Tag: A Favorite

A fluctuation?

Hi, Everyone:

My Urologist’s office called a few days ago with test results; PSA (Prostate cancer indicators) remains undetectable.  My Oncologist’s office called today with test results for the Multiple Myeloma cancer.  My Spep number has crept up.  It’s now 1.0, in August and September it was .08, but in July it was 1.1. 

Hopefully this is just a small fluctuation.  It appears that 1.5 is the, “Something may be happening” number, and 2.5 is the, “Time to Get Serious” number.  If I’m still in your prayers, I thank you for that.

March 17th will be one year since my prostate surgery.  I had the one year visit with the Urologist; they took blood and urine to for testing.  I suggested to the young lady taking my blood that she leave the needle in when she’s finished and just tape it off, I will have another blood draw tomorrow.  She smiled at the thought.

The doc and I discussed how I was doing, and he said again how important it was for blood flow – for me to keep taking the Viagra he prescribed.  I reminded him that it’s expensive and my insurance won’t cover “those kind” of prescriptions, regardless of the reason.  He said men should organize and rise up (so to speak) against the insurance companies and get that changed, like birth control was. 

He gave me a sample box of Cialis. On the way down from the doctor’s office, the elevator stopped and an old guy and his daughter got in.  They were discussing his diagnosis, and he asked loudly, “What did they say I have…. Schizophrenia?”  He laughed at his own joke, I joined him. 

On the ground floor the doors opened again and I hesitated and let the lady out first.  She glanced at the papers and Cialis box in my hand and said, “Cialis?  Good luck….”  I looked at her and thought – huh?  Is there something I should know? As she exited through the elevator doors she continued, “Don’t worry, you’ll quit smoking.”

That’s me at work, ceremoniously installing the final MXU, completing the “years long” project of enabling all of our town’s water meters to be automatically read by radio.

Stable is good

The wind almost blew the Christmas lights off our house, okay not really, I took this picture years ago.

I’ve had two MRI’s since my last update. The one in September caused some concern. The Neurologists office called me the same day I had the MRI saying the doctor needed to see me as soon as possible.  

I told the nice lady that sounded kind of ominous.  She replied that she’s “sure its just regular doctor stuff, but could I possibly get in there today?”

When I saw the Neurosurgeon the next day, he came into the exam room and said, “I had to see you with my own eyes!”  Did you walk in here unassisted?  Do you have pain shooting down your legs?  Tingling or numbness?  How’s your bladder control?

He explained that the MRI showed a small piece of what was left of my crushed vertebra poking quite sharply into my spine (the T8 vertebra had become a tumor from this cancer, and then it collapsed).

He did some push-pull tests on my legs and said if any of those symptoms develop, or if I lose bladder control, to call him immediately.  And then he said, “No, go straight to the emergency room and have them call me.” 

September 2011 MRI

I knew there were a lot of people praying for me, so I asked him if my walking without assistance and having none of those symptoms might be considered a miracle.  “I won’t say miracle,” he answered,”but you are VERY, VERY lucky.

There was some talk about spinal support (surgery), but the most recent MRI showed no notable change. 

The doctor determined that the vertebra had crushed as far as it would go, and since I had no symptoms from the poking bone fragment, he said the potential benefit from surgery would not outweigh the risks involved.   

I can feel that poking in my back, but it’s not pain. It’s more like a distraction. It’s almost always there, but entire moments do pass when I’m not aware of it. I got the distinct impression the doctor thought it was something of a medical oddity.

I thank you for praying for me, and I thank God for every walking, pain-free day I get. I’ll thank him for all the other days too, but I’m sure I like these better.

I recently had my 3-month Multiple Myeloma cancer test and I found the test results message from my Oncologist on our answering machine today after work, “Stable, the same as before.” That’s a message I can’t imagine getting tired of hearing.