Roger has been dealing with a serious health issue and it’s going to start getting more attention, so we thought it would be a good idea to create a CaringBridge site to guide interested folks along as his journey becomes more intense in the coming months.
Like most folks in their 70s, Roger has experienced a number of less serious health issues, but most have been treated or resolved with little concern. Of course, a number of years ago, Roger had a very serious episode with a brain aneurysm which was life threatening, but he miraculously survived that episode.
Now, once again, he is experiencing a serious condition.
Recently, as you may know, in undergoing the usual physicals and checkups, it was observed that Roger’s blood counts were low. Not much was thought of it, but as time went on and it persisted, consideration was given to seeing what might be causing that condition.
Following a couple of rounds of testing, it was determined that Roger had a form of cancer known as Multiple Myeloma. Multiple Myeloma is a hematological (blood) cancer that develops in the plasma cells found in the soft, spongy tissue at the center of your bones, called bone marrow. Multiple Myeloma typically occurs in bone marrow with the most activity, which is the marrow in the spine, pelvic bones, ribs, and areas of the shoulders and hips.
Initially, it was determined that Roger’s Multiple Myeloma was of a kind known as “Smoldering,” which meant that it was not yet an active disease but had the potential to become so. The course of treatment for Smoldering Multiple Myeloma is often to simply monitor the condition and defer treatment to the time that the disease becomes active.
In Roger’s case, a second opinion was sought, with further tests. Those tests revealed the existence of a bone lesion on his spine. With Multiple Myeloma, groups of myeloma cells cause other cells in the bone marrow to remove the solid part of the bone and cause osteolytic lesions, or soft spots in the bone, resulting in weakened bones and increasing the risk of fractures.
The existence of such a lesion meant that Roger’s cancer was no longer “smoldering” but was actually an active disease.
There is no cure for Multiple Myeloma, although in many instances it can be successfully treated to prolong the person’s life and support a good quality of life. In other words, Roger will be living with this as a chronic disease which will be monitored and treated for the rest of his life. Treatment often consists of chemotherapy and other supportive drug regimens and/or a stem cell or bone marrow transplant, followed by continuing maintenance medications.
In Roger’s case, it was decided to commence a round of chemotherapy to treat the cancer to the point where a stem cell transplant could be considered. He started on such a chemotherapy/drug regimen with that thought in mind.
Roger began that treatment but early results were not encouraging. At that point, it was decided to try a second round, but that was not much more successful than the first had been. The blood test and bone marrow biopsy test results were not showing the numbers needed to consider a transplant.
At that point, a another combination was attempted and, this time, the numbers are showing the needed improvement to allow Roger to proceed with a stem cell transplant.
A collection of one's own stem cells, in combination with high dose of chemotherapy, after which the stem cells are returned via infusion, is offered to try and put the Multiple Myeloma into remission. The high dose chemo kills the myeloma cells, but in the process it also destroys the normal cells in the bone marrow. The transplant of the collected stem cells then replaces the destroyed cells.
A stem cell transplant has good response rates, although it is not a cure. With improved transplantation techniques and supportive therapy, including continued post-transplant drug maintenance, a person with Multiple Myeloma is expected to have a better chance of continued survival.
Prior to the transplant itself, Roger is expected to undergo a stem cell “harvest” or collection of his own stem cells. He will be given certain drugs to increase his own body’s production of stem cells, at which time he will undergo a procedure to collect and store those cells to be used to replace the destroyed bone marrow cells after he is given the high dose chemotherapy. The collected stem cells which had been previously harvested are then returned via an infusion, similar to a blood transfusion.
Roger is expected to begin this process on Monday, May 3rd, with another round of testing.
Following the transplant procedure, there will be a lengthy period of recovery which Roger can expect. That includes a transition period to follow precautions to prevent infections until his immune system matures. It also includes a determination of which post-transplant maintenance drugs will help continue the remission expected to result from the transplant. That process can take months, sometimes up to a year.
As Roger improves following the transplant procedure, he can expect to once again resume normal activities, such as walking, shopping, going to restaurants, etc., assuming he follows a number of recommended precautions.
As Roger goes through this treatment and follow-up, the plan is that this CaringBridge site will be updated with journal entries to document what Roger is experiencing. We hope you will take the opportunity to follow his journey and we hope this will be a chance to know more about his condition, the treatment he will be undergoing and how he is improving.
In the meantime, please remember Roger in your prayers and know that he will be receiving the best medical treatment possible for this condition.
Dear family and friends, we can hardly believe that it has been 2 years since Roger was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. One year ago today he had a Stem Cell Transplant. One year after the SCT is a big deal. This week Roger had many tests to see what the disease is doing now. ALL GOOD NEWS! He continues to be in remission. He will continue with Chemo 3 times a month and now has been able to discontinue or cut down on the amount of drugs. He feel good (accept for his arms - he had 4 injections yesterday and many more to come. These are childhood vaccines that were wiped out. Yesterday he got Shingles, pneumonia, DPT, and an influenza shot given to newborns). Our concern now is that relapse is a part of this disease. Some relapse soon and others can go for years. 🤞🤞🤞 He will see his Oncologist and have blood work every 3 months. Then after one yr he will again go to the U of M for extensive testing. Our care team has been amazing and we are so grateful for the family and friend that have supported us. The Dr told us that our assignment now is to live life fully as if there is no cancer. We will do our best to live that life with determination and hope and faith. love, roger and Cindy
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