Last update for 2007

Almost a month has gone by since the last update. I have learned to accept the slow pace of decisions and actions in the medical business. As I wrote before, I am in a marathon which I intend to win. Having said that, it will take time, ups and downs, time to push and time to pull.

One of my important friends - . . . . . . . . . Shoshy's birthday

the BlackBerry

This year we have lots of snow . . . . . . . . .Chanukah at home with friends

Until two weeks ago I had no side effects whatsoever. While this was very good for my feeling and mobility, there was a constant worry "is the treatment really working?". Now I can confidently say that it does work! I can feel every bone in my body. Walking, getting dressed, standing up - become a painful challenge. I never thought that putting on socks will be so tiring and difficult. With the Boston area covered with snow and ice, walking is a delicate act of shifting balance in perfect timing. Falling is not an option! Can't happen! The doctors whom I talked to are satisfied. The painful bones is kind of expected. I'll have to get used to taking everything slowly and easy. For me this is probably the biggest change: let others do things for me, even simple tasks. Lucky for me, my appetite is not adversely affected: I eat very well (Shoshy's cooking!!!), and munch a lot in between meals. This actually helped me to gain weight!

The past two weeks allowed me to experience how handicapped people cope with their limitations and how others treat them.
Out of pure concern for me, friends have offered help in many ways to make it easier for me. I am very thankful for all the help I got so far and since I am in a marathon, for sure I'll need more help down the road.
At the same time doing as much as I can helps my morale and sense of business as usual.
For sure there is a delicate balance between taking a risk and the daily chores.
I am working from home most of the time and go to the office whenever possible.

On the medical front, the latest results are in the right direction. It looks like the treatment is working. The plan is to continue the treatments, maybe with some changes, until a stem cell transplant procedure can be performed. Nobody can put a timeline, but the notion is that it is a matter of a least few months. With Inbal coming back from Uganda, we'll be a family of 5 under one roof, which is a rare event. I look forward for the coming months where I have the entire family behind me on my way to full recovery.To all of you, have a great 2008, a healthy and a peaceful year.

Yours, optimistic as usual,

Guy

P.S.The link below shows a short video clip with a doctor from Mayo Clinic who explains what is Myeloma, treatments, etc.It is short and easy to understand. Click on the picture on the right, then select the type of player you use.

http://myeloma.org/main.jsp?menu_id=0&tab_id=1&type=ARTICLE&id=601