I use the word control. I feel blessed that I have been on the same drugs for almost 7 years. 😍

Remission describes a lack of Multiple Myeloma progression , however some maintenance medication typically needs to be taken to hold the cancer in check. Most maintenance and MM cause some symptoms and side effects to remain to different degrees depending on each patient.

An excellent question David. I just visited my doctor during maintenance infusions and he said, “you still have a little protein in the blood.” So I said if the monoclonal protein is there the cancer must still be there. But he responded by saying, “yes, but we can’t detect it!”

Detection is one cell in a million or 1 cell in (Phone number can only be seen by the question and answer creators) to the negative 6th power or to the seventh power as per the bone marrow biopsy.

The way I figure he takes a section of your marrow from your back but maybe I have some activity in my spine.

So he said let’s do a PET scan in September along with another biopsy to see if there are new lesions.

He is particularly interested in if my myeloma has grown back on my liver. The nuclear dye will light up under the scan.

So remission or MRD negativity is just the amount of activity you have during any given snapshot in the timeline.

16% of patients relapse after one year. Some 60% after 4 or 5 years. Very few make it 10 years without the myeloma flaring up again.

Like the Never Ending Story which debuted today 40 years ago we are living the Never Ending Battle!

You are a bright light in my life DonnaAndrew!

Hey Mark, I finally lost that band on my immunofixation and electrophoresis a couple of years ago. It only took 5 years🤣. I sure hope it stays gone. There is hope for you🥰