June 02, 2010

'Everybody' hurts?

First and foremost, thanks to everyone for helping with Brad, the dog, dinners, and most importantly, the thoughts and prayers! I attempt to thank you, but words fall short.

Yesterday I had an x-ray of my right hip. The result was confirmation that there was arthritis but we already knew that previously. Everything else appeared stable. My oncologist is on vacation but his physicians assistant agreed the level of pain is too great to be arthritis. So Friday I'll have an MRI then Monday meet with the oncologist to decide what to do next. In the interim, I am on painkillers to try to manage the pain. I am moving slowly and carefully catering to my right hip and leg. If the MRI confirms micro tumors, then radiation will be next. As scary as that may sound, I look forward to it as long as it relieves the pain and I can put aside the painkillers.

Overall, yesterday was the best of the last four, although getting comfortable enough to fall asleep remains a challenge. Once I do fall asleep, I have been sleeping like a baby!

In closing, a brief excerpt from from one of my favorite R.E.M. Songs....
R.E.M. - Everybody Hurts (an excerpt)
............
Everybody hurts
Take comfort in your friends.
Everybody hurts
Don't throw your hand. Oh, no
Don't throw your hand
If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone
.........
Everybody hurts
You are not alone

2 comments:

Terry Herbert said...

David,

I'll hold thumbs that it is not the mets causing your problem, but the 'over-activity' and or virus you picked up from your rainy disc golf games.

Like you, I am pretty pain tolerant but three years ago I had the most excrutiating pain I have ever experienced in my lower back. I couldn't sit or lie down with any degree of comfort - couldn't sleep unless I was on massive doses of painkiller.

Given my rising PSA at that time, I thought the worst - what else? - and organised the bone scan which I had intended to have later in the year.

Before that could happen, the pain magically disappeared and never came back. Given the fact that the scan did identified a suspicious lesion, but well away from the site of the pain, my belief is that the back pain was caused by a combination of my taking up a new sport - lawn bowls, which involves a good deal of bending - and yard work, where I spent some time pruning hedges and bushes. Both undertaken in cold and windy conditions.

I can only hope your outcome is similar.

Anonymous said...

I'm prayin' for you my friend. Missed you on the course this weekend.

R