Ready for the Dunes!

Things continue to go great for Mark. As of yesterday, he is no longer taking the Dexamethasone and Velcade, and the good doctor gave him permission to go have some fun.

Mark spent the past week packing up his trailer -- something that usually only takes a couple of days. He is so excited to be going to the Dunes with his brothers and friends.

He's had an issue with his knee and has been using a cane. They will look into it further after Memorial Day. According to the doctor, it's nothing that should stop him from heading out for the weekend. Dianna has been questioning the doctor about a medication that Mark has been taking called Levaquin as it can cause weak and ruptured tendons. However the doc says he is not taking a strong enough dose to cause any harm. Just cross your fingers that it's not the Myeloma that's attacking a weak spot.

The next appointment is on Tuesday with Dr. Zangari. They will also go over the treatment schedule then but it looks as though the second transplant could take place on June 1st. Mark will have his port put back in on Wedneday.

Mark and Dianna are very optimistic and looking forward to a summer of car shows and playing at the Dunes.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Kim and Denese. Kim has been very sick and in the hospital after having his second transplant.

Also, good luck to Kevin and Jackie with his transplant.

Hope you all have a great Memorial Weekend.

Gaining Weight!

Mark had an appointment on Wednesday at the hospital and everything went well. Besides being a little grumpy, Mark is doing great. His appetite has come back with a vengeance and he has gained 11 pounds in a week! Blame it on Mexican food, ice cream and chocolate donuts.

Mark, Wes, Shane and Colton went to the Dunes last weekend for about 4 hours and it sure got Mark juiced up for Memorial weekend. We're told he was a good boy and stayed off all the toys.

Good luck to Kim. His second transplant is today.

A note to John & Evelyn Montoya -- If you see this post, please contact Mark & Dianna.

Happy Mother's Day to all you "mamas" out there.

Quick Update

Mark is doing great. He's eating much better, the sweats and rashes are mostly gone, and he is back to being his old self. He is still a bit weak and seems to wear out quickly however. He is currently taking Dexamethasone and although it didn't seem to make him moody last time, it sure is this time!

Mark has been spending some time tinkering on all his toys and was hoping to make a trip to the Dunes this weekend. Sounds like that may not happen due to the weather though.

We'd like to wish Kim and Denese good luck. Kim is getting ready for his second transplant next week, if all goes accordingly.

Also, a couple of weeks ago, Mark and Dianna met a couple at the Huntsman. They are from Erda and he has Multiple Myeloma. They think his name is John. Dianna's computer crashed and they lost the only email they had from them. If you see this email and we're talking about you, please send Mark and Dianna another email so they can stay in touch.

Great News

Mark was given the release from Dr. Zangari to begin his maintenance program and he started the medication regimen today. He will receive two of them by I.V. injection once a week at the hospital and a pill once a week that he'll take at home. He will go to the hospital every Wednesday for the I.V. and to do lab work.

Mark and Dianna will see Dr. Z again on May 22nd. If everything looks good then, they will do another round of testing and then schedule the second transplant for June sometime (Mark is NOT looking forward to that).

Mark is feeling a bit better each day, starting to eat, and gaining more strength.

We can't thank you all enough for your prayers and support, gifts and cards. We will continue to keep the blog updated as newsworthy things happen. In the meantime, we hope you all have a great spring.

CANCER IS SO LIMITED THAT:
~ It cannot cripple love
~ It cannot shatter hope
~ It cannot corrode faith
~ It cannot destroy peace
~ It cannot kill friendship
~ It cannot suppress memories
~ It cannot silence courage
~ It cannot invade the soul
~ It cannot steal eternal life
~ It cannot conquer the spirit

No Infection!

Mark met with the infectious disease doctor yesterday. The doctor just shook her head and said she didn't know why Dr. Zangari sent Mark in to see her. I guess that's good news. She did go over all his lab work and gave him an exam but did not see any infection that would concern her. Mark's rash is gone so the doctor figures it must have just been a reaction from the bandage that was covering his port.

Dianna and Shane did yard work over the weekend and Mark insisted on riding on the lawn mower for a bit. He also thought he could spray some weeds down but of course that wasn't a good idea. It still doesn't take much to make him sick but Dianna still has trouble keeping him from doing too much.

Mark's sweating episodes have slowed down quite a bit and he's gaining some energy back. He's still having trouble eating -- nothing sounds good to him and he just doesn't feel like it.

The next appointment is with Dr. Zangari on Wednesday and then hopefully he will be on maintenance until June (daily pill regimen plus weekly lab work). As a side note, one of those pills cost $5,000 per bottle. Thank God for insurance!

Still No Appetite

So sorry for the delay in posting an update.

Mark ended up being too weak over Easter to make a trip to the dunes so they opted to go to a movie instead. That alone wore him out.

With no appetite, he has continued to lose weight and is down to 221.

Mark came down with a urine infection this week so he is taking more antibiotics. He will see an infectious disease doctor on Monday about his sweating and a rash that just won't go away. Then next Wednesday he will see Dr. Z again.

Finally Some Good News

Mark and Dianna met with Dr. Zangari today and everything looks great. The Echo and EKG results show no problems with Mark's heart and Dr. Z found no infections. Mark hasn't thrown up since Monday and is no longer having trouble with the random sweating episodes.

Mark is doing so well, in fact, that Dr. Z gave him the go-ahead to make a trip to the dunes as long as Mark doesn't over-do it. Dianna may drive him out for a day this weekend, weather permitting. He should continue to avoid large crowds and stay away from anyone that is sick.

Dr. Zangari thinks Mark may be allergic to the bandages that were covering his port. He pulled his port and will go ahead with the double lumen tube in his arm when they do the next stem cell transplant.

Mark and Dianna will go back to the hospital on Wednesday and Mark will begin his maintenance drugs then. Assuming Mark is healthy and strong, Dr. Z is forecasting mid-June for the second transplant.

Hope you all have a very nice Easter.