Yesterday Stefano informed me that his cousin had died in a hospital in Rome during the night…one of our favorite cousins.

Cousin G was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer about a month ago. As soon as we heard, I went to PubMed and did some research, so I knew it was bad…

But…this soon? Why? WHY??? So bloody unfair. I mean, cousin G was only 48 years old…full of life, funny, always ready with a joke…his wife is one of the nicest, sweetest women on the planet…they have a vivacious, smart 7-year-old son…and they had just bought and moved into their first house…

Oh how I wanted him to beat those bloody statistics…

Still in shock…absolutely devastating news…

Boy, what a trip…On Saturday morning Stefano drove me to the Florence airport where I was supposed to board a flight to Munich (and, from there, a connecting flight to Boston). Well, that didn’t happen…

The Florence airport had basically shut down. All morning. Why? Because of FOG. Yes, fog. I didn’t know this, but if Florence is enveloped by fog, as it was on Saturday morning, all incoming and outgoing flights get canceled. The Lufthansa personnel told me to wait…and so Stefano and I waited…and waited and waited…

Something amusing did happen, though. Between 11 AM and 12:30 PM, as flight after flight got canceled, we’d hear similar announcements from all the airlines, more or less like this one: “Air France regrets to inform all passengers booked on flight blabla, bound for Paris, that the flight has been canceled due to adverse weather conditions. Passengers should report to the Air France desk, blablabla…”

And then, no kidding, about two nanoseconds after EACH announcement, the same loudspeaker voice informed “all passengers that the newly opened cafe’ on the second floor of the airport has a panoramic terrace.” A PANORAMIC terrace. 🙂 I mean, one minute you’re telling me that my flight has been canceled due to fog…the next, that I can go up to the new panoramic terrace on the second floor of the airport to admire…THE FOG. I was mightily amused…

At 12:30 PM Stefano and I finally heard the announcement that my flight had also been canceled, duuuh…By then I knew that I wasn’t going to make that Munich-Boston flight…

While standing in line in front of the ticket desk, waiting to find out what Lufthansa was going to do with me, I began chatting with an Italian guy in front of me…the “where are you headed?” sort of talk. (This is relevant to what happened later in the day.)

In a nutshell, Lufthansa rebooked me on a flight to Frankfurt from Bologna (a city that is about an hour’s drive from Florence), which I reached by shuttle bus with all the other stranded passengers. Note: as we were waiting to board the bus, the fog suddenly lifted, and the sun came out to mock us. 😉 Oh well.

After a long wait at the Bologna airport, I finally boarded the plane to Frankfurt that evening and immediately recognized the guy sitting next to me: the above-mentioned Italian with whom I’d exchanged a few words with at the Florence airport. A welcome coincidence. We spent the entire flight time chatting up a storm. He was on his way to the American Geophysical Union’s congress in San Francisco, so during the flight I learned a lot about earthquakes and volcanos and lava and so on…fascinating, I must say. When we landed in Frankfurt, Lufthansa put us up in the same hotel, together with two other stranded passengers, so we had dinner together. It was nice not to be alone in this unexpected and unwelcome, er, adventure…

I finally got to my parents’ home on Sunday afternoon. Almost 24 hours late. Tired but mainly verrrrrrry happy to see them…And I immediately filled myself up with curcumin and have also been taking my Manuka-curcumin concoction to ward off all the nasties to which I had been exposed this weekend, especially on the Frankfurt-Boston flight…ugh!

So far, so good. I feel fine, and the jet lag hasn’t been bad at all. 🙂

Well, let’s see. There’s good news, and there’s bad news. Compared to my last set of tests, done months ago, my red cells, hemoglobin and hematocrit have slipped slightly below the normal range. Just a shade, so I’m not overly concerned. I can bring those numbers up with diet…

Let’s continue with the bad news.

1. My m-spike: it’s gone over 3 for the first time since 2011. Bummer, that. But I’ve seen it go up, then down, so again, I’m not overly worried. In my last set of tests, e.g., my m-spike was lower compared to previous tests. I therefore expect it to go down with my next set.
2. Total protein is also up: 10.7. It’s been as high as 9.9, but this is the highest it’s ever been. This number HAS TO COME DOWN. Period.
3. Gamma globulins are up a bit, too. Okay, Mr. Gamma, I’m on to you…you’d better watch out!!!
4. So is my parathyroid…up, just a wee bit. This means that I need to get back on my daily vitamin D (I stopped a week before the tests, following my family doctor’s advice, which was to stop taking it a week before getting tested).

Ah, but there’s a bunch of GOOD stuff, too! And here’s a bit of advice that has helped me tremendously in the past 8 years plus: when you go over your test results, try NOT to focus on one or even two bad numbers. Look at the WHOLE picture. Things might not be as bad as you think…Okay, here goes:

1. Beta-2 microglobulin: no change. 🙂
2. C-reactive protein: it’s LOWER than it was last time (it’s gone down a whopping .20, which doesn’t sound like much, but consider that the normal range is as follows: “less than .50“!!! Is that a 40% drop? Something like that…I’m not a wiz with numbers…
3. IgA: slightly up, from 6 to 7 (yes, I know, it’s just a smidgen, but even the slightest change in the right direction is more than welcome!!!). No change in IgM, but, as long as it’s staying put, I’m happy.
4. Ferritin (= iron stores) is up from 31 to 39. My serum iron is slightly lower than it was months ago, but still way within the normal range.
5. Creatinine (serum) and creatinine clearance (both serum AND urine) are both fine. In fact, all of my creatinines (they ran a bunch of creatinine-connected tests this time) are fine. 🙂
6. Freelite chains. They’re still high (but then, they’ve always been high, so I wasn’t expecting a miracle), but they have improved A LOT compared to last time. Big move in the right direction.
7. No Bence Jones. As usual.
8. UPDATED on November 30: serum calcium is also way within the normal range.

Now, I wanted to discuss the next test separately from the others. You see, I had a new test done, a test I found out about in the Australian MGUS curcumin trial, in fact. This test checks one of the breakdown products of bone called “deoxypyridinoline” (hey, try pronouncing THAT fast, three times in a row, I dare you! ;-)). This deoxythingy is a specific marker of osteoclast activity and bone resorption. In simpler terms, it helps determine if you have bone disease or not. Well, my deoxythingy result is fully within the normal range,. Oh, and so is my deoxypyridinoline/creatinine ratio. Purrfect.

I think that’s about it. In conclusion, I’m not ecstatic (I would certainly have been much happier if all of my MM markers had simply…disappeared!!!!!), but I’m not devastated, either. In this last period, you see, I’d gone down to 6-6.5 grams/day, and, I admit this publicly!!!, there were days when I didn’t take it at all, for one reason or another. I now realize that THAT was a HUGE mistake. These test results confirm that I need to be on a regular AND higher dose of curcumin. I’m not taking my albumin, total protein, Hgb levels and m-spike numbers lightly, believe me…

So, no more 6 grams for me. I’ve already gone back up to my usual 8 grams. And I’ve added 1.5 grams of quercetin (which I’d stopped taking, because I ran out of it), too. And, well, we’ll just to have to wait and see how I do next time! No worries.

First, what is the Vasari Corridor?

In a nutshell, it’s an elevated, enclosed passageway connecting two important Florentine palaces: the Palazzo Vecchio and the Palazzo Pitti. It runs over the Ponte Vecchio, which is the most spectacular part. It’s about a half a mile, or one kilometer, long.

If you look at my first photo, on the left (on the top left, you can see a reflection in the window, which is kinda cool), you can see the Corridor…Look about halfway down on the right…the Corridor, with two small windows, sits on top of the arch jutting out from the building (the Uffizi Gallery). See how it continues over the Ponte Vecchio in the distance (same sort of windows)? In the second photo, you have a closer view of the Corridor, located just above the shops jutting out from the bridge and the arches (see the white-ish part). (You can make most of the photos bigger by clicking on them.)

A bit of history: the Corridoio Vasariano, as it’s called in Italian, was commissioned in the year 1565 by the Grand Duke Cosimo I de’Medici, on a design by Giorgio Vasari, hence its name. Its main purpose, back then, was to enable the Medici family and their guests to move freely between the two (above-mentioned) palaces, probably via a small carriage…It was also a fast and safe escape route in case of any trouble…

Interesting tidbit: I read that before the Corridor was built over the Ponte Vecchio (= the Old Bridge), the bridge housed a series of butcher shops, which used to dump their smelly waste (ugh) right into the river. Since that wouldn’t have provided a very palatable view for the Medici family, however, all these shops were kicked off the bridge after the Corridor was built and were replaced by jewelry shops, which are still there today…The third photo offers a view of the bridge and its shops…

The Vasari Corridor holds the Uffizi Gallery’s famous collection of self-portraits (from Andrea del Sarto to Chagall), which we were not allowed to photograph. We were, however, allowed to take photos of the views from the many panoramic windows, which offer great views of the river, as you can see. Indeed, these views are really the best feature of the Corridor, in my opinion…in addition to the neat fact that you are walking “over” the heads of the people in the streets below, just like the Medici family did several centuries ago… 🙂

Unfortunately, as you can tell, the day selected for our tour of the Vasari Corridor turned out to be a rather stormy one, which means that my photos didn’t come out as they would have on a lovely sunny afternoon. Oh well. Can’t have everything! 🙂 

By the way, Stefano had never been to the Vasari Corridor before (imagine that!), and I’d been there only twice, many many years ago…so I’d been trying for a while to get access in some way…Not as easy as you’d think, since it’s closed to the general public most of the year, and to get inside you have reserve a private, guided tour, paying an arm and a leg…But we finally got lucky and were able to view the Vasari Corridor yesterday without losing any…limbs or being rushed by anyone… 🙂 

After our amble through the Corridor, which started and ended in the Uffizi Gallery, we had enough time left to check out some of our favorite paintings in the Uffizi, such as Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus,” Botticelli’s “Allegory of Spring,” and Leonardo da Vinci’s “Annunciation.” Overwhelming…so beautiful…If you come to Florence, you shouldn’t miss going to the fabulous Uffizi Gallery…

Even though you can find photos of the Uffizi paintings online, photography is strictly forbidden inside the museum…so, again, we didn’t take any photos of the artwork, Just of the stunning outside views (see my early evening shot of the Palazzo Vecchio, all lit up, taken from the terrace of the Uffizi’s café, for example…)…

Anyway, ’twas a lovely afternoon…apart from the terrible weather, of course! 🙂

We heard about it on the news on Thursday. I turned to Stefano, who still loves playing video-games whenever he has time, and said: “Would you like to go?”

12 hours later, I really regretted asking him that question.

This, by the way, is a three-day weekend in Italy. November 1 is All Saints’ Day (Ognissanti, in Italian), and today, November 2, is All Souls’ Day, or Tutti i Morti (literal translation: All the Dead). It’s a big Catholic weekend, with people going to the cemetery to “visit” their dead family members and so on…

For Stefano and yours truly, though, this three-day holiday means that we get to sleep more for three mornings in a row (if the cats don’t get too antsy, that is!), and spend an extra, fun-filled day together, which is grrrrreat… 

And so yesterday morning we set off for the small city of Lucca, about a 1.5 hour drive from our house. What we didn’t realize at the time was that we were NOT alone. Nope, another (at least!) 5 billion trillion gazillion nerds/families/people were also heading for Lucca…filling up all the parking lots with their cars…and filling up the small streets and squares of this lovely little city, too.

We ended up parking our car quite far from the city center, a good 20-minute walk (each way). But the worst were the immense crowds (see the photo, below, which I took from the city walls of the late afternoon crowd waiting to get in…You can click on some of the photos to make ’em bigger, btw) inside this huge, city-wide exhibit/fair. I’ve never seen so many people, not even at the supermarket the day before Xmas… 

Until we paid for our tickets and got “inside,” we hadn’t realized that the entire city center was devoted to Lucca Comics and Games 2013 (http://goo.gl/s5XPBO). No kidding. This meant that you couldn’t get inside the city walls if you didn’t have a Comics and Games ticket. So yes, this event was HUGE! 

Part of it was a lot of fun, I admit, because almost half the people there were all dressed up in costume, from fancy expensive costumes to clearly homemade and creative ones. People of all ages, not just children. Too bad my photos didn’t turn out too well…I guess I was too busy trying not to get pushed (!), especially down the narrow streets, where we were packed like sardines…not fun at all, that part! 

Another “not fun” part. Later that evening, after we’d finally gotten home, totally exhausted, Stefano discovered that Simon, of my favorite Simon’s Cat, is going to be in Lucca today and tomorrow. Noooooo! If we’d known, we would have gone there today!!! I’m so upset! (Oh well…) Click here for the article, which includes Simon Cat’s new video, “Scary Legs”: http://goo.gl/nwzN0H

By the way, you may have noticed that my blog looks a bit different. Well, it IS different. It has magically turned into a pumpk…I mean, into a proper WEBSITE! 🙂 Oh okay, I confess, no magic was involved. This website (and the blog that preceded it) was created by my friend and tech wiz administrator, Beth. What it means to have, er, “graduated” from a blog to a website, exactly, is still beyond my comprehension, since I can’t even figure out how to change the header photo (it’s a photo I took of a whale whacking its tail on the surface of the sea, near Provincetown, MA, this past summer). And the smiley face option doesn’t work, which is good news for those who hate them er, smilies! (= I’d have put a smiley face right here, but I can’t! Hehe.)

But eventually I’ll figure out what to do with this website…

(Maybe…!)

Update, Nov 4 2013: with the help of my wonderful tech wiz friend, I was able to figure out the smiley issue, so that’s fine now. As for the header photo, well, as you can see, I did manage to change it, so the whale’s tail turned into my Prezzemolo (a funny blog reader pointed that out to me, hehe). I will change the header photo from time to time…

Both Stefano and I have found birdwatching to be a very relaxing activity. You have to be incredibly patient, though. Sometimes you get some spectacular photos as soon as you reach the birdwatching hut…sometimes, perhaps most of the time, you end up just sitting and looking outside, and you may not spot anything worth photographing. But in the end, for me the important thing is that we’re spending time together, out and about, in a lovely natural setting, doing something that we both enjoy, something that we find incredibly relaxing. The photos we take are not as important to me, although of course I’m thrilled when we end up with some great shots. This didn’t happen yesterday, as you can see… 🙂

Yesterday we went to our favorite birdwatching place, the Parco della Piana, just outside Florence. Reason: Stefano had found out that the resident kingfisher (see my Sept 24 2012 post for a nice photo taken by yours truly) was being very cooperative with the regular photographers/paparazzi who were posting stunning closeups of this gorgeous creature. Well, we wanted to try our luck, too, so off we went, armed with binoculars, cameras, tripods and heaps of enthusiasm…

We chose the best hut…and we sat…and sat…and walked around…and sat some more…and stretched…and yawned…and finally, thanks to my fabulous new set of binoculars, we spotted a tiny blue dot with a red tummy on the other side of the lake…

But I didn’t care that it was so far in the distance. I took several photos anyway. So did Stefano, but he thought his were terrible (well, hello, they’re much better than mine…Men…!). Here are a couple of mine. I know, yes, they’re terrible…and yes, they are crops…

But I even got the little guy in flight, a first for me…It’s a totally out of focus flurry business, I know, but hey, you try shooting a speck of blue flying at one million kilometers per hour! 😉

We also saw a pair of greenshanks. They’re very cute, too…And so much easier to photograph! 

My blog reader TAB sent me his most recent update back in August (I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW!!!), but I was so busy with my parents and their cataract removals that I forgot to post about it! Until this morning…Sorry, dear TAB!!!!! 

Now, please note that he mentions graphs and worksheets in his update. You will have to get in touch with him directly if you want to see those (see TAB’s comment below for his email address). Okay, here goes!!! 

Current age: 72
Diagnosed 8/6/1998 with Multiple Myeloma IgA Lambda
This is an update of my report “Smoldering Myeloma – 11 Year Case Study Using Supplements, Revised Aug 6, 2009

Update: 8/8/2013

1. I have been smoldering for 15 years.
2. I remain asymptomatic with no C. R. A. B. symptoms, that is: No elevated Calcium, No Renal failure, No Anemia and No Bone Lesions.
3. The latest IgA value of 2741 mg/dl is the lowest it has ever been since diagnosis in August 1998! See IgA Graph. M Spike is 2320 mg/dl (lowest ever)
4. Hemoglobin dropped 1.7 sigma.
5. I remain on my daily supplements of Inositol, IP6, Selenium, Vitamin C and D, Trans Resveratrol, Curcumin plus a multivitamin. I take one half of the IP6 /Inositol first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and the remaining half before bed. I take the Curcumin all at once usually with a meal that contains some fat or oil.The other supplements I spread out over the day. Supplement cost is about $1.37 per day depending on current prices. My current supplement protocol is shown on the Supplement worksheet (last worksheet). See the notes on the IgA worksheet for the changes that I made over the years in an attempt to refine the supplement protocol.
6. I feel that the trend lines in the attached graphs show a definite correlation of improved markers with the taking of supplements. The MM has by no means been eradicated, but I have enjoyed a very homeostatic control of the markers with no symptoms thus far. These supplements may or may not work for others as they apparently do for me. I have been lucky to have had the time to see results which in some cases took years to manifest. I firmly believe that the supplements are responsible for my stable condition.
7. I eat a typical American, somewhat well-balanced diet, but nothing special. I enjoy golfing (walking) in the summer and have a Body Mass Index at the upper end of normal.
8. No problems to report.
9. According to the NEJM paper by Kyle et al (Ref #6 in the Case study report), the probability of progression from MGUS to Myeloma is a constant 1% per year. For smoldering myeloma the risk of progression is greater in the early years but decreases with time. Examination of the graph of Figure 2 shows that after 14 years, the slope of the smoldering curve is identical to the slope of the MGUS curve. I interpret this to mean that my risk of progression is now 1 % per year, the same as for a MGUS patient! See NEJM Figure 2 on the next page.
10. I am providing this information in two different formats. One is in pdf format for easy reading and printing. The other is in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format. If you would like to use my Excel spreadsheets to help you plot your data (I highly recommend plotting one’s own data), you can just replace my dates and values with your dates and values, and the graphs should (hopefully) automatically plot for you. When I visit my doctor I show him the graphs which helps him to visualize any progress or lack thereof rather than him scanning through several pages of numbers which makes looking for trends very difficult.