As I have related in pre­vi­ous columns, I am cur­rently in a stable con­di­tion with a low level of myeloma protein in my blood. This status has allowed me to be off treat­ments since the beginning of the year. My multiple myeloma is closely monitored in that I get blood tests every four to six weeks. I am cur­rently basically in a "watch and wait" situation until the time when I may have to start treat­ment again.

At first I was really nervous about this "watching and waiting" because it involves a lot of un­cer­tainty. However, I have be­come more relaxed about it over the last couple of months, partly because my husband and I have been work­ing diligently to be more organized and prepared for the time when I feel less well and may need to have treat­ment again.

For example, we have made an effort to be ahead on house and garden main­te­nance. We are trying to cram several months worth of home im­prove­ment projects into less time since we only have about 100 frost-free days in this area. We have had some interior and exterior painting com­pleted, some of which we did ourselves, and are clearing out our outdoor storage areas. We have been lucky so far this summer that we both have had free time to work on our house and garden.

I also have been work­ing on my fiber arts projects to make them more man­ageable. I went through all of my projects, threads, fabric, and notions and tried to rearrange them so I can remember where everything is. I have many stitching projects on frames to work on, and my goal is to finish a few of those over the next couple of months since I’m not sure how much time I will have to work on them when I start treat­ment again. Another ad­van­tage of com­pleted projects is that they reduce clutter and take up less storage space because they no longer are on the frames. I am trying to finish one to two projects a month, which is a slightly faster pace than in pre­vi­ous years.

I have always been quite active, but ever since my multiple myeloma diag­nosis, I have been taking exercise even more seriously. Being somewhat obsessive about lists, I keep track of my steps each day, week, month, and year. Right now, during this treat­ment-free period, I am trying to in­crease my stamina by walking a marathon distance, 26 miles (42 km), each week. It cur­rently is easy to get outdoors and exercise, since it is summer time and I feel very well. I have walked over 680 miles (1,100 km) so far this year. I would like to con­tinue on that and reach about 1,370 miles (2,200 km), which is slightly more than in pre­vi­ous years.

At this time, I’m also very careful about taking on new commitments since I’m not sure I would be able to follow through if and when I start treat­ment again.

However, since I’m feeling pretty well at the moment, I do con­tinue activities that bring me joy. First and foremost, my husband and I spend as much time as we can with our family since we both very much enjoy being grandparents. In addi­tion, I con­tinue to par­tic­i­pate and do some volunteering in the groups that are im­por­tant to me (a com­munity choir, the local needlework guild, and the local myeloma patient group). I am busy, but as I always point out, it is a “nice kind of busy.”

I’m also hoping that I can return to my choir practices in the fall. I there­fore am doing vocal warm ups and singing a bit at home to help my voice stay limber.

So gradually, by work­ing away on projects and goals, I have the feeling that I am getting caught up enough to take time off for more treat­ments, if nec­es­sary. Being in stable dis­ease, if not a com­plete remission, has given me more time away from worry, and I am grateful for that. Our house will be more man­ageable, and the garden a nice oasis from the hubbub of the busy world around us, if we need to spend more time at home.

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The quotation for this month is from Michele Jennae, a contemporary American author, who said: "One thing I've found ... the road rarely rises up to meet you until you've begun walking."