Les-Allsopp

This week is Myeloma awareness week. In my own way I would like to raise awareness of this form of cancer, which I was diagnosed with a year ago. Although, currently for me, the symptoms that I have are all manageable and include severe back pain and recurring infections. Life expectancy is less than 50% for sufferers. Art is a big part of my life and gives me great motivation and drive to keep a positive outlook. 

Myeloma is:

Myeloma, also known as multiple myeloma, is a cancer arising from plasma cells, a type of white blood cell which is made in the bone marrow.  Bone marrow is the ‘spongy’ material found in the centre of the larger bones in the body. The bone marrow is where all blood cells are made.

Plasma cells form part of your immune system. Normal plasma cells produce antibodies, also called immunoglobulins, to help fight infection.

In myeloma, these plasma cells become abnormal, multiply uncontrollably and release only one type of antibody – known as paraprotein – which has no useful function. It is often through the measurement of this paraprotein that myeloma is diagnosed and monitored.

Unlike many cancers, myeloma does not exist as a lump or tumour. Most of the medical problems related to myeloma are caused by the build-up of the abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow and the presence of the paraprotein in the blood or in the urine.

Myeloma affects multiple places in the body (hence ‘multiple’ myeloma) where bone marrow is normally active in an adult i.e. within the bones of the spine, skull, pelvis, the rib cage, long bones of the arms and legs and the areas around the shoulders and hips.

Myeloma is a relapsing-remitting cancer. This means there are periods when the myeloma is causing symptoms and/or complications and needs to be treated, followed by periods of remission or plateau where the myeloma does not cause symptoms and does not require treatment.

If you wish to please visit maw.myeloma.org.uk/
and offer support if you wish to participate.

Many thanks 
Les

I want to thank the extremely generous person who has gifted me a full years premium membership. I am totally at a loss for words to describe how happy I am. It is such a marvellous feeling to realise that someone apparently likes my scribblings enough to be so generous.

I would also like to thank all the people who have commented on my works - their encouraging comments spur me on to produce yet more of it.

Many thanks again,

Les

PS.
I have quite a number of comments I have yet to reply to. My computer is currently in a terminal condition and I am unable to do any work until I receive new parts. I am typing this from my Kindle.