Cardiac Reserve

Thursday, March 6, 2014    Pomalyst Study Cycle 78:

My Doctor L and the crew of three CNP's were all unavailable for this visit to Mayo, so I saw Dr MG instead. In terms of the Mayo Clinic hierarchy, that's an upgrade. We had met before, but he had not seen me as a patient. We quickly agreed that the myeloms was still stable, and he in fact commented that the Pomalyst trial has been a home run for me. Indeed! Six years now, and still counting - I am so fortunate. IgG was up just slightly, but Lambda light chains are down a little, and maybe both changes are within measurement error anyway. No change. I am starting Cycle 79, continuing to hope and pray.

We discussed last month's influenza A and accompanying pneumonia at some length. He gave me a rather thorough chest exam, listening carefully to breath and heart sounds, and pronounced the breathing clear and the heartbeats strong and steady.

Three different doctors have treated or examined me now regarding that pneumonia, and all three have volunteered, without my asking, that my fitness may have played a role in my recovery. Today Dr. MG used the term "cardiopulmonary reserve," (I think that was the term), and remarked that a person without that reserve might might have recovered more slowly, if at all.

Of course there is no proof that fitness played a part, only opinions. Nevertheless I'm a true believer, and I think that my immune system may be stronger because of that fitness. To achieve that, we:

• Eat the best food that we can find;
• Get plenty of vigorous exercise;
• Get enough sleep, and;
• Do our best to manage our stress.

So far I have not found anyone in the know who disputes the potential benefits of that lifestyle.

Most-Recent Test Results:

Test		Dec 12		Jan 09		Feb 06		Mar 06		Remarks
M-spike g/dL		1.1		1.0		0.9		1.1		\ Tumor marker
IgG mg/dL		1150		1280		1260		1300		/ Tumor marker
Lambda mg/dL		2.69		3.64		2.70		3.51		L free light chains
Kappa mg/dL		1.32		1.52		1.03		1.29		K free light chains
Ratio 0.26-1.65		0.49		0.42		0.28		0.37		Kappa / Lambda
Calcium mg/dL		10.0		9.7		9.5		9.3		OK
Creatinine mg/dL		1.2		1.3		1.3		1.0		Kidney, OK
HGB g/dL		15.8		14.9		15.3		14.8		Hemoglobin, fine
RBC M/uL		4.54		4.33		4.41		4.17		Red cells, OK
WBC K/uL		3.7		5.1		4.3		4.4		White cells, OK
ANC K/uL		1.4		1.7		3.1		1.9		Neutrophils, OK

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.  Mostly Amazon now.