At the end of April, prairie crocuses in bloom, I planted pansies and car­na­tions in planters, and then another winter storm dropped more snow on us – our version of April showers! Now, two weeks later, and after having some warm and sunny days, my garden is springing back to life. Little bulbs, such as Siberian squill, are in bloom, and the daffodils are in bud.

It’s hard to believe that two months have passed already since I last wrote about trying to choose between treatments to deter any return of the breast cancer I was treated for last fall. Regular readers of my column may remember that I needed to have surgeries and also radiation treatments for that.

At the time of my breast cancer diagnosis, my hematological on­colo­gist stopped my treatments for multiple myeloma, which were Revlimid (lena­lido­mide) 25 mg daily for 21 out of every 28 days, and 20 mg dexa­metha­sone weekly. He correctly surmised that the treatments for the breast cancer would be a lot for me to handle. In addition, I was in a remission, with a very low M-spike and all other blood markers in the normal range. (When I go to get blood draws these days, the lab technicians use only my right arm; there is a risk of lymphedema in the left arm due to some lymph nodes I had removed for testing during surgery.)

I was hoping to have a few months away from multiple myeloma treatment, but here it is, over eight months later, and I am still having very low counts. My M-spike is now at 0.12 g/dL (1.2 g/L), and the kappa-lambda serum free light chain ratio is very low as well.

However, there has been a slow, glacial creep upwards of these counts, and it is possible that I will have a second relapse (hopefully just a serological one, as in 2014). If my M-spike goes over a value of 0.5 g/L (5 g/dL), I might have to go back on to treatment. Of course, I am hoping that won’t be for a while yet.

Meanwhile, I have been kept busy with various appointments and new treatments related to the breast cancer.

I decided to start taking the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole (Arimidex). I also continue to take my daily low-dose aspirin and multivitamin pill plus a vitamin D tablet. I haven’t had any noticeable side effects yet from the anastrozole, but am only into the second month of it.

The medical oncologist who prescribed the anastrozole also suggested that I could start bisphosphonate treatment if my hematological oncologist agreed with it. Upon consultation with the hematological oncologist on the topic, I was advised to get caught up on any outstanding dental work. This would reduce the chances of osteonecrosis of the jaw, a side effect of bisphosphonate treatments. I could be taking Aredia (pamidronate) every three months while I am taking the aromatase inhibitor.

So I did get caught up with dental work, which included getting six new ceramic crowns and a few fillings. I had been delaying this work while I was undergoing my other treatments. As I result, I am galloping through the dental work in six weeks. I am still waiting to get the permanent crowns on three teeth, but most of the work is done. I have been taking Tylenol (aceta­mino­phen / para­cetamol) and/or Advil (ibuprofen) to cut back on the jaw pain from the procedures.

The medical oncologist also ordered a bone mineralization density test and some lipid tests.

The bone density test was ordered to determine just how osteoporotic my bones are, because aromatase inhibitors are known to cause thinning of the skeleton. I had that test done in the first week of May. Although I do not have the final results from the test, the preliminary results looked good. My bone density was a bit above normal for my age group, which astounded me. I will certainly keep on with walking and other weight bearing exercise, since that helps with bone strength.

I haven’t had the lipid and cholesterol tests done yet, but they are to indicate whether the anastrozole is in any way affecting my lipid metabolism. More women die of heart problems than of any other cause, including cancer, so it is good to be aware of heart health.

On the whole, I am enjoying spring.

The time away from multiple myeloma treatments has been very nice because I no longer ex­peri­ence the side effects from Revlimid and dexa­metha­sone. I am well aware, though, that this treatment break may be temporary. I am therefore trying to build up my strength in case I need to face new challenges with my health. I am walking or doing some sort of exercise every day.

In addition, my husband and I are trying to get better organized at home so that our life is simplified and we can enjoy ourselves better. So, for example, we have donated a lot of unused and used items to charities, such as the local thrift shop and fabric and book sales. We also have been working on getting the interior of the house painted, streamlining our garden work, and just trying to spend lots of quality time with each other and our family.

Hopefully, things will continue to go well for a while.

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The quotation for this month is from Katrina Kaif, a British film actress and model born in 1983 and known for her work in Bollywood films. She said: "Going by my past journey, I am not certain where life will take me, what turns and twists will happen; nobody knows where they will end up. As life changes direction, I'll flow with it."