The Journey Begins

Hello folks.  Jenny and I, have been smacked hard in the face with one of the worst ailments--one you would never want-- cancer!  This post will be just a brief (maybe) overview of the 8 month process that led me to UT-Southwestern St. Paul University Hospital in Dallas, TX.

Back on March 6, 2013 (I remember that specifically and I think it was a Wednesday), I got up and felt one of those knots that usually tells you that you may have slept wrong on you back or something.  So, I didn't pay it too much of mind, took some tylenol and proceeded to start my day.  Got ready and headed off to work.  As I drove down the road I noticed the pain of the knot (which was actually directly in the middle of my back, which is unusual because knots like this are usually on the side, like the shoulder blade or something) got larger and spread across my back in a straight line all the way around to the front, stopping short of my sternum.  It reached that point when I finally arrived at work and it stayed.  I don't know how I handled that drive, but I did.  I could not work though because after getting out of the car I could not stay in one position without the full pain returning.  So, I was allowed to go to my doctor, who was close to my job, thank goodness, and had him check me out.  I guess I couldn't describe the pain well enough, but after an x-ray and CT he decided to recommend me to an Spine specialist because a mass was found on my T6 vertebrae and it looked like the vertebrae was compressed or something.

So now the next 8 months.  This was the toughest part of the process, for now, the whole 8 months.  Keep track of the positions in the months.  In Late March we finally got in to see the spine specialist and after an MRI it further confirmed the mass and suspicion of Lymphoma was made.  We then were referred to an oncologist to meet and schedule a spinal biopsy (Mid-April).  When we got the results back we were informed that the biposy was compromised and had too little tissue to confirm anything so I went through a full body CT to check the lymph nodes and an ultrasounds to check things like the spleen, arorta, liver, etc.   The ultrasound checked out ok, but the CT showed a few enlarged nodes that recommended a biopsy.  This biopsy (Late May) was done by a Thoracic surgion that seemed a bit smarmy to me, but we dealt with him.  Results showed no signs of cancer in the nodes so, for now, cancer was off the table.  

We were told to return in late August to do another full body CT to recheck the nodes for further enlargement.  It showed the nodes being the same, but the mass on my vertebrae had grown twice in size.  So, let me back track here.  During the summer we returned to the spine specialist and he prescribed physical therapy to help strengthen my back.  Up until this point the pain I was experiencing had all, but subsided, but in July, it came back at 50 to 60% of the force it had before (I think).  Enough to inform the spine surgeon.  They prescribed me steroids and said for me to keep up with the PT.  So I took them and I tried to keep up, but the pain either stayed there or grew.  Back to the oncologist and the CT, we found that mass had doubled in size.  So, around six months later.

The oncologist recommended another MRI (Late September) which confirmed the growth and then referred us to a radiology interventionalist.  We saw the radiologist in Late October and then had another spinal biopsy a week later, got a really good sample this time and it was confirmed that I do have something going on with Lymphoma (November - 8th Month).   Oh, side note, remember when I said that a break happend?   The interventionist informs us that it did not look like the vertebrae or any other part of the back was ever broken.  Just a mass was there that was now spreading around the vertebrae and squeezing the spinal cord, but no break or compression.  When it did press, I knew it.  

So for a week I was stricken with intense pain at home, recovering from the last biopsy when I was experiencing numbness and timbling in my legs and toes.  Now this is something the interventionist was asking me before during the consultation and at that time it was not happening, but it did later.  For some reason I thought it would pass and the following Monday I decided to head back to class.  Walking was different, but doable.  Going up and down the stairs were the trigger.  I had to use railings all the time to maintain balance, but one stairway (wide one) I went up as if it was nothing and all of a sudden my legs decided to cross in front of one another on their own.  I had to stop myself, focus and make each leg move right (this was only on the strairs).  I was on the phone with Jen as well and she convinced me to call the oncologist and inform him of what has happened.  We went from prescribing more s                  teroids, to another doctors visit to, "let's get you to the ER!" in one conversation.  Come to find out that the mass was squeezing so hard that communication was seriously being disrupted.  After being admitted, I saw him one last time where he tells me that we are going to UT-Southwestern and they will take the case over.  This was Jenny's goal all along, but it took a lot a think for the oncologist to go with it, but he did.  

2 days later I am at UTSW - St. Paul.  Let the healing begin!

Sorry.  That was longer that was planned, but I wanted to tell a story I guess.  Hope I didn't bore you.

More posts to come!