Changes following visit with Dr. Tricot

In the last posting I wrote about the round of tests that I expected to take on Dec.16 and an appointment with Dr. Tricot on the 20th. All of this has transpired and results of the meeting with Dr. Tricot include several changes in my medication and the frequency of visits to the clinic. He wants the maintenance cycle to continue at least until he sees me again after 3 complete cycles and may decide to continue it for a full year. I will go to the clinic every Monday and not at all on Thursdays as I have done in the past.

Dr. Tricot changed several prescriptions to reduce the toxicity of the drugs; Abby, PA who took bone marrow biopsy on the 16th, had told me that the weakness in my quadriceps most likely was due to the dexamethasone ("dex"), which I had been on for a year, and Dr. Tricot more or less confirmed this by replacing the dex with a weaker steroid that the nurses call medrol (methylPREDNISolone). I have taken 20mg of the dex on days 1 to 4 and days 15 to 18 of each cycle, but now I take 16mg of medrol every other day. It must be significantly weaker because I will take 224mg of the medrol during a cycle and had only taken 160mg of the dex during one cycle. The other prescription changes are only for quantities to be taken or the frequency. I have been taking fluconazole on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the weeks that I took dex and now I am to take the fluconazole every week. The cyclophosphamide will be reduced to 300mg per dose instead of 500mg, the thalidomide will alternate with 100mg one day and 50mg the next, but I could not get a prescription filled for 50mg capsules of thalidomide because the Humana records showed I still had too much 100mg on hand. Dr. Tricot told me how to cope with that possibility, perhaps take 100mg for 2 days then skip a day, but I have forgotten what he said so I have continued taking one 100mg each night and I should only have only 3 capsules left when I go back Monday. I don' t see any changes in my overall health, which is good other than the muscle weakness, thus far and probably should not expect changes so soon.


Emma's leg actually is improved contrary to what I reported in the last post. She now gets up from sitting and is able to walk without extra effort. She hasn't been to aquasize lately because of an incipient cold but will be going back right after the holidays.