My LMS adventure

Yesterday was a busy day. Touring the places we'll be staying at Christmas time. My mother and I visited with a friend who acted as a local tour guide. This holiday visit will be special for my mother. This will be the first time she's had her children together for her birthday since the 1980's. We will be going on a dinner cruise to celebrate. I'm feeling good. The chemo has burned off. I'm eating better since Mom is around. Each day, I'm trying to walk further and work on the paperwork I need to complete. There are many events to look forward to: My sci-fi convention next weekend. My cruise with my friend Judy. The December visit with my Mom and sister. The January visit with my high school friend. Treatment wise: Next week I start radiation to "sterilize" the area near the spine. The tumor was removed, but they couldn't get clean margins due to the location.... twined around the spinal cord. Ten radiation treatments, th...

On Monday at the PCP appointment, I mentioned the cruise in November. The doctor suggested a wig, because I'd be meeting people and they'd be put off by my hair. Mom and I discussed the option, and looked at some wigs at a local store. We went looking for a wig specialty store, which I later found online (it was closed Monday). Tuesday I stacked three appointments at Moffitt. First was pain management, which I'm doing well with the anti-depressant. I hadn't received the pain prescriptions when I left the hospital, and don't need them now. After lunch at the hospital cafeteria, Mom and I checked out Magnolia's the hair salon at Moffitt. I walked out with a wig, which I was wearing the rest of the day. Next stop was to get my staples out after a visit with the neurosurgeon and his resident. I'm still on light duty, no lifting over 10 pounds, for another couple months. Back injuries and surgery heal slowly. The surgery went well, and now the radi...

Last week was interesting. I had been in severe back pain for several months. I got a PET/CT scan, and sneaked a peak at the results. Back pain was due to new mass on vertebrae. I had worked with pain management and started taking Gabapentin/Neurontin, but started stumbling and falling. I fell completely to the floor three times, and started using a cane. Last Monday, I went to see my oncologist to get the results. On the way into the hospital, I asked for a wheelchair...I realized I couldn't do the long halls and stay on my feet. After talking to me, hearing about the falls, and watching me walk, my oncologist pulled a neurologist into the room. They convinced me to be admitted. Their concern was the falls, which could cause damage to my spinal cord. I had lost about an inch of height due to the compression of my vertebrae. The report from the scan: Liver tumor is significantly smaller, lung lesions are larger. No evidence of tumors in neck at lymph system. There's a s...