Results

This morning Jeff, Maria and I went to see the oncologist, Dr. Vij at Barnes. We got her test results that were done last friday at 100 days post transplant. Definately lots of good news. The three areas they use to diagnose Mulitple myeloma are blood, bone marrow and PET scan images. There was no evidence of disease in both the blood and bone marrow since the chemo and transplant. Also the tumor on her spinal cord is gone so that is wonderful news due to the pain it was causing. The disease is still showing up on her PET scan, although it is less than the one prior to transplant. So she is not considered to be in full remission because it was still detectable but the transplant was a success since it is no longer in the bone marrow. The bummer news is that now it is standard treatment to continue on the chemo drug revlimid at a small dose orally for 2 years which has been shown to add on 5 years to the life expectancy. Unfortunately, their insurance denied payment for it before the transplant and they had to apply for a grant through an organization. So there is a high chance that it will be denied again. Out of pocket costs would be $6000 a month. We are just taking one step at a time and praying that the insurance company will look at the research and give her the best chance to be around for as long as possible. There is no guarantee that the medicine would keep the disease at bay so if they are not able to afford it we will just have to trust in God's plan. Maria is looking fantastic, her hair is growing in and we are celebrating the successes of today and not stressing about the future! God bless all for thoughts and prayers!
Carolyn