Hello there, old familiar shoe

I finally seem to be coming out of the fog of the holidays, losing my dad, and beginning to start the new year with a renewed sense of getting it right.  Christmas Day, with a houseful of people, we started playing Dance Dance 2 on the Wii.  We laughed til we peed.  The boys dancing and the kids, it was hi-larious!!!  We had so much fun. We got to go to Sea World but it was packed.  We saw most of the shows and fed some rays and seals. And then I started having back pain, and it's been 2 weeks and since I have a lesion in almost every vertebrae in my spine, I got an MRI of the lumbar and thoracic spine with and without contrast. (90 minutes, and I'm claustrophobic) They want me to start radiation immediately on L2, then fill it up with cement to keep it from collapsing, then move to the thoracic lesions. 

"Thoracic findings: Multiple foci of T1 hypointensity that demonstrate enhancement on post contrast images are noted throughout the visualized vertebral bodies. The largest of these lesions is with in T8 encompassing the entire posterior vertebral body as well as T4 encompassing nearly the entire vertebral body.

"The spinal cord is normal...

"Impression: Multiple foci of T1 hyperintensity that demonstrate enhancement on post contract images are noted throughout all visualized vertebral bodies which are concerning for metastatic disease."

Lumbar Spine:

"Findings: Multiple foci of T1 Hypointensity that demonstrate enhancement on post contrast images are noted throughout the visualized vertebral bodies, as well as with the left inferior sacrum ala. The largest of these lesions is without L1 measure 2.3 x 2.0 cm. A few additional lesions include the inferior end plate of L3 and the posterior vertebral body at L4.

"L1-L2: Normal disk hydration and height. Normal facet joint. Spinal canal and neuroforamina are widely patent. 

"L2-L3: [same]. Mild facet osteoarthrosis with small left synovial cyst. 

"L3-L4: [same as L1-L2].

"L4-L5: Disk desiccation and narrowing with a posterior disk bulge resulting in bilateral mild to moderate neural foraminal narrowing. No central canal stenosis. Bilateral facet osteoarthrosis.

"L5-S1: [same as L4-L5].

"Impression: 1. Multiple foci of T! hyperintensity that demonstrate enhancement on post contrast images are noted through all visualized vertebral bodies, as well as with the left inferior sacrum, which are concerning for metastatic disease. 2. Multilevel discogenic and spondylotic changes resulting in neural foraminal narrowing as described above. No central canal stenosis."

All I know now is that they want to start radiation asap, and they said that once the tumor is radiated, I will never have to worry about that spot any more. I find that hard to believe. You can never say never about a pheo.  So starting Monday, 5 days a week for 3 weeks I'll get radiation for 20-30 minutes.  They say the side effects will be fatigue, bone pain, and because the laser beams have to go through my colon to get to the spine, there will be diarrhea and nausea.  Can't wait.  gotta go to sleep now.


God is Love.