It's been just over two years and thankfully things are going well and maintaining. Sure I get a cold now and again. A cold that may sideline a normal person for 5-7 days, takes me out for 2-3 weeks. Not completely out of commission (though one did turn into walking pneumonia), but an annoying runny nose, persistent cough and general malaise for a good fortnight - or more. It eventually goes away and I carry on.
But what I do appreciate so much is how people keep asking me how am I doing. Not just people who I haven't seen for an extended period of time, so they legitimately may not really know how I'm doing (I don't post regular medical updates on FB or the like). And not just the cursory salutation we so often hear - hey, how you doing? But people that I see rather frequently - who still stop me at any random moment and inquire as to my health status. On the outside I appear healthy and recovered (a welcome change from the ashen and skinnier pre-diagnosis/treatment me), and on the inside I am equally feeling recovered. the gesture (inquiry) is even more appreciated because it is easy to assume I'm ok, so it's even nicer to ask - to be sure.
As we've discussed, mine (Multiple Myeloma) is an ongoing disease. As such, I cruise along at a fairly healthy status, until that time (length undetermined - but a long time in years) when I will relapse. My Onc team is monitoring this extremely closely and at such point as that will occur, they will make sure my condition is not nearly as advanced as it was upon initial diagnosis.
In the meantime, I do greatly appreciate your concern, and hope that my "feeling pretty good" response is not perceived as a brush-off but rather the reality of my treatment success and ongoing healthy status. I’m very glad and I’m very grateful for feeling pretty darn ok. Thanks for asking - thanks for caring.
