Got the results of the MRI of my broken vertebrae. Guess what? I’ve lost 80% of the height in that one. No wonder I’m in so much pain.
So I have to meet with the neurosurgeon ASAP, probably this week, decide on whether it’s unstable (my guess is yes)and make a plan about how to handle it in light of The Tumor. The cancer surgeon wants to operate as soon as we can.
I feel like my head is going to explode.
Hang in there, Suze! 80% of one vertebra? That leaves 100% of the other 32! That’s like 3200%.
Susie, are you possibly a candidate for proton therapy to treat your cancer? Proton therapy is a specific type of radiation that directly targets the tumor, usually with less far less damage to surrounding tissue. It is used on “difficult cases”.
I don’t know where you live but you could look into the availability of proton therapy in your area. Proton therapy turned out not to be an option for me (I have an inoperable brain tumor) but it might be for you. Best wishes.
They have a proton therapy center but I’m not far enough along to need it, they tell me.Thanks for the tip, though!
Oh jeezo, I hope you catch a break soon! The older we get, the more arcane medical shit we learn that we never considered — or wanted to — learning.
Susie, if proton therapy is ever a possibility for you at Penn, it looks like Dr. James Metz is the radiation oncologist to see there. Perhaps you could get an opinion from him for future reference. (I am an expert, unfortunately, on getting 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. opinions.)