[fetalsono]

Treatment for renal disease

by fetalsono on Wed May 14, 2014 12:00 pm

One year ago I was diagnosed with smoldering myeloma, kappa light chains 500, no CRAB positive abnormalities. Over the next 6 months my light chains climbed to 1100 and my creatinine, which had been normal, rose to 2.5. My myeloma doctor decided to treat with Velcade/Cytoxan/ dex once a week for 4 weeks, with a break in between.

I have now had 3 cycles and my creatinine is down to 1.8 (after the first cycle) but has stayed at that level for the past two cycles. My kappa light chains are down to 300 and the plan is for 2 more cycles and then discuss maintenance therapy.

My question is - is it likely that with two more cycles my creatinine will go down lower towards normal? Or am I stabilized at that level and the treatment has prevented the renal disease from progressing?

They wanted to do a renal biopsy early on, but I am on Plavix and aspirin for coronary stents and they didn't want to risk bleeding after the biopsy. My creatinine is lower than many posts on this forum and I am not symptomatic, but just a bit bummed that my creatinine has not gotten lower.

[Wayne K]

Re: Treatment for renal disease

by Wayne K on Wed May 14, 2014 12:47 pm

I had a creatine of 6.4 when I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and had to undergo dialysis. I eventually stabilized between 1.3 and 1.9 and I have been at that level for over 4 years.My nephrologist doesn't seem concerned and points out that it isn't all that high for someone my age.
From my experience you don't seem to be that far from normal.

[justme]

Re: Treatment for renal disease

by justme on Wed May 14, 2014 9:23 pm

My creatinine was 8.9 when I was diagnoised. Velcade brought my creatinine down to 1.9 and I have remained between 1.6 - 1.9 for over seven years. I too would love to be in the normal range however, the key is of course to remain off dialysis. Counting my blessings.....

[fetalsono8]

Re: Treatment for renal disease

by fetalsono8 on Wed May 14, 2014 11:24 pm

Thanks for your quick response. Are you still on dialysis - or did you receive it initially and then with treatment it stabilized?

[Wayne K]

Re: Treatment for renal disease

by Wayne K on Thu May 15, 2014 10:38 am

If you're referring to me you've hit a touchy subject.
I stayed on dialysis for about 5 months. Within a month after my Velcade was started my creatinine dropped to 3.0 . I remained at that level for the rest of the time. I had some interruptions, one treatment, due to conflicts with my Velcade treatment during this time. The dialysis organizations, two of them, were less than cooperative. These breaks never changed my creatinine. After a period when I missed a session one week and then two in the next week, that had no effect on my creatinine, I demanded a week long abstention in order to see where my creatinine went, it coincided with another lab result from my hematologist. My creatinine dropped to 2.9 and I never went back.at that point my creatinine dropped steadily to the levels I'm at today.
I'm no doctor, but that was my experience and I would have to be convinced beyond any doubt that I needed dialysis before I would do it again.