Starting some weeks back, I was experiencing lower back pain.   It wasn’t getting better. It was getting worse!  I report anything out of the ordinary to the research team (I’m in a phase I clinical trial), and had been doing so with regard to this ailment. Since the pain was only getting worse over time ..read more

I was getting talquetamab every other week for what seemed like a short while.  I think it might have been two cycles. The talq dose was triple the dose I had been receiving every week.  I had pretty severe headaches on the increased dose.  I tried to hang in there, but it was bad enough ..read more

Astra Zeneca says “Evusheld significantly protected against symptomatic COVID-19 for at least six months in PROVENT Phase III trial in high-risk populations.” https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2022/evusheld-significantly-protected-against-symptomatic-covid-19-for-at-least-six-months-in-provent-phase-iii-trial-in-high-risk-populations1.html I’m glad I received the injections.  I’ve read that we will probably continue injections every 6 months while needed. I’ll be getting my next vaccine booster on Monday.  I was told to ..read more

I’ve had two doses of Evusheld during the last month or so.  After my initial injections, there was an advisory from the CDC to get a second set of injections.  It’s thought one dose isn’t effective enough. Evusheld is Astra-Zeneca’s pre-exposure prophylaxis for covid. I keep reading that people seem to be unaware of its existence, and ..read more

I’m nearly finished with cycle 8.  For those of you who’ve asked, the side effects have remained the same throughout for me.  the situation with my nails has improved, though! They’re not peeling away from the bottom of the nail anymore.  Still, I have issues at the tops of the nails.  I have to keep … The post Almost through cycle 8 of talquetamab / daratumumab / pomalidomide trial appeared first on Beth Morgan Multiple Myeloma Treatment Blog ..read more

I’m in cycle 4 now.   I still go every week for treatment, but here’s something to look forward to:  At the end of cycle 6, I’ll have a PET scan.  If everything looks good on the PET scan, my treatment schedule will change to every other week. My Pomalyst dose has been decreased to 2 … The post Cycle 4 of talquetamab and daratumumab appeared first on Beth Morgan Multiple Myeloma Treatment Blog ..read more

During cycle 5, the study team was given some freedom to adjust my dose of dexamethasone.  We could do anything, from eliminating it completely to decreasing it.  For 3 cycles, I was having 40 mg of dex a week.  Dex is rough.  If you have taken 40 mg of dex for any amount of time, … The post End of Cycle 5 – Talquetamab and Daratumumab plus Pomalyst appeared first on Beth Morgan Multiple Myeloma Treatment Blog ..read more

Why does this happen with talquetamab? A short time after my first few doses of talquetamab, I noticed that the skin on my fingers was peeling and the nails appeared to be separating from the beds of the nails. It’s been a drawn-out process, and not every nail has been affected in the same way. … The post Nail Problems appeared first on Beth Morgan Multiple Myeloma Treatment Blog ..read more

I had another bone marrow biopsy last month.  My nephew took this picture of the samples being prepared for the lab. The dish near the top of the image looks like a tiny little crime scene. The post Another Bone Marrow Biopsy appeared first on Beth Morgan Multiple Myeloma Treatment Blog ..read more

This is a list of most of the side effects I’ve had since I started talquetamab.  The most surprising and disappointing problem I’ve encountered is the loss of my sense of taste. Xerostomia Dry mouth. This is so bad that at times my teeth stick to the inside of my mouth. It’s not always that … The post Side Effects I’ve Experienced with Talquetamab appeared first on Beth Morgan Multiple Myeloma Treatment Blog ..read more