Greetings all and thanks for stopping by

I'm not a heavy duty blogger but I would like to make a comment or two from time to time. I just finished reading nese's blog which sounds real familiar.

I have always been fascinated with helicopters - doesn't matter how big or small. I was sort of remotely interested in model RC helicopters but never really gave it much thought until my daughter bought me a coaxial micro heli as a Christmas peasant last Christmas. Of course, it didn't take me long to break it but long enough to get bit by the bug so to speak.

My first real model heli experience began with a Syma S107G. Those were the days of real fun, real cheap hobby. Little did I know this was the proverbial tip of the ice berg. I was beginning to wake up to an ocean of possibilities.

In the brief period I have been involved with the RC helicopter hobby, I have spent way too much money, learned as much (maybe more) as I would in a semester college class, and had more fun than a barrel of monkeys

more later...

You might ask, "What is Multiple Myeloma and why is this guy bothering us with it under his user name?" I might reply, "Because I want to raise awareness!" When I was diagnosed back in June 2005, the median survival was three years. Needless to say, this severely shattered my personal time horizon. I suppose I mindlessly assumed I would live for ever

Back then, I was much more physically fit. I competed in five mile runs and worked out every day. That was before they found a two inch hole in my left ilium which was caused by a plasma cytoma. Myeloma cells gang up with osteoblast cells in the bone to eat larger than normal holes in the bone. Most folks don't know they have a problem until they get a broken vertebra due to plasma cytoma. I was somewhat lucky in that regard. It could have destroyed my back. As it is, I got 30 days of radiation to wipe out the plasma cytoma and associate excruciating pain.

Multiple Myeloma is an incurable blood cancer which affects immune system plasma cells. Normal plasma cells are responsible for making antibodies which help other white blood cells like Natural Killer cells and T-cells fight infection. The cure for cancer will come when we learn to manufacture antibodies which target the cancer in our bodies. This is done on a limited basis by our immune systems but a much larger scale effort is required that we are not quite ready to unleash yet - except for HPV and some other limited applications.

Defective plasma cells (Multiple Myeloma cells) will multiply out of control if untreated and cause damage in a number of ways. After all, multiplying and mutating is what they do when there is an infection. They even mutate into "memory" cells and hang around in the bone marrow for DECADES. Your childhood immunizations are perfect examples of this. If you were to be exposed to measles, these cells would be activated to fight the disease immediately. Well, that is the theory. They tell me you need to be re-immunized (which I was) after 50 because the memory cells don't survive for ever. They don't survive at all if you have a stem cell transplant like I did.

I was saying, Myeloma cells multiply out of control (what cancer cells in general do) and cause damage in a number of ways. First and foremost, they fill up the bone marrow and limit room for good white and red blood cells. You might become anemic for no good reason (you might think before you are diagnosed). You might become hyper susceptible to infection like getting a cold every two or three weeks when you have been the picture of health all your life. The dead give away is an extremely high protein level on a complete blood count (CBC) blood test. If your annual physical turns up a high protein level several times normal - watch out, you could have Multiple Myeloma. I did.

The defective plasma cells create protein called gamaglobulin (antibodies). The kidneys and liver make enzymes which slice and dice proteins into their component amino acids for recycling. At some point, the quantity of plasma cells making the quantity of gamaglobulin overwhelms the kidneys and you go into renal failure due to excess protein stopping up the kidneys - not good! Another something defective plasma cells do is gang up in big wads, pair with osteoblast cells which normally eat very small holes in bone to make it porous but in this case eat huge holes and cause collapse - not good!

Due to new drug development, current median survival is seven years. There is no cure rate because the disease is currently incurable. I had a "failed" stem cell transplant at Mayo Clinic December 2005. Even though it was classified as "failed," it did stop disease progression for about a year and a half. At that point, I started taking a very expensive drug ($8K per month!) named Revlimid which has brought the disease to its knees and held it there. I will continue to take this drug as maintenance therapy until someone comes up with a cure or until this drug stops working and I have to do something else or I get hit by a speeding log truck while crossing the street!

You can visit this web site to learn everything you would ever want to learn about Multiple Myeloma. These folks are primarily responsible for Multiple Myeloma research and major advances in treatment and possibly the discovery of a cure which as I mentioned earlier, will be along the lines of "targeted individual therapy." The founder has been on national TV several times recently. This is one of the few research organizations which use the most of charitable donations for research - not overhead expenses!

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF):
http://www.themmrf.org/

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) is one of the few organizations which will help cancer patients with high deductible insurance copay. As you can see, cancer drugs are extremely expensive because the drug company executives need to be in the top 1% to be motivated to save our lives - ergo, expensive cancer drugs! The FDA unwittingly helps them in this quest by granting them "exclusivity." Without competition, they have the drug, you need it to keep living, therefore, you and your insurance company will pay ONLY THEM as much as they can charge which in some cases can be as much and possibly more then $10K per month!

Thanks for stopping by! More later...

Keep up the good work on brining awarness to your cause. I'm no health freak, and dont always keep a good diet, but I'm getting to that point when I realize I only get one body and I need to take care of it.

Originally Posted by kdean

Keep up the good work on brining awarness to your cause. I'm no health freak, and dont always keep a good diet, but I'm getting to that point when I realize I only get one body and I need to take care of it.

My latest read...

Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection

http://www.amazon.com/Drop-Dead-Heal...p+dead+healthy


http://www.amazon.com/Drop-Dead-Heal...3401014&sr=1-1