longingly in.  Hooded orioles, we hear, are back from their winter migration, so I have set out some grape jelly in hopes of luring these stunning creatures to our yard. The promise of new life is in the air.

Love and thanks to you -

Charty