I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Multiple Myeloma in December 2017. Mine is one of the most aggressive forms of MM. I was in Renal Failure and did Dialysis three times a week for all of January. Luckily my kidneys are now functioning on their own and no longer need Dialysis. I’m being treated at Aurora (Chemo) and switching over to Froedtert (possible Vertebraoplasty) in Milwaukee, WI. I had a couple of vertebrae fractures in the upper Thorasic area, back in December that have healed some and now have about fractures in the lower Lumbar area, L2,L3, and L5. I was not told of Kyphoplasty or Vertebroplasty options until they also started to heal. Radiation was not a good option because it makes the bones even weaker. In January I was put on a VCD Chemo regiment of; Velcade and Cytoxan three times a week, and Dexamethasone once a week. A genetic test was done in March in preparation for an Autologous Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT) and I found out that I have several gene deletions. The Chemo regiment appeared to stop working and I still had 30-40% of cancer in my bone marrow. The ASCT is also on hold to see if a new KRD Chemo regiment of; Kyprolis, Revlimid twice a week, and Dexamethasone, once a week, will get the cancer below the 30% range. I went without Chemo for three weeks between Chemo regiments, and shouldn’t have, and took a drastic decline. I went through a lot of emotional turmoil adjusting to the first week of Revlimid. Now I’m doing much better. Hopefully with another month and a half I’ll be able to have the ASCT which could give me a couple more years to live.