Shutterbug's Blog

Living with Multiple Myeloma in Hyderabad , India . Random musings .


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Update on my Bone Marrow Biopsy – M Band not seen !! 23 June 2018

It is one year since I got a Bone Marrow test done.

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I was diagnosed with MM in Oct 2011 and underwent Stem Cell Transplant in Jan 2012. Since then I have been doing theΒ  Bone Marrow Test every six months. In June last year ie June 2017 ,Β  my Oncologist told me to come back for the test after a year !!. Once a patient crosses five years after a Stem Cell Transplant , the Bone Marrow Test is done once a year. That was the second best thing that happened to me. The best thing to have happened was in Feb 2016 when my Oncologist said I could stop taking Chemo Medications πŸ™‚ .

I have been taking Ayurvedic medications since more than three years and the results are good.

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The Bone marrow sample was taken last week. Reports usually take around 5-6 days . I had been a little nervous while I was waiting for the Reports , though I was confident that all will be fine.

While I was in touch with the Hospital to check if the BMA Reports were ready , I was surprised to see a whatsapp message from my Oncologist after 5 days.

He sent me the Report via whatsapp !! There was no comment from him.

I opened the pdf document and quickly scanned for the words ” M Band ” or ” M Spike”, while my heart was racing. I did find the words ” M Band not seen ” .

Yayyy !!

There was a BIG smile on my face and I immediately called Dr Suresh.

He said ‘Everything is OK’ .

I said ‘Thank You Doctor , when can I meet you’.

He said ” what for ?”

I said ‘I would like to meet you’ πŸ™‚

I then shared the Report via whatsapp with Dr Nitin , Ayurveda . He immediately called me.

He was very happy with what the Reports said.

Met Dr Suresh this morning .

He said ‘we don’t need to do the Bone Marrow Test from now on’.Β 

That is the greatest thing anyone like me would love to hear πŸ™‚

I blurted ‘What Doctor, how can we stop?!!’

He said ‘just do the Electrophoresis test once every six months. As long as there is no M Band , there is no need to do a Bone Marrow Test’

I was happy with that advise.

Wow , no more piercing of my Sternum. πŸ™‚

He then asked me if I had any other problems.

I asked him if Neuropathy is permanent and was happy to hear that it is reversible and no where it is written that it is permanent.

Sounds good but there has not been any improvement in my condition in all these years.

To alleviate my Neuropathy he recommended Pregabalin instead of Renerve which was advised by a Physician. Renerve does help but my B12 levels are exceeding the limits which not good either. Will try the Pregabalin tablets.

He then told me there are four new drugs for managing MM , with lesser side effects , one of them being Neuropathy. He also said that Bortizomib , the drug that I used , causes Neuropathy. This is good news .Β 

Its more than three years since I started taking Ayurvedic Medication from Dr Nitin and almost two and half years since I stopped taking Chemo medications. Dr Nitin now wants to reduce my curcumin dosage . However I don’t wish to hurry and plan to reduce gradually.

I also sent my report to Dr Gayatri, who was diagnosed with MM way back in 2002 . She has been a guiding and inspirational force for me since last three years. She had introduced Dr Nitin , Ayurveda to me. She hasn’t been taking Allopathy nor Ayurvedic medications since last several years and is doing well.

When I asked her how she Manages , she tells me that regular Pranayama , Yoga and Meditation do help in healing.

Felt so good talking to the Brave lady who oozes a lot of Energy. She is a God send.

Dr Nitin too had reiterated that Exercise, Pranayama, Yoga and Meditation can correct DNA problems. He insisted that I should be consistent with these practices.

Right now my highest priority is Pranayama, Yoga and Meditation along with Ayurvedic medication , proper diet and regular fasting.

Time to celebrate !!


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My BMA results

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My Serum Protein Electrophoresis and Beta 2 microglobulin serum results are out.
‘No M band is seen’ in the Electrophoresis test . Yayyy … On seeing these words I immediately say a little prayer thanking Almighty.

The Kappa parameter is on the higher side while the Kappa Lambda ratio is in the normal range.Not to worry as I am confident that Kappa too will be normal soon.
My Oncologist expressed his happiness and we were all ears to listen to what he had to say next.
Said I can take a break from Lenolidamide for another three months. Yayy .
It’s been 3 months since I was told to stop lenolidamide and I need not take it for another three months. I was patiently waiting for exactly this kind of news and had this wish for a long time. Hopefully I will never ever have to take it again.

Every month for the last 16 months I was getting the CBC , LFT AND RFT tests and meeting my Ocologist with the reports. He was closely monitoring me since the relapse in Dec 14 and i was advised to go for a second Stem cell transplant after 3 months. However there was no need to go for it as my M spike was zero in the subsequent tests after the relapse.
This 3 months break is such great news and a great relief.
I feel like screaming and shouting and telling the whole world.
My confidence and belief that my condition can be reversed has come true and quite quickly too.

Informed Dr Nitin , my Ayurvedic doctor , about the results and he too was glad and wanted me to do a writeup on my experience and progress with Ayurvedic medication and Fasting so he can share with his students and others who can benefit.

Will post the writeup here soon.