On Monday, I had my third weekly infusion with no side-effects. This time it only took a little over two hours. One more infusion to go before I'm switched to getting infusions every other week. I’ll still have to take daily chemo and weekly steroids, but at least these are in pill form so I can take these at home. One noticeable positive outcome of these treatments is that my bone pain from the lesions in my left clavicle has decreased. However, I’m also starting to have neuropathy in my fingers which may or may not continue. I guess somewhat of a trade-off.

Yesterday my oncologist called me in response to my previously asking him about Evusheld. Evusheld is a recent drug designed to be given before someone gets COVID. It consists of two investigational medicines (tixagevimab and cilgavimab) that have been shown to reduce the risk of COVID symptoms with no severe disease or related deaths. Evusheld is investigational because it is still being studied. Right now, it's restricted to those who are significantly immunocompromised.

My oncologist made sure I had read the warnings he sent me (possible cardiac events, but "not common"). After I said I'd go with it, he made an appointment for me to get the shots that afternoon. I didn't realize that I would also have to be monitored for at least an hour after the two shots (one in each butt). Fortunately, no after effects from the Evusheld.

While I was talking with my oncologist, I asked him about what I had read about the infusion of the monoclonal antibody I've been given. That is, that like most other drugs given for multiple myeloma, it typically stops being effective after 2-3 years and you need to change to a different drug. He agreed. So, I said as long as I'd have to change, maybe at that point I could change to a pill instead of an infusion. (There are at least a dozen different new drugs specifically for myeloma, some pill, some infusion.) I thought if I had pills, I'd be less tied into having to go into the clinic for infusions every other week. Then he said, "If I told you that right now the success rate for infusion drugs is much better than for pill drugs, what would you want to do?" Looks like I'm stuck with infusions for many years to come...

The additional complication is that, even if I only go in for infusions every other week, I still have to go in for labs the week before. Infusion one week, labs the next week. Repeat, on and on. Kinda limits travel plans although they (oncologist and nurses) say they can work with me if I have something in mind.

While I’m still keeping isolated for the most part, I am enjoying my garden. These photos are a few of the flowers blooming over the past week. Still more to come. The native white azalea (Rhododendron occidentale) is a plant Tim and I collected in northern California years ago when he was doing a research project at UC Davis. Tim never got to see it with more than one or two blooms. I think he’d be very happy.