My bone marrow biopsy results came in, and the news was good. I’ve gone from having 40% cancerous myeloma plasma cells before CAR-T to less than 1%. Evidence that my bioengineered T-cells are doing their job. They can't predict how long the CAR-T will work -- that is, how long the cancer will stay low or even become nearly undetectable. This could last less than a year, or 4-5 years or more. I'm hoping for the latter.

However, my neutrophil (white blood cells) and platelet counts keep dropping. While expected from the CAR-T procedure, my levels are somewhat concerning to the Stanford and Kaiser docs. I now have to do more frequent lab testing, inject myself with neupogen more often and be extremely cautious about infections and bleeding. That said, although I get fatigued, I’m doing ok. I’m walking a mile and a half every day, cooking meals for myself and catching up with mail and left-behind reading materials. I’m also spending time arranging and coordinating appointments at Kaiser as well as making sure that Stanford and Kaiser are on the same page as far as what needs to happen and when. It’s not totally screwy, but not without a few hiccups.

Although I could walk to Kaiser Berkeley which is only a few blocks away from home, I have to get my frequent labs done at the oncology clinic at Kaiser Oakland which is a 15-20 minute drive. I have to go to the Oakland facility in case I need a blood or platelet transfusion. The Berkeley site doesn’t do transfusions, nor are they set up to do a weekly dressing change for my PICC line. Since I can’t drive until July, I’m really thankful that local friends have offered to drive me off to my fairly frequent Kaiser appointments.

I continue to enjoy just being home. As I look out at my back garden, there are still plants in bloom but it’s starting to quiet down. I’m tempted to pull a few weeds, but any gardening isn’t allowed for 6 months. Sigh. I do have a garden crew that comes every couple months or so, but they only work on the outside of the house (front and side yards). The back yard is a little too “delicate” for these guys.

Ok. As you might have guessed, my blogging has become less frequent as I settle into being home. I'll keep you posted if there's any news to report. Otherwise, thanks again to everyone for all the good vibes you've been sending me. It's working!

Sierra Primrose (Primula suffrutescens), Bishop Pass, Eastern Sierra .