Spoiler Alert!
Part 9: REACHED DAY 60...
Just a wee update…
For those newly diagnosed and/or about to venture into the treatment [un]known as CAR-T, by January 20 I was 60 days from my [modified] superhero T-cell infusion.
As I write this it’s been another ten days and though I’m not taller-younger-or-smarter I’m still feeling good. However, what might be accumulating post treatment is an element to the manipulation of our bone marrow T-Cells that can “surprise” us. One forgotten element to balanced health is our diet. If like me, if you don’t eat meat, then low protein levels can cause anemia and hamper a better recovery outcome.
That means, to help my body, help itself I need to increase my fish intake, eggs, cheese etc. include targeted vitamin supplements -and- add a protein shake at least every other day. With that, most of the heavily advertised protein shakes have a high sugar content and less than 30grams of protein. [Too easy to waste our money on a less effective product.] The nutritionist at the Mayo recommended ROCKIN, available at most grocery store chains.
Additionally, what more have I learned in the past 70 days? After the harvesting of my own [white] T-Cells [October] then undergoing low dose chemo, followed by the infusion of my reprogramed T-Cells [November] with hospitalization [most of December] — I ‘still’ have Multiple Myeloma!
I can almost hear people reading this - gasp…what!
Did I get some sort of sales-pitch for this procedure? Perhaps. How a CAR-T treatment would turnout for me was a gamble that still may include post treatment side effects in my near future. Regardless, after 12 years dealing with a salad of treatments, CAR-T was an opportunity to go forward toward remission in 2025 - instead of making plans for hospice in 2025.
Life events [like this] is why neither Atlantic City nor Las Vegas holds much interest for me. Life is ‘big’. We have decisions to make several moments each day. Some ‘seem’ small or insignificant. In reality none of them are because they all add up. How we decide is accumulative.
I chose not to list the top 11 post [90-day or 120-day] CAR-T side effects just as I quite deliberately chose to ignore the more aggressive side effects typical on the day of infusion and 10-days following. Another decision… I was aware but remained positive.
As I look toward the end of March [2025] and the passing of another 60 days post CAR-T — I’ll once again share my condition, provided of course that I can as one of the 11 side effects is confusion—though that can happen on any given week anyway for anyone.
Here’s to a smooth ‘slide’ into Spring 2025…
