Make Up Your Mind

It is amazing what people can get used to. We learn to fit ourselves and our lives into situations that present themselves.

In almost four-years now of active cancer I'm not surprised at all to hear that a new "growth" has shown up here or there or another place. Actually, I expect it. After all the past years have involved discovery of new tumors and then treatment of those tumors, and then discovery of new tumors followed by treatment, over and over, again and again.

I've had a pain in my right shoulder blade, extending down the back of my right arm just past the elbow for more than a month now. First the doctors thought it was just a pulled muscle. I've pulled lots of muscles and that didn't seem right to me. But they asked me to put up with it for a week or two and see if it got better. The shoulder blade got a little better. The arm got much worse.

Then the doctors thought it was a rotator cuff injury based on an x-ray. They asked me to tough it out another week to see if it would improve. It didn't.

Then the doctors concluded that it had to be a pinched nerve since the pain radiated from my shoulder blade down my arm. An MRI scan was ordered to try to determine the origin of the pinched nerve.

The MRI was ordered for the cervical spine. We received the results yesterday and the news was that cancer had entered one area in the bone of my spine, and radiation would be scheduled.

Frankly, I took it in stride. I mean let's face it...where hasn't cancer been?

It was a blip of news. I have a few questions before any treatments will start. Plus my oncologist is out all of this week.

My situation presents a challenge for doctors. They cannot just simply look at a scan and make a diagnosis. I've been through enough that doctors have to compare current results with past results. Some things that show up are just scar tissue because they've already been treated.

This has not come easy. I've had to persuade and persist doctors into examining my entire case history, not just what they may see, or think they see, today.

The current growth in my spine: Was it on the last scan? If so has it grown, shrank? Does this mean the current chemo is not working? Is the new tomotherapy radiation available for this type of treatmnet? Is this tumor a logical cause of my pain?

There are many questions. I'll start to go down the road towards learning more today and in the days ahead.

Then we'll treat it. Then we'll watch it. Then we'll start the circle again.