Dear Andy and Steph,

A tough meeting for you both I bet but I am sure you are glad you have asked these questions and it's good to know your Doc's are taking things seriously and doing their best for you.

Hold on and stay strong, I have met a chap who had refractory MM and is now 12 years on and is still holding his own.

I hope you are…[Read more]

Dear Angie,

I am so sorry to hear that you have lost your dear mum to this horrible disease. I do hope you and your family can remember her in the good days before it took hold. I am sending you my deepest condolences and you will all be in my thoughts and prayers, tonight and in the days to come,

with love Mari x

Dear Andy,

I am sorry that you find yourself in the position to be asking these kind of tough questions. As usual I think Dai and the others have hit the nail on the head. I think I would also want to explore the possibility of any Trials giving you access to other newer drugs.

I would also want to explore not only whether you can have an…[Read more]

Dear Mavis,

So pleased to hear your treatment has been so successful but I am sorry to hear you have been suffering with an infection. Hoprfully now, once your last cycle is over, life will be on the up again. I dont remember Steve having any withdrawal from CDT. He had some fairly bad side effects towards the end, terrible exhaustion so he…[Read more]

Thank you Eve, just a bit of fun and then we shall gird our loins. grit our teeth and get this thing done! For all those of you facing an SCT out there, it is worth it, so worth it that Steve is ready to go through a second with only a promise of shortened remission. It is tough but it is doable

Mari xx

Dear Tom and Elaine,

Delighted to hear your double good news, lots of time now to concentrate on playing with those lovely grandchildren in the 'cuddle chair'

BTW is Elaine happy with her um 'promotion' from 'Young Bride' to 'The old woman'? Better hope she is not reading this!

Lots of love to you both, Mari…

Thats wonderful news David, long may it continue. Time to relax now and enjoy your summer before the next blood test, although I know you are usually much too busy to do much relaxing. When are you off to the Scilly's?

Love Marix

Dear Eve, Jo and Tom,
thanks for the kind words and good wishes, I have pulled myself together and feel much stronger today, onwards and upwards indeed Tom.

Eve – I hear what you say, I think a holiday and some sunshine is exactly what we need, Steve is still working full time and even managed to work three days a week throughout his…[Read more]

Dear Dai, Keith and David,

I wrote that late last night when I was feeling more than a little wobbly and I confess the feeling is still with me. Steve got 14 months of very good remission with his first SCT, we had a really wonderful year and I will always be grateful for that. However we did not think it was good enough to warrant a second…[Read more]

Hi Judd,

I am sorry you find yourself here, but as the others have said a warm welcome to the site. You might going to a Myeloma infoday is be a good way to meet fellow MMers. I have not kept up with things so I am not sure when the next one is in London but I am sure you can find out through Ellen or elsewhere on this site. I dont have MM my…[Read more]

Dear Angie,

I am so sorry to hear that your dear mum has taken this turn for the worst. I cant begin to imagine how hard this must be for you and your family. You are all in my thoughts and I am sending you love and prayers,

Mari x

I cant help you with wheat grass Janet but I heard a nutrionist speak and she was very much in favour of antioxidants, found in highly coloured fruit and vegetables, blueberries strawberries, raspberries peppers, beetroot etc. Apparently these can inhibit cell division in cancer cells. Also a low sugar diet is good because again cancer cells use…[Read more]

Dear Stephen,

thank you for your very interesting and complete description of your harvest procedure. My husband, also Stephen, had his SCT September 2010. Unfortunately he relapsed just before Christmas 2011. He has had 6 cycles of velcade to which he has responded well and we were very surprised to learn that his consultant considered him a…[Read more]

Hello Eve,

I am sorry that you are having this worry with Slim's recovery. Steve also had his SCT in Kings and was in the same position when he came out because his treatment and monitoring were all done in Pembury, and yes, you do sometimes wonder if they talk to each other. Steve's platelets and neutrophils seemed to take ages to come back…[Read more]

Dear Siobhan,

I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your lovely mum. I dont have the eloquence to tell you how wonderful Bridget was, I never met her but her warmth and humour, her caring for so many others even at times when she was not feeling at all well, was amazing. She always had a kind word and a witty thought to bring a smile to…[Read more]

Dear Ian

Sorry to hear about your allo, specially with what sounds like a nasty op to follow. Good luck with the velcade i am sure it will work well for you,

All the best

Mari xx

Hi Jean,

sorry to hear things are not going smoothly for Frank. I know that sometimes it can be difficult to take in everything that the doctors say. Stephen and I often have conversations after consultations,going over what has been said and trying to fully understand. We have found it invaluable to talk to Steve's specialist nurse. She…[Read more]

Thank you for posting this Dai, it's good to see the quality and quantity of work that is being done on Myeloma, it inspires great hope for the future.

I hope you are feeling well now and have been enjoying this good weather,

Love Mari x

Dear Kev and Liz,

So sorry to hear your news. We had similar news in November when Steve relapsed after 13 months. He started velcade and dex in December, and he has just finished his 6th cycle. His paraprotiens were below 2 after the 5th. Steve was quite poorly in January/February with lots of coughs and colds but he feels very well now. He…[Read more]