I did not set a new personal record for my M-protein level last month:

These numbers bounce around a bit when they’re low, so this uptick isn’t really meaningful. In fact, it might even be good news. I skipped a week of the Evil Dex about two weeks before this test, and it’s possible that this is why the number rose slightly. If that’s the case, I’d be a happy camper. I want to quit the dex entirely, and if my M-protein level stays at around 0.3 or so without it—which is still lower than it ever was on the previous maintenance regimen—then I’ll ditch it without a second thought. The primary chemo drug I’m taking (Darzalex) has very few side effects, and if I can get off the dex I’ll feel way better. Just about everything bad happening right now (fatigue, napping, neuropathy, mouth fuzziness, etc.) is solely due to the dex.

I’ll see my oncologist at the end of the month and ask about this. I already know he won’t want to stop the dex, but I’ve been on it for eight months now. Enough’s enough.

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We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't find elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

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