Yesterday when I met with my oncologist, he was optimistic about the Daratumumab I have been receiving since February. It has put many of the numbers back in the normal levels, and even my kidneys are no longer failing, but doing a pretty decent job. I feel extremely fortunate. He said several times I am in hematological remission, stressing “hematological” and later that day I realized I wasn’t sure what that meant. Is it that the blood tests, light chains and others, can no longer detect the myeloma, but that it is still there and would be found if I were to have another bone marrow biopsy as I did last year? I gather it is probably not the same as a full remission, but I am not even sure what that term means. Perhaps someone better informed than I might have an answer.
The worst thing about this illness and possibly the treatment, too, for me, aside from pain which has been managed quite well, has been the extraordinary fatigue that is so difficult to describe to someone who has not experienced it. My wife and I will be leaving for three weeks in July which means I will miss three treatments between now and August 15. The thought of going that long without an infusion is exciting because I hope to have more energy to enjoy this vacation, the first we have taken in a long time. Of course, if the myeloma surprises everyone and comes back in spades, that might dash any hope of staying awake. All this to say, if the fatigue is caused by the treatment, then for at least three weeks I should feel more or less normal again, and I find that thought appealing.
