Long Time No See

I did not realize how long it has been since I have updated this blog. For that I am sorry. I was doing what the average cancer patient does once they complete treatment. You get busy living your life, that is a good thing. That is why you went through the treatment as arduous as it may of been. I have been doing just that. During this time I have also spent much of my time raising awareness, being a mentor to others going through the cancer treatment process as well as raising money for the American Cancer Society. Life was going good, I passed the magical 5 year Survivor mark and cancer was becoming a part of my past. A part that made me a more compassionate, patient and faith filled person. Then.... last summer I happened to fall back into a sump it while helping my husband do a home appraisal. My back really hurt after that and I brushed it off after all that is quite a jolt and I was nearing 60 years old...what did I expect? The pain persisted and the heating pad became my best friend. Then the pain wandered over to my left side right where the kidney is located. This had me quite concerned since I donated the left kidney to my brother 25 years ago and I have to protect the one I have left. So I consulted my medical authority, Dr. Google, and came to conclusion I had a kidney stone. My next step was to go to an actual medical professional to confirm my diagnosis and start treatment. So I went to the general practitioner, who did some tests that were not conclusive so she sent me to the specialist, a Urologist.` An x-ray was done prior to my appointment and the Urologist relayed the good news that I did not have a kidney stone and he was referring me back to the General Practitioner. When I met with the General Practitioner, I was informed that I had a compression fracture in my spine. In addition there was concern about a mass that had formed where the fracture occurred and that the mass had what I remember being described as 'boney finger extrusions'. With that they want me to see my Oncologist to rule out the chance that it may be cancer. Wow, but has usual for me I concentrated on the word may as being it is most likely not. The next week I had a PET scan done. A PET scan is one of those fun tests if you have claustrophobia, which I do not. They inject a radioactive sugar tracer into your blood, you sit quietly for 45 minutes to allow it to circulate thorough your body then you go through the PET scanner tube where you lay still for 20 minutes while the scanner moves you slowly through the tube. A few hours later I was meeting with my favorite Medical Oncologist, Dr. Matthew Hill of John Stoddard in Des Moines. He conveyed the information that yes, that boney extrusion was most likely cancer. Being the optimist that I am, I asked for a percentage range, he said he was 95% certain that it was cancer, a biopsy would be done to confirm that. The next step was to schedule the biopsy which would be done when I had surgery to remove the mass that grew where the compression fracture occurred. The surgery was a breeze. At the follow-up appointment with my Oncologist, I learned that the mass was in deed cancer. It was not a new cancer but the Breast Cancer has changed it's physiology and was mow metastases to my bones. The major spots were in my spine at T8,9, 3 & 4 with additional spots through my pelvic and collarbone areas. I knew that once the cancer had left the site of origin (in my case the breasts) and went to another part of my body that is was Metastic Cancer, Also know as Stage 4 Cancer. So with the aid of my Oncologist, I prepared to go back on the wild ride of fighting cancer. My next post will detail the plan of treatment.