Hey Craig, get this! My urologist just sent me a letter to say that the analysis of my 'stones' shows that they are composed of clacium and oxalate, not uric acid as he had assumed before the analysis. Therefore I have to immediately stop taking the Ural sachets and the Progout- Allopurinol tablets! He told me that it was the 'chemo' that I had taken that had caused the stones and would continue to do so, however there is no way I'm going off Revlimid as long as it is still working for me! It just goes to show that although a person can be a specialist in one area it doesn't necessarily mean that they have any understanding of cancer - speciffically myeloma - and its impact on their area of speciality. Another oncologist told a myeloma seminar that I attended last week that it is very important for people to choose an oncologist who has specialised in myeloma, not just a generalist oncologist, because most of the generalised doctors do not have an understanding of the latest innovations in myeloma treatment. This is so true -- we have heard of several myeloma patients who are 'stuck' in treatments used 15 years ago, simply because their oncologists have not been able to keep abreast of the latest novel treatments. Mind you, Cancer is so individual and there is so much happening that it would be impossible that any generalist oncologist could never hope to be up to date on the latest treatments and drugs for each and every type -- especially given that everyone seems to have an individual response to every treatment and requires even more specialised treatment to handle the wide variety of side effects.
Anyhow, I'm now going to have to learn more about just what a calcium/oxalate combination means to me!! Take good care and thanks again for your info. Cath