Six years ago, Tim and I started this blog to let friends and family know how we were doing with our cancers. After Tim died and for the past couple years, I’ve been fortunate to leave all my medical issues on the far back burner.

Well… after six months of not going in for lab tests, my lab results yesterday weren’t so positive this time. Nothing immediately alarming, but the tests did show that my cancer has gone from being “undetectable” to measurable. This isn’t the news I was hoping for.

While my cancer is at a low level for now, it’s no longer something that I can ignore and pretend isn’t there. Multiple myeloma is usually a slow growing cancer, so there’s no immediate cause for concern. Assuming I don’t develop any notable symptoms, my oncologist suggested I get re-tested in 3 months. By that time, my labs will help determine how fast my cancer is progressing and whether I need to start on treatment. With luck, it could still be a ways off. Since my stem cell transplant four years ago, several new chemotherapy drugs have been developed for multiple myeloma with varying degrees of success and side-effects. A second stem cell transplant is also possible, but not something I think I would undertake.

Now that my cancer clock has started ticking again, I feel more of a sense of urgency to live my life as fully as I can. I've been trying to do that, but COVID sure puts a monkey-wrench in things. I don’t really want to step up all the precautions and isolate again, but my vulnerability is asserting itself. My biggest regret is not being able to travel and socialize.

So, as not to go into the holidays with this downer of a message, I want to reassure everyone that I'm doing ok for now and still plan on enjoying the holidays and beyond. Maybe having just a little more eggnog...

The view from the Berkeley marina looking towards San Francisco.