There's no cure, but it can be suppressed with good prospects of a long remission, around 10 years on a good response to treatment & there are secondary and 3rd treatments to prolong this. The prognosis I'm getting from my consultant is hopeful for a good outcome.
I have 3 compressed vertebrae due to damage by the cancer & this is where the intense pain I have been suffering is coming from. Makes it hard to play steel, pedals OK but levers put too much strain on the back atm. I'm on a good pain relief course, so have been relatively pain free which has been a great relief.
So, my case is currently being discussed by the consultants over the next 2 weeks at the Western General in Edinburgh re the details of my treatment. There is a standard course of treatment for this condition but they may tweak this to suit. I have an appointment in a couple of weeks with the consultant to outline the treatment, after which it will start immediately. This involves 4 outpatient chemo treatments, then a rest for 1-2 months, then I go into the Western General for a 3 week intensive chemo course. Whilst I'm there they will harvest stem cells from my blood and have a stem cell injection into my bone marrow.
All going well, they will then put me on a bone healing procedure, the consultant says my vertebrae should heal back to almost normal.
So this time next year, fingers crossed, I will be in remission.
I'm keeping positive about it and intend to spend a lot of time recording music, not much else I can do anyway.
They've started me on intense 4 day steroid bursts to prepare my body for the chemo, they fill the blood with adrenaline, getting about 2 hours sleep a night and jiving about like a youngster
