I feel fortunate that, as a myeloma patient, I still am able to lead a rel­a­tive­ly nor­mal life at this point in time. I am feeling particularly well right now since I went off of myeloma medications this past January.

My current state of health allows me to be very active and involved in my growing family. These days, a typical day of mine consists of exercising, gardening, housework, shopping, and looking after babies and toddlers (I am a …

As humans, we automatically record firsts: our baby’s first steps, our child’s first day of school, our first apartment. In baseball, a fan can tell you where and when a rookie hit his first home run in the majors. We gravitate to­wards firsts.

Lasts are harder. With a handful of exceptions – the last day of school, the last day of work upon retirement – lasts blur together. When was the last time that baby both crawled and walked before giving up …

One of the songs by Pearl Jam that I like a lot is "Pendulum," the seventh track on their 2013 album "Lightning Bolt." Here are the song's lyrics:

Can't know what's high, 'til you been down so low. The future's bright, lit up with nowhere to go.

To and fro the pendulum throws.

We are here and then we go, my shadow left me long ago. Understand what we don't know.

This might pass, this might last, this may grow. …

A team of U.S. researchers has published the results of an in­ves­ti­ga­tion into eyelid-related com­pli­ca­tions in multiple myeloma patients receiving treat­ment with Velcade or Kyprolis. Drawing on the results of their in­ves­ti­ga­tion, the authors of the new study also propose guidelines for the prevention and man­agement of such com­pli­ca­tions.

The authors report on a case series of 16 patients who devel­oped either blepharitis or chalazia after starting treat­ment with Velcade (bor­tez­o­mib) or Kyprolis (car­filz­o­mib).

Blepharitis is the medical term for …

Recently, my myeloma specialist sent me for a PET/CT scan. I have had many annual skeletal X-ray scans, but since I now have had two cancers (multiple myeloma and breast cancer), and the PET/CT pro­ce­dure scans more deeply into the bones and tissue than regular x-rays, this seemed like a good idea.

Results of the scan will provide a base­line for my health going for­ward. If there were any hotspots of fast- growing can­cer­ous tissue cells in my sys­tem, …

Italian researchers have found that common measures of heart and blood vessel health may predict the risk of heart-related side effects in multiple myeloma patients treated with Kyprolis (car­filz­o­mib).

In particular, the researchers found that myeloma patients who ex­peri­enced heart-related side effects while being treated with Kyprolis had sig­nif­i­cantly higher blood pressure, left ventricular mass, and pulse wave velocity before starting Kyprolis treat­ment than patients who did not ex­peri­ence heart-related side effects.

Blood pressure, left ventricular mass, and pulse wave …

There are times when I wonder how we got here. There was a time before these days when we were newly married. Not even 30 years of age, we were carefree and filled with the op­ti­mism born of a newlywed couple. The future was an unwritten book, full of world travels, chil­dren playing on vin­tage harlequin tile floors, and growing old together.

That was nearly 15 years ago. I barely recog­nize us now. The love remains – and nothing could change it – but …