My visit to the U.S. is about to end. Holy cats, how time flies! I will be back in Florence on Wednesday (afternoon). Stefano, who has confessed to feeling lonely and missing me a lot 🙂 , is picking me up at the airport, so we can spend the afternoon together.

The cats have missed me, too. Stefano told me that they have been a bit lethargic and don’t want to play at night, the way they usually do. Cute story: the other day I left a message on our answering machine, and when Stefano pressed the button to listen to it, an excited Pinga came running and began looking for me everywhere. Awww! Sweetie pie! And yesterday morning, while Stefano and I were chatting on the phone, he put the phone next to Pinga’s ear for a few moments, and I cooed to her…at the sound of my voice, Stefano reported that she began purring madly. Double awww!

But this cute stuff isn’t really the point of my post today. The point is that yesterday I read an interesting Science Daily article (http://tinyurl.com/237dlgw) about watercress…or rather, about an ingredient in watercress (and in broccoli and other Brassicaceae family members, by the way) called PEITC, which stands for phenethyl isothiocyanate…quite a mouthful, ain’t it?

This isn’t the first time we have discussed PEITC, an important anticancer substance, and I am sure it won’t be the last. It was, e.g., the focus of a post I wrote in July 2007…and, if you scroll down on the right-hand side of my blog, you will find a “Page” on broccoli, which, of course, discusses PEITC. Oh, here is a titbit: PEITC and curcumin apparently work well together (so don’t forget to add a bit of turmeric to your plate of steamed broccoli with garlic…).

But let’s get back to watercress. A recent study carried out by a University of Southampton team shows that PEITC can turn off a protein called HIF, or Hypoxia Inducible Factor, which is important in the development of breast cancer. As soon as I read the acronym HIF, I knew that I had already written about it in connection with myeloma. I don’t have the time right now to look up this information on my blog, but I did quickly check PubMed where I found a series of studies, including a July 2010 one (http://tinyurl.com/265c79l) confirming that HIF and VEGF are best buddies. That, by the way, is good news for cancer cells but very bad news for cancer patients! Hmmm, in case you were wondering, yes, curcumin inhibits HIF…

The actual experiment carried out by the University of Southampton team is interesting mainly because it goes beyond test tubes. The team measured how PEITC affected actual cancer patients. Fabulous! You can read about it in the SD article…but, in a nutshell, after eating a bowl (80 grams) of watercress, a small group of breast cancer survivors had significant levels of PEITC in their bloodstream AND, even more importantly, considerably lower levels of HIF. Super duper.

If you read the abstract (http://tinyurl.com/2dx872u), you will notice that this effect was measured 6 to 8 hours after the watercress was ingested…I say, this is excellent news. And it really seems to prove (even though larger studies are needed) that what we eat could have an impact, perhaps even a significant impact, on our cancer…I find this very exciting.

Anyway…another point scored by the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family…!!!

Fantastic news!!!! The International Myeloma Foundation race car design, the one entered in the Toyota Sponsafy Your Ride contest, made it to the semi-finals, yaaaaay!!!, which means that the IMF needs our help…again. For the next nine days, please vote every 24 hours on every computer you own and tell everyone you know to vote…colleagues at work and so on. 

Oh, I have a quick warning. I have had an occasional bit of trouble with this link…very odd, but there you go.  So please double-check that the car that pops up on your screen is the Beating Cancer car known as “Myeloma Survivor” (that should be written on the left-hand side of the screen).

If, as has happened to me, a different car pops up on your screen, please spend an extra few seconds looking for the correct car. Just click on “Gallery,” then type “myeloma survivor” in the “Search” box. Then click right on the car, and you should be taken to the correct voting page…Easy peasy!

Here is the link that SHOULD work: http://www.sponsafier.com/?cc=1282391119708#/gallery/view/367247

Okay, everyone, let’s put on our clicking hats and click away for the next nine days…clickclickclick!

I am not a “dog person,” but this is definitely a very (VERY) cute video…See http://tinyurl.com/2uc9tcg Now, if only I could get one of my cats to do this…hmmm…yeah, right…!

My thanks go to Beth for posting the link to a recent article (see http://tinyurl.com/36xykd3) on the potentially fatal effects of gadolinium, a drug used as a contrast agent in MRIs. This part of the article is nothing new, actually. Back in December, I posted about a study presented at the 2009 ASH meeting, a study proving that gadolinium helps myeloma cells grow like mad (see http://margaret.healthblogs.org/life-with-myeloma/what-is-multiple-myeloma/mris-and-gadolinium/). The study also showed that this crappy substance can be fatal to patients with moderate (!) or severe kidney disease.

This is not a minor consideration for us myeloma patients. On the contrary. One of our biggest problems is that myeloma can weaken our kidney function. I mean, we hardly need drugs to help our myeloma cells finish off the job, don’t you think? Holy cats!

So, since we already knew that gadolinium was bad news, what is the new information contained in this article? Well, the FDA has finally caught on…It is going to add its strongest warning label to imaging agents that contain the chemical gadolinium, indicating they should not be used in patients with kidney problems. Hah and double hah. About time, I’d say! I mean, who knows how much damage this potentially (only potentially? Hmmm…) toxic stuff has caused since 1988…bloody hell…

I am too sleepy to do any research or finish editing any drafts…and too busy for anything like that, in any case. My two weeks in the States are going to zip by very quickly, so I have to make the most of my time here. And that is why today, while waiting for my parents to wake up, I am going to write about something amusing (in retrospect) that happened to me in the Zurich Airport just a few days ago. Zurich, incidentally, was where my parents and I caught our connecting flight to the States.

Our flight from Florence had been delayed, so we were in a bit of a hurry to change terminals in Zurich, as soon as we realized that our Boston flight was already boarding. But we had to go through security checks and passport control again. Mom went through passport control without any trouble, and then it was my turn.

The customs official opened my passport and looked through it very carefully. She scrutinized every single page. Precious minutes went by. Then she looked up at me and asked: “Do you have another passport?” I managed not to come back with “Oh sure, doesn’t everyone?” (I should note that I am only a U.S. citizen; that is, I do not have dual citizenship) but responded instead, “No, I don’t. Why?” She said, “Well, in that case, we have a problem.” “A problem?,” I repeated, frowning. “Yes. Your last entry stamp to Italy is 2004.” “Ohhhh,” I said, relieved, “That’s because I am a permanent resident of Italy…married to an Italian, you see.” Curling her lips as though I had told her that I lived in a muddy hole and ate guano ten times a day, she enquired, “Do you have proof of that?”

Luckily, for some reason that I cannot explain!, I had made a copy of my permanent resident visa the day before we left. I had also made copies of my medical records. I have never done this before…But, as it turned out, I was, and am!, mighty glad to have ‘em!

I whipped out my trip folder, found the photocopy of my visa and handed it to her. She looked it over and asked, “Do you have the original?” “No, I don’t. The original is in Florence; I don’t travel with it, for safety reasons,” I replied. Again, a scornful lip curl.

She finally raised her head and asked, “When you return to Italy, will you be passing through Switzerland again?” Her tone implied that, should this be the case, I would run into trouble…again. I smothered the desire to utter something snappy, such as, “No, you silly cow, of course not. I will be flying over Switzerland on Harry Potter’s hippogriff…” What I really answered was: “Yes, I will.” She handed back my passport, without further comments. By then her face was covered with smirks…

In her mind, I am certain, she believes that I am probably going to end up like Tom Hanks in “The Terminal.”

I say, what about all those welcoming posters hanging everywhere in the Zurich Airport…the “Welcome to Switzerland” ones, showing idyllic views of snow-capped mountains and cows grazing happily in flower-filled meadows…but, mainly, showing smiling, friendly people offering chocolate bars to tourists ? 😉

Arrived safe and sound…happy to be here…just have a, yawn (excuse me)…a bit of jet lag…but will be…yawn…will be in touch soo….zzzzzzzz…

Well, yesterday I did not manage to finish editing the draft that I have been working on, and my parents and I are leaving Florence in just a few hours, so this will have to be brief. Especially since I am typing on Stefano’s laptop (I am taking it with me), and I still have to get used to this keyboard. Groan. Slow going…at least, for me (=a ten-finger typist).

This article (see below) should give us some éclai…I mean, some FOOD for thought. I subscribe to Jacob Schor’s newsletter. He is a very good, thoughtful researcher. Anyway, I thought some of you might be interested in reading about this new study on prostate cancer and diet…besides, only by clicking on this link will you find out how chocolate éclairs fit into the picture, hehe: http://natmednews.posterous.com/the-chocolate-elcair-diet-for-prostate-cancer

Okay, I have to go finish getting ready. Take care, everyone. I will try to write a brief thingy tomorrow at some point. Ciao! 🙂

P.S. I actually wrote this post on Monday, Sept 6th, not the 5th as shown. Just for clarification…! (My blog is on U.S. time, you see…)

My parents and I are leaving Florence on Monday…that is, day after tomorrow. Destination: Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. I have a question: why is it that natural disasters or plane crashes always take place on the eve of my departure? Always. I mean, it’s almost uncanny…

This time, it’s Hurricane Earl. I have been tracking its course…Luckily, it appears that we won’t be running into it. I can’t say I am sorry about that. No, not one bit. I have traveled in bad weather, snowstorms and whatnot, but this would have been my first experience with hurricane-force winds…eeekkk!

I am a fatalist. I believe that, well, if it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen. And statistics show that you are in more danger of kicking the bucket just sitting at your kitchen table doing absolutely nothing than by getting on a plane. I am well aware of all that.

Still, I don’t like to fly. I can’t help it. My heart starts racing at the slightest turbulence, thumpety thump!, let alone if the plane runs into an air pocket. Now, that is an interesting expression. In Italian, an air pocket is a “vuoto d’aria,” which literally translates to “an empty space with no air.” Well, at those altitudes there is no such thing as an airless space, of course. “Vuoti d’aria” are nothing more than strong air currents that make planes lose altitude, usually only for a few seconds. I know all this, I know all this…yet my rational brain cannot stop my irrational heart from going crazy…

As soon my feet leave the ground, you see, things…change. I feel as though I have no control over my life, which both annoys and scares me. It is similar, I suppose, to my attitude about having multiple myeloma. I have no control over what may or may not happen to me in the future. Taking curcumin and doing research and keeping updated and writing posts for my blog and keeping in touch with blog readers…well, all of this helps a lot, as does my cheerful, optimistic, ready-to-laugh disposition…but the fact remains that myeloma is an insidious type of cancer. Even though mine is currently dormant, I am well aware that one day it might raise its head, then yawn and stretch its scrawny little legs…

It might wake up. Or…it might not…

Anyway, having myeloma is a bit like getting on a plane that might, or again, might not!, have to go through hurricane-force winds. You can never be entirely sure that you will safely reach your destination…and have your feet back on the ground, like this man near Worms Head, UK (I watched him jump off a cliff, fly around for a while and then land safely on the beach…)…

Okay, enough with all this morbid talk! Uffa! Of course, everything will be fine. My parents and I will have a smooth trip and land safely in Boston on Monday night. And I will be back in Italy, back with Stefano and my kitties, on the 22^nd of this month. No worries. 

I am taking a laptop with me, and, hah, IF I can manage (!) to hook it up to my parents’ Mac-friendly but perhaps not-PC-friendly (!) modem, I will be posting at least a few updates from Massachusetts. I have so many unread studies lying on my desktop, so many unfinished drafts…but I probably won’t get to them until I return. Tomorrow, though, I would like to post about one of them, at least…

I just have to see how the packing goes… 🙂

This morning I received a very cute cartoon from a blogging friend (thanks!) who told me that she had thought of me as soon as she had clapped eyes on it. 🙂 It reminded her of the recent post I wrote on the refined fructose and pancreatic cancer cell study…

Incidentally, that study has given me a new pet peeve: high fructose corn syrup…and, really, any type of refined fructose. I was horrified, e.g., when I recently noticed that different brands of agave nectar are for sale in the health food store where I do a lot of my shopping here in Florence…uffaaa!!!

Anyway, I hope you will enjoy the comic strip, too. Here is the link: http://www.gocomics.com/garfield/?ref=ga_gce_b5 Oh, by the way, I assume that the strip gets changed every day…The one that my friend sent to me has today’s date, so please look for that one…Ciao!

When, in early 2006, I told my best friend that I had progressed from benign MGUS to the, er, less benign condition of SMM, or smoldering myeloma, she didn’t look shocked or tell me she was sorry or burst into tears (all of which I deeply appreciated!). It’s not that she didn’t care, of course. She is just a no-nonsense, positive-thinking person. And she almost immediately remarked, “You know, I think A. has something like that, too.” “Really?,” I answered, surprised.

And so we began chatting about A., who has been her closest friend since they were in the same class in high school…Well, it turned out that my best friend was right: A.was diagnosed with MGUS when…get ready for this!…when she was in her 20s. Since she is now in her mid 50s, that means that she has had MGUS for more than half her life…

This is actually my second post about A. My first post dates to 2007, when she swam across the Strait of Messina: http://margaret.healthblogs.org/2007/08/06/swimming-across-the-strait-of-messinawith-smm-an-inspiring-story/

There is more to this story…

A few years ago, A. had breast cancer and went through a number of chemo treatments, which didn’t, however, have any negative effect on her MGUS. Her numbers remained stable. And I am happy to report that I saw her test results last spring: they were excellent. In fact, her numbers place her in the MGUS, not SMM, category.

In case you are wondering, no, she still cannot interpret her own blood test results. She relies on her haematologist for that. As I said in 2007, some people are better off not knowing too much about…things…

But wait…why am I writing about A. again today? Well, mainly because every so often I receive private messages/blog contacts from people who have been recently diagnosed with MGUS and SMM and are scared of progressing some day to active myeloma. Well, to be honest, that nagging little thought is in the back of my mind, too. And sometimes, especially when I become aware of a new ache/pain, the notion that it might be caused by myeloma manages to push its way for a nanomoment to the front part of my brain. Then Reason and Optimism take over and push that notion back where it belongs…

That back-of-mind thought is why my research and my blog are so important to me. I receive many private (and public!) thank-yous and compliments, which are all very much appreciated…but the truth is that I do all this reading and research mainly because I am fighting for my own life. I am fighting to remain stable. And (why not admit to it?) perhaps I am fighting not to be scared…

Doctors tell us that there is nothing we can do. All we can do is “wait for the other shoe to drop.” I doubt they realize how disempowering that is…and how helpless and frightened and alone it makes us feel…

But hey, I am not going to sit back and just…wait. I am going to keep on learning as much as I can about this cancer. I am going to keep updated and test (on myself!) a few, scientifically proven, non-toxic substances, obtained only from reliable sources, of course…Oh dear, I’m so sorry…I digress, as usual! 😉

Another reason for today’s post is that I have had a few exchanges with a young woman who has recently been diagnosed with MGUS and is very VERY scared. She always gets severe panic attacks and even colic pains before going to the lab to have routine blood tests done. Oh, and sleepless nights, too. I have tried to be as reassuring as possible. But this morning I realized that, instead of reminding her of all the favourable statistics (= only a very small percentage of MGUS folks will progress to active myeloma, blablabla), perhaps the very best thing I could do for her and others would be to provide a few more details about A.

After all, A. is not a number. She is not a statistic. She is a real, living and verrry active, wonderful person. And she has become a dear friend of mine (one of my close, card-playing, laughing buddies, in fact). 

Still with MGUS.

After all these years…