Hi there and apologies for my late reply, my Dad's funeral was Tuesday so have been very busy.
Mavis,
You are very welcome and just hope that my Dad's journey can help others.
My Dad was a long distance HGV driver and was a little clumsy one day when he took a tumble from his cab and broke one of his ribs as he fell to the concrete. The rib took a long time to heal but as ribs are tricky to rest they usually do take a while to heal so we thought nothing of it. He then had routine blood and urine tests which presented blood in his urine. when he heard nothing from the GP I pestered him to chase them up. The GP told him that all was fine with the results and we forgot about it until a letter fell through the door from Wigan hospital requesting to see Dad. That was 2006 when he was diagnosed and he was in the early stages so we were very optimistic as it had been caught nice and early.
Dad had around 18 months free from chemo after his first Stem Cell Transplant. His second transplant was a little rougher for him to battle through and was in Christies for around a month as got a little infection. His second transplant gave us just over 6 months free of chemo but his Myeloma seemed to relapse faster and faster. During most trials (and he had tried the lot!) he developed terrible and life threatening infections which his sheer will power and steely determination got him through.
I hope that this helps your query and if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.
Best wishes,
Gem x
