Welcome, Tom, To Our Little World of Jugglers

It must have been about 1975 when I got drafted into the Department of Homeland Security. That’s when I was charged with protecting President Gerald Ford during his visit to Cobo Hall in Detroit where the national gathering of our church was assembling. The Secret Service decided that all the local pastors in the Detroit area were the perfect people to keep the president safe.  So the SS summoned us and stationed us at all the doors to the hall with instructions to look everyone in the eye as they entered, and alert SS if someone seemed suspicious.

One of the guys I looked in the eye that day was a young, mop headed reporter with a corduroy jacket and ---I’m pretty sure--- bell bottom pants. Even then, Tom Brokaw was part of the national media. Little did I realize that he and I would share the bond of fighting off the same little known life threatening disease 40 years later.

Welcome Tom, to our little world of jugglers. We wish you all the best.  Be forewarned: if you’re going to be in the myeloma game, you’re going to have to juggle.

As I write this, I am trying to juggle my way out of a hole that has held me captive the last couple days. You see, multiple myeloma patients are always juggling when it comes to bones. Since MM begins in the bone marrow, those cells are hidden from our view most of the time. The docs are always worried about our bones and keeping them strong. That’s why an MRI, CAT scans, PET scans, bone density scans, and many full skeletal X-rays have regularly been on my to-do list.

None of these tests showed any holes, or lesions, in my bones. These holes come about when those myeloma cells begin thinking they are modern day sculptors who are bent on creating a miniature Mt. Rushmore on the inside of my bones, and they begin chipping away. Plus, they’re not very tidy. They just dump the bone waste from their sculpting into the blood stream going by their front door. Pretty soon, they’ve clogged up the kidneys.

But a bone density scan last fall showed a thinning of the top of one of my thigh bones. That’s why I went in for an Aredia infusion on Tuesday. Aredia is supposed to strengthen the bones. But about 12 hours later, my chest began tightening, my ribs began aching, my muscles began spasming, and I experienced some of the most excruciating pain I have ever encountered. I became immobile. I didn’t even object when Martha called the emergency squad. Our juggling of the bones went a little wacky. Two days later, after that trip to the ER and some strong pain meds, I’m feeling well enough to say that I don’t believe I ever want to do that again! Monday, we’ll see what the doc’s next plan of action is, since this happy infusion was to take place every 3 months.

I wasn’t sure whether I would share this next experience, but oh well, we’re among friends, right? This is the juggling of the medicines with your bodily functions. We need all those medicines, but they are powerful and sometimes interrupt Mother Nature’s way. They also cause fatigue and make you want to sit a lot more. Bottom line: a 3 day interlude in a Louisville hospital on our way back from visiting Graceland.  Sometimes it takes a little while to right the ship. I have, however, learned that any time the conversation lulls at your next cocktail party, just say, “Heard any good remedies for constipation lately?” The room will be abuzz. It seems everyone has encountered and has a remedy for the “other” big “C” word.

All in all, it’s been a crazy several days. So Tom, I hope you’re ready for this. Oh, I’m not talking about the treatment. I know you can handle that.  It’s the juggling ….. and the conversation at your next cocktail party!