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Health update

I saw my oncologist yesterday and officially discontinued the Talvey. The new plan is to try a similar but different bispecific called Tecvayli that targets CD3 and BCMA instead of CD3 and GPRC5D. In theory this should be less effective since I've already had a BCMA treatment, but in practice it seems to work well even so.

Tecvayli has all the usual side effects—CRS, fatigue, immune system degradation—but it doesn't affect the mouth or taste buds. I'm going to wait a month for all my Talvey side effects to (hopefully) go away, and then start Tecvayli in early December. This means another hospital stay while they ramp up the dose and watch for neurological problems, but at least it's only a week this time around. And neither the CAR-T nor the Talvey produced even a hint of neuro side effects, so I'm optimistic that Tecvayli won't either.

Fingers crossed.

12 thoughts on “Health update

  1. iamr4man

    Man, this has been a rough year for you in so many ways. Thanks for continuing to give us a safe place to vent our frustrations. Hope your physical health improves in the year(s) to come. You definitely deserve much better health.

  2. sonofthereturnofaptidude

    I'm astonished, Kevin, that you consistently produce so many great posts despite having to manage your illness and the side effects of the treatments you must endure. My sincere thanks.

  3. KawSunflower

    Once you can enjoy the taste food again, you should feel better able to tolerate the other effects of treatment, so hope that lifts up the spirits of the whole Drum household. You're a lot more resilient than most of us would be after trying multiple treatments. Rooting for you, & now for my former Congressman, Gerry Connolly - redistricting didn't get me me dropped from the mailing list. You're both fighters!

  4. pmdello

    Yep. Tecvayli, aka Teclistamab, is likely in my future too. Hope you tolerate the ramp up. I will be watching.

    goodbloodbadblood.com

  5. Traveller

    sonofthereturnofaptidude in their post expressed my feelings also...utter astonishment....at your...gads, ability to live well and have such a high quality work out put also.

    I don't seem to have this ability, though I am working hard, but you are forging ahead while I am continually just falling behind.

    Well, crap, I just have to accept that you are good at life and I am not!

    But now I must go back to work...best wishes and best luck to you (you must know by now that I actually need you)

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