Day 5 Cycle 2

Now on day 5 of cycle 2 and certainly seems much better/easier than cycle 1. Remember on cycle 1 I was also on dexamethasone but on cycle 2 no dex and just the prednisolone, melphalan and thalidomide. The prednisolone is still a high dose steroid ( 18 x 5mg tablets in the morning ) but it doesn't seem to have the same crash bang wallop effect as the dexamethasone. It does however still throw my blood sugars around and I'm still have difficulty settling on the right doses of insulin. But in general its much easier and I don't have the tiredness and fatigue I think the Dex brought on.

The thalidomide is now up to a 100mg a day but that too seems manageable so all in all, cycle 2 does seem a much better than cycle 1. Here's hoping it also has the same beneficial effect in reducing my paraprotein again.

Shoulder becoming painful again so probably heading down the radiotherapy route for a zap or two there. Interesting though that I am now hardly aware of the plate they put in my left arm and the pin they put through my left tibia though I only drive our automatic car now and find it awkward driving with a gear stick and clutch. But then- that's why we got an automatic car!