margaret.healthblogs.orgMargaret's Corner – LIVING WITH SMOLDERING MYELOMA IN TUSCANY

Margaret’s Corner LIVING WITH SMOLDERING MYELOMA IN TUSCANY Home Contact Menu Home Contact Search for: 90705 Holiday! April 29, 2024 / Margaret / Leave a comment Potter, almost 4 years old, Florence, end of April 2024 Stefano and I and a couple of our closest friends are going to London for a few days. While they, including Stefano, will be returning on Sunday because they have to go back to work, I will be staying on until the middle of next week. Yes, three full days by myself! I already have a full schedule…so much to do and see in one of my favorite cities on the planet. Fun fun fun! I will publish a post after I return. Until then, I am sending everyone a big hug…Take care and keep smoldering! ? Case report: regression of MGUS with long-term use of curcumin! March 27, 2024 / Margaret / 3 Comments I wonder if these case reports will ever catch the eye of our MM organisations, which, unfortunately, are so heavily sponsored by big Pharma…Doubtful… ? Well, Margaret, this is intended to be a celebratory post, and I really don’t have the energy to dive into THAT discussion again. It’s just so bloody frustrating that sometimes I have to let off some steam. But no, not today. Today is a super good day! Pinga, 14.5 years old A new case report, led by Terry Golombick (if you don’t know who she is, you can do a search of my blog…she’s one of my favourite people on the planet…!!!), shows that a patient with intermediate/high-risk MGUS who has been taking curcumin for 16 years has had a decrease in disease markers and an increase in uninvolved immunoglobulins.” Fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. The study is available online for free (love that!), so you can have a look for yourselves…not hard to read, either: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15347354241242099 16 years, eh? That made me realise that I’ve been taking curcumin now for more than 18 years, which means that this patient began just a couple of years after I did…AND a year after I began blogging. I wonder if I know him…Hmmm…I believe I must, but I have so many readers now that of course it’s hard to keep track of all of you… Please do get in touch with me, Mr. Fabulous Patient, if you happen to read this post. I’d really love that. Thanks! ? Interesting bit: Mr. Fabulous Patient took a very small amount of curcumin every day, only 2.3 grams a day, divided into two doses, which seems to confirm that we all have a different reaction to curcumin. I also guess that it might (must?) depend on WHEN you begin taking it…It makes sense, to me at any rate, that curcumin would have a stronger effect on a MGUS patient than an SMM one, e.g. Food for thought. The study concludes: This case study adds to the body of evidence that curcumin administration may benefit some patients diagnosed with MGUS with little or no toxicity even after 16 years of therapy.” Potter: This box is mine, only mine, even if I don’t fit on it!” Yes, indeed…no doubts about that in my mind!!! I am incredibly happy for Mr. Fabulous Patient as well as for those of us who have been doing so well on curcumin … Today is definitely a day of celebration!!! Take care, everyone. Oh, and, if you have the time, please go read the study and send me your comments…Thanks! Fever!!! March 25, 2024 / Margaret / 2 Comments My faithful nurses (of course, Stefano was number ONE)… I’m usually soooo careful when I leave the house…If I’m going to be in a crowded situation, such as a supermarket, I pull out and wear an FFP2 mask. I don’t shake hands or kiss anyone, even my closest friends. They all know and respect that… But on Sunday, March 10, I let down my guard, unfortunately. We went to a friend’s house, and when we left, I gave her a hug, just as she was telling me that she didn’t feel that great (Margaret, duh!). We pulled apart, but the damage was done. The following day she came down with a very bad flu” (or whatever it was), and that hug, plus hanging out at her house on Sunday, meant that I did, too. I woke up on Monday with a very high fever (on Tuesday night it went up to 40.4° Celsius), and other symptoms that I shall spare you. ? But mainly, the high fever was the biggest annoyance. I was really sick that week…then, slowly, I got better, and I’m absolutely fine now. This thing,” whatever you want to call it (flu or viral bad stuff) is going around, my doctor told me. And, he added, it takes a while to get back on your feet. No kidding. Anyway, all is (quite) good now. That’s the important thing. I’ve read some interesting things lately, but I need to rest some more before writing a serious post…I just wanted to publish a wee post on the blog today. And wee it is! ? Take care, everyone, and wear a protective mask in crowded situations, even though it’s no longer mandatory… Better safe than sorry…!!! Test results! February 21, 2024 / Margaret / 7 Comments Hi everyone! Oh dear, I’ve been gone for quite some time, haven’t I? Life really does get in the way of plans sometimes. In this period, in addition to being super busy with a million other things, I’ve been focusing on getting my arthritic knee in shape. There’s no going back to the knee I had in my 20s, of course, but I can try at least to stop it from getting worse, mainly with physiotherapy. Okay, but enough about my knee….that’s not the reason I’ve written this post… Today I have some good news that I’d like to share with you… ? Here’s the news: I just received my most recent blood and urine tests, which are about the same as my previous ones. Some numbers have actually improved, such as my C-reactive protein, which is now within the normal range. In sum, no huge changes compared to previous tests, which means that I’m (still) stable. Relief! Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well…Again, I apologise for being absent on the blog, but my knee is an everyday issue (oh no, no no no!, here she goes on about her knee again… ? ). Speaking of my knee (agggghhhh!), Stefano and I are about to go on an anti-inflammatory diet with the help of a nutritionist…I do hope that this diet will help (it should)…In fact, I wonder if it might help improve my MM markers, too…Hmmm, that would indeed be an added bonus. And, in case you’re wondering, I’m still taking my high dose of curcumin every day (divided into two doses — half at lunch, half at dinner), to which I’ve now added some boswellia capsules. A recent Italian study showed that boswellia can lessen pain in the…ah yes, you guessed!…in the knee!!! Hehe. Besides, as we know, boswellia is also a MM cell killer, so it should work on both fronts, knee and MM. Too early to tell, though. We’ll have to wait for my next tests… Okay, off I go. Today is a good day! Take care, everyone! Ciao ! Happy Holidays! December 24, 2023 / Margaret / Leave a comment Hello everyone! Time is really flying…it’s Xmas, already??? How did that happen? Anyway, I just wanted to wish you all a very happy and healthful and peaceful holiday… Just about an hour ago I read some interesting news on the curcumin front, positive news…unfortunately, I don’t have time to write about it now. But I will be looking into it, you can be sure of that… In the meantime… Buone Feste , Happy Holidays! Margaret ? An update from TAB December 10, 2023 / Margaret / 1 Comment TAB sent this (see below) as a comment to his older news post, but I decided to put it in a post so more readers will see it immediately. TAB, you are amaaaaazing! A big hug! Margaret. ? Here’s his message: TAB’s Update December 8, 2023 Alive and well at age 82 after dealing with MM (IgA Lambda) for 25 years. I have been off Velcade treatment for a year. I am feeling good with no symptoms. I am taking 6 grams of curcumin, resveratrol, vitamins C and D, selenium and a multivitamin. My blood work is good but M spike is rising. I will probably be going back on Velcade in February 2024 if the M spike keeps rising. My report is available if anyone is interested in a copy. tabbat841@outlook.com Knee osteoarthritis and Pavarotta December 1,...