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Stem Cell Transplants (by a Dummy for Dummies) – Part 2
I’ve been putting off writing up the concluding chapter of my stem cell transplant post. Part of it has been that I’ve been busy. C’mon, give me a break. Although, I’m less busy right now as I’ve fallen victim, professionally, to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sweeping the globe. Now, I’m a full-time blogger and musician, as well as, I guess, a full-time job seeker. Okay, so I guess you can’t have three full-time positions. You get my drift though. But, I think the biggest part of my delaying this seemingly inevitable post is that I’m not particularly enthusiastic about drumming up memories of November. I mean, I don’t want to…
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Stem Cell Transplants (by a Dummy, for Dummies) – Part 1
The relatively standard treatment for multiple myeloma patients is an induction therapy of Revlimid, Velcade and dexamethasone, followed up by a stem cell transplant if the patient is healthy and young enough. When I first heard of stem cell transplants, I thought, “oh, cool, high-tech and cutting edge,” what with stem cells being the news so often the past decade. I didn’t even bother looking into the details, because I focused entirely, at least initially, on my induction therapy. I felt the need to compartmentalize my treatment, focusing on one step at a time and the variables I could exert some degree of control over. As I progressed through treatment…