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05/17/2007: "Crippling Pain"
I have been avoiding talking about my condition as I think there are other things worth sharing. However, this is a blog about my battle for health so I should take some time to tell you where I am.
According to the doctors in Germany, if the Dendritic Cell treatment is going to be successful, I should be seeing some results about now. I am always positive and hopeful, but when I woke up yesterday to more pain than I have ever felt before, doubt crept in. By last night, I couldn’t sleep even after steady doses of Oxycodone pain pills. At 3am I drew myself a hot bath to find some relief. At 5:30, I finally just got up for good. At 8am this morning after two Ibuprofen 800s and a Vicodin, I was one of the first to call and insist on an emergency appointment.
Armed with my beloved hot water bottle and my beloved wife, I met with my oncologist to figure out why my whole left side was in crippling pain. She discussed the chest x-ray I had earlier last week and bluntly stated that my lung tumors are growing. She then ordered a neck x-ray to rule out any serious damage. She also gave me a new series of pain pill prescriptions and an MRI order for later this night.
The image above is one of the many produced by the MRI machine. This is a thin slice of my neck from the base of my skull to about the 11th vertebrate. You can see that the 7th one from the top is darkened by the tumor and the spinal column is squeezed. As the tumor grows and/or the tissue becomes inflamed, I feel more pain. Eventually, I may require surgery to fuse the vertebrae and support the neck.
Today was certainly a blow to my positive attitude and hope but I will rise with a reaffirmation to continue the good fight.