2020 Continues to be Full of Surprises...

 

 

Mutations in Multiple Myeloma are things by which I come quite honestly. I have weathered 6 years of this disease, only to be hit time and again with the need to switch up my chemo regimen. I wasn't looking to change these regimens, nor did I intend on outgrowing the need for them. But here were are--coming to the close of rather unexpected year full of pandemics, wildfires, losses of friends and family members and an embarrassing world leader who demands recounts in the only the states he's lost the election. 

But I digress. Multiple Myeloma isn't a political topic unless you try to do away with protecting those with preexisting conditions. SO, please let me bend your ear for a minute to tell you the story of my very shocking an surprising day. 

For the last few weeks, my left leg has been doing this weird kicking thing as I was falling asleep. The kick would follow an odd, tingly or tickling sensation. When I reported this, I had started taking Daramtumumab and all of us were under the impression that this was a side effect of that new chemo drug.  Last Saturday evening, I noticed a new sensation in my lower back and in my left leg. My first thought was "oh, great... here comes sciatica to pile on top of everything else. By Sunday afternoon, I was having issues standing, walking, sitting or laying down. It certainly had all the hallmarks of sciatica. But Sunday night rolled around and I was in so much pain that I couldn't sleep. This continued though today (Wednesday) and we weren't having any of it. 

I had contacted my oncologist and Nurse Janice yesterday to let them know what was going on. They prescribed some pain meds and put in a request for an MRI. Unfortunately, even if the MRI is flagged as an "emergency", Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield can and will take up to 10 days to approve this request. Chances are pretty good that they will deny the request and an appeal would need to be filed. That puts anywhere in the range of early next week to early the following week. I might kill myself by that point. 

This being the case, because I woke up (Ha! As if I got any sleep) and still felt like I was being stabbed up and down my left leg and left ass cheek, We contacted the oncologist once again. Nurse Janice advised us to go to the emergency room where they would probably do a CT scan and ply me with muscle relaxers and pain killers. They are working, by the way. 

Anyhow, the CT scan was read by the ER doc and he detected a number of tumours in the lumbo-sacral area of the spine. We called Nurse Janice and she contacted a doctor in the radiation department because obviously, that the next place we'd go. I got in and the CT was read in greater detail by that doctor. He informed us that the tumour was in several bones going up the spine and across my hip bones. The reason behind the sciatica was that the tumour was crowding out the "nerve tunnel" going up my spine and because it was impinging on that massive nerve cluster, I was experiencing these unpleasant sensations.

I will be called in the morning and set up an appointment to be mapped later in the day. I'll probably get a couple additional dot tattoos and whatnot so they can line up the machine and hit the affected areas. I will be having five consecutive sessions. Aside from being a little tired by the end of the day, radiation hasn't been too bad for me. 

Like everything else that has come before, it will be fine no matter what happens.

Love to you all!