This is great information, but... I am a multiple myeloma patient. Same disease that Colin Powell had. Right now all I know is that 55% of MM patients had an inadequate response to the Pfizer vaccine. I had a third ("booster") shot of Pfizer in July based on the information I had at the time. Is there a way for me to find out what my status is? I asked my oncologist two weeks ago if I should get my immune response titers checked, and he said that would not be helpful. Do you have a helpful update? I am maintaining a pretty strict isolation (everything delivered, no church, no meetings, I'm a writer who works from home) and wearing a mask any time I go out (doctor appointments mainly). My wife passed away three years ago (Parkinsons) and my granddaughter (college student) lives with me now. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I know you can't give medical advice.
I should add, I was diagnosed in June 2017 and have been in complete response since November of 2017. I am receiving targeted therapy which includes dexamethasone. No m-spike as of two weeks ago, and the cancer does not seem to be active except maybe for fatigue and lower back pain in the area where I had two fractured vertebrae which were the first symptom of the MM. Three bone marrow biopsies in four years, the last two were negative (I was stage 3 at diagnosis, m-spike was 4, so the targeted treatment worked fast and has been effective as far as I can tell).
Hi Bill and thanks for the comment. I also hope for a great fifth year for you. First of all, I'm sorry to hear about your wife passing a few years ago and then the diagnosis. I'm sure the pandemic has been stressful at times with navigating all of this. Regarding the immune titers, the IgG antibodies (this is the one most people check after a vaccine) only tell half of the story with our immune systems. So you could get those checked. But if they are low, you would also want to check the neutralizing antibodies. Then you would get the fuller picture of your body's immune response, rather than only looking at the IgG serum antibodies. I'm not sure how accessible those tests are to most of us though, especially the neutralizing antibodies. Perhaps you could ask your oncologist about these two and see what he thinks? All the best to you and thanks for the comment! Emily
Thanks for your reply. I may be getting IgG results. Is there another name for the neutralizing antibodies?
Timing on the diagnoses was pretty bad. Her Parkinsons manifested 3 months after my dd and it was very aggressive. she passed the following March. She was an RN for 44 years, a NICU nurse the last 25. She touched so many lives. Now if the grief comes back around, I just think how happy she is now in the presence of God, and I know that everything is all right.
I'm not sure about the neutralizing antibody question.
And, I'm so sorry to hear about the rough few years with your wife and your own diagnosis. It sounds like she was an incredible woman - I think NICU nurses are some of the most special people on earth. All the best to you this weekend!
This is great information, but... I am a multiple myeloma patient. Same disease that Colin Powell had. Right now all I know is that 55% of MM patients had an inadequate response to the Pfizer vaccine. I had a third ("booster") shot of Pfizer in July based on the information I had at the time. Is there a way for me to find out what my status is? I asked my oncologist two weeks ago if I should get my immune response titers checked, and he said that would not be helpful. Do you have a helpful update? I am maintaining a pretty strict isolation (everything delivered, no church, no meetings, I'm a writer who works from home) and wearing a mask any time I go out (doctor appointments mainly). My wife passed away three years ago (Parkinsons) and my granddaughter (college student) lives with me now. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I know you can't give medical advice.
I should add, I was diagnosed in June 2017 and have been in complete response since November of 2017. I am receiving targeted therapy which includes dexamethasone. No m-spike as of two weeks ago, and the cancer does not seem to be active except maybe for fatigue and lower back pain in the area where I had two fractured vertebrae which were the first symptom of the MM. Three bone marrow biopsies in four years, the last two were negative (I was stage 3 at diagnosis, m-spike was 4, so the targeted treatment worked fast and has been effective as far as I can tell).
So far, I call myself a four-year survivor of MM, heading I hope for the fifth year next June.
Hi Bill and thanks for the comment. I also hope for a great fifth year for you. First of all, I'm sorry to hear about your wife passing a few years ago and then the diagnosis. I'm sure the pandemic has been stressful at times with navigating all of this. Regarding the immune titers, the IgG antibodies (this is the one most people check after a vaccine) only tell half of the story with our immune systems. So you could get those checked. But if they are low, you would also want to check the neutralizing antibodies. Then you would get the fuller picture of your body's immune response, rather than only looking at the IgG serum antibodies. I'm not sure how accessible those tests are to most of us though, especially the neutralizing antibodies. Perhaps you could ask your oncologist about these two and see what he thinks? All the best to you and thanks for the comment! Emily
Thanks for your reply. I may be getting IgG results. Is there another name for the neutralizing antibodies?
Timing on the diagnoses was pretty bad. Her Parkinsons manifested 3 months after my dd and it was very aggressive. she passed the following March. She was an RN for 44 years, a NICU nurse the last 25. She touched so many lives. Now if the grief comes back around, I just think how happy she is now in the presence of God, and I know that everything is all right.
^dx
I'm not sure about the neutralizing antibody question.
And, I'm so sorry to hear about the rough few years with your wife and your own diagnosis. It sounds like she was an incredible woman - I think NICU nurses are some of the most special people on earth. All the best to you this weekend!