Monday, June 10, 2013

2003 - December 23, The Diagnosis

After taking pain killers for my lower back pain for 2 1/2 days, the pain was no better.  I had to see my doctor.  So, the doctor did a cat scan and did a blood workup.  We sat around Barnes-West for a while waiting for the results.  It was getting late in the day.  About 5:30pm, the doctor asked us to come to his office across the street.  I was getting a little worried.  I didn't think too many doctors would want to deliver test results that late in the day.  Unfortunately, my concerns were founded.

Sometime around 6pm, very matter-of-factly, Dr. Ellena dropped the bomb.  He told us that I had Multiple Myeloma, a form of blood cancer in the Leukemia family.  I had never heard of MM and immediately asked what my prognosis was.  Surely with my good health and being only 43, the prognosis would be good.  Dr. Ellena rained on that parade.  He told us that the average life expectancy for those diagnosed with MM is 3-5 years and that there is no cure.  He wasn't very encouraging.  We were devastated.

I went home long enough to grab some things, then went back and was admitted to the hospital that evening.

Pastor John met us when we returned to the hospital.  As he prayed with us, he also told us of a vision he believed that God had given him about me.

My M-spike, which I will a lot about over the next few years, is extremely high at 5.7

My head is spinning and I'm scared, very scared.

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