Uncertain Result

At the end of the 35th cycle of pomalidomide, IgG is up 15% to 1300 mg/dL, and M-spike is up 9% to 1.3 g/dL from the end of the previous cycle. Further, lambda light chains are up a little with kappa chains down. The markers are consistent, all pointing to an increase in actual tumor burden.

But maybe not. I had a bad cold with fever for most of the four weeks preceding this blood draw, and then also got my "high dose" flu shot. Either of those insults could have caused IgG to go up, the "good" immunoglobulins responding to the threats. Also, M-spike had been at 1.3 two months before, so it's just back to where it had been. As always, I'll be wondering what next month's tests will bring.

Neutrophils were up this time, well into the normal range, probably in response to those same two threats. We get the CBC at the local Stillwater clinic the afternoon before the Mayo Clinic visit, because my neutrophils are much higher in the afternoon, but I suspect they would also have been well above the threshhold of 1.0 K/uL in the morning at Mayo on this occasion.

Calcium is up because I took my usual supplements. Often I skip calcium tablets for a day or two before the Mayo blood draw, to avoid this slightly-high reading. It will be down next month, if I remember to skip calcium.

Flu Shot:

I got mine at the local clinic, and learned afterward that there are two dosages: (1) Normal dose for adults, and (2) "High dose" for seniors 65 and older, four times the strength, which is the shot I received. In discussing this later at Mayo Clinic, it appears that the CDC has given very little guidance about the use of this high-dose shot. Should a senior be given that shot even if he/she has a compromised immune system? If so, what about an adult under 65 with a compromised immune system? Apparently, doctors are left to make this decision themselves with no help from the CDC.

Some Current Test Results:

Test		Aug 24		Sep 23		Oct 20		Nov 18		Remarks
M-spike g/dL		1.1		1.2		1.1		1.2		Best tumor measure?
IgG mg/dL		1100		1070		1130		1300		Best tumor measure?
L FLC mg/dL		2.79		2.58		2.78		2.92		L Free light chains
Calcium mg/dL		10.1		10.0		10.0		10.3		Below 10.2 is OK
Creat mg/dL		1.3		0.9		1.0		0.9		Kidney, OK
HGB g/dL		15.7		15.8		14.9		15.0		Hemoglobin, OK
RBC M/uL		4.39		4.43		4.31		4.26		Red cells, marginal
WBC K/uL		4.4		4.2		4.3		5.9		White cells, OK
ANC K/uL		1.41		1.60		2.14		2.30		Neutrophils, normal!

Related Links:

My Myeloma		A discussion of my myeloma, not very technical.
My Treatment History		Not technical.
My Test Charts		Graphic displays of several key test results over time.
My Test Result Table		Somewhat technical. Best with a wide browser window.
My Supplement Regimen		With links to where I buy them.

Banana Man and Minnesota Don (right) near the finish of the Route 66 Tulsa Marathon. Banana Man is a Team In Training (TNT) runner, raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which supports myeloma research too. Banana Man had run another marathon the DAY BEFORE, or else I would never have seen him after the start.