Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Acupuncture

One of the effects of chemo last spring was being catapulted into menopause. I haven't thought much about it until recently when the hot flashes have intensified. They have been so severe that I've very often been unable to sleep. The hot flashes keep me from sleep, the lack of sleep interferes with my recovery, causes increased neuropathy in my hands and feet, and leads me to over eat during the day to keep up the energy in my tired body, and the increased eating helps to fuel the fire that supports the hot flashes - quite a cycle, huh? I tried Ativan and Ambien as sleep aids. Both worked well keeping me asleep and both worked well keeping me in a daze the following day. I tried HRT for one month. Hot flashes were gone in a week, but do I really want to worry about the possibility of another cancer? Not really. So on to the next option: acupuncture.

Today was my first session. After much conversation, Dr.Li at Dana Farber suggested one treatment each week for the next 2 months. So I'll be traveling to Boston over the summer. It's a nice time of year to be in Boston!

For my first session, I felt very relaxed. In all, 16 teeny tiny acupuncture needles were placed on my ankles, calves, wrists, forearms, neck, ears and scalp. I felt only one. I rested for 30 minutes, during which time I was chilly but relaxed. I feel relaxed tonight, too. I'm not sure if it was the acupuncture or if it is tiredness catching up, but I think I'll sleep tonight.

More on my acupuncture adventures in the weeks to come!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Lenny Zakim

I must apologize for being so very delinquent in posting!  I cannot believe it has been so long!  I am sorry!  Time just got away from me.  A friend recently said, "are you making up for lost time?"  I guess I am!

And now on to Lenny Zakim.

Some of you will recognize the name as being associated with the 'new bridge' in Boston - the Zakim bridge.  It's a nice looking bridge, especially at night.



Lenny Zakim was a bridge builder, not in the sense of being a bridge designer or a construction worker.  No, he built bridges amongst people and within communities.  He worked to find connections between people of different faiths, ethnicities, and social and economic backgrounds.  He was the Executive Director of the New England chapter of the Anti-Defamation League.  Civil rights was his passion and he worked tirelessly for social justice for all.

And he had multiple myeloma.  (and you can guess who his doctor was)

He died in 1999, just 5 years after being diagnosed.  During the myeloma part of his life, he insisted that people living with cancer must be active participants in their health care.  What could people with cancer do to create and maintain their own good health?  He wanted people of all backgrounds to have access to therapies that would give them comfort, renew their spirits, and support their physical recovery.  Thus, just before his death, he announced the establishment of the Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies at Dana Farber.  The Center opened a year later.

The Zakim Center offers a variety of complementary therapies that have been supported through evidence-based clinical research.  Acupuncture, Qi-Gong, reiki, nutrition, creative arts - those are just a few of the therapies currently available.  Starting next week, I'll be participating in some of these therapies, notably acupuncture and nutritional counseling, to support my continued good health.

And yes, my health is good!  My myeloma tests continue to show enduring stability since my stem cell transplant.  I feel well and I've finally settled in with my new medication routine - a cycle of 7 days on and 7 days off of Revlimid.  That seems to be a good regimin for me. I'll have more myeloma test results late next week, but the good Dr. A seems to think it will be more of the same good news.

I've been fortunate to find a medication protocol that works well.  It was a struggle to get here, but I think I'm settled.  My side effects are relatively mild.  My WBC still struggles to be at the normal level, but now it is just low, and not neutropenically low as it had been in January and February...and part of March.  And my platelets must get cranky if they get within the normal range, so I guess they are going to stay somewhat low, too.  I do get occasional unexplained bruises and sometimes my hands and feet are a bit swollen and tender, but hey - the myeloma cells are out of sight, so I'll welcome the bruises and the swelling any day!

As for my hair, well, it continues to be a...hmm...an interesting journey.  This time last year, I had that nice wavy brown hair.  Remember that?  Yes, it was colored but underneath there were only a few gray hairs.  Ok, maybe there were more than a few, but definitely not a headful.  Really.  And then in August I was bald.  You know, I didn't really realize just how bald I was.  I mean, I thought I had fuzz on the top of my head, but no.  I was bald!  But then I got the fuzz :-)  And then I got hair.  And then I got curls, which became kinky tight curls that were black and really gray.  And as my hair grew, the curls became tighter and I surely looked like I belonged back in the 70s.  Anyway, you know that I then colored my hair and cut it but the curls persisted.  Until the last hair cut:  the curls now have loosened, so that I don't have those tight kinky curls.  Nope, no kinky curls for me.  Now I have frizz.  Loose frizz on most of my head, especially the top which is so thick.  The sides are starting to play nicely and are settling down to some waviness, without frizz.  Are you getting the picture of what my hair looks like???  Scary!  Oh, lest I forget - the color is fading and yes indeed, the gray is bursting through, shouting "Susan, I'm back!"

BUT...no myeloma cells :-)  So I'll shout "Welcome, bruises, swelling, and frizz!"

Happy Mother's Day to all the fabulous women in my life!  I love you all!!