I had my usual round of blood tests last Friday. The salient result is IgM which was reported at 1608. That is approximately 14% higher than than three months earlier. The normal range is 45-281.

My doctors have often suggested watchful waiting as my symptoms deteriorate. The reasons are two; first, the fewer rounds of treatment that a patient undertakes in a lifetime means greater comfort, away from the intravenous needles and chemicals.

The second reason is that new drugs are being developed every year. Don’t start the second-best therapy today when a much better therapy may be available tomorrow.

In my case, there is a better therapy available and Dr. Hema5 has prescribed an oral medication, taken twice a day. That certainly is preferable to day after day of intravenous treatments that invariably, at least in my case, have very unpleasant side effects.

I start the new medication this Friday. I will continue to have quarterly blood tests and expect to see my IgM number decline.