Et Tu, Summer?

Heavy sigh ...

I am sad to report that my back has been hurting so badly that even my beloved pool lends no relief. The last time I went down there (Tuesday evening), the pain was so intense that every wave of water felt like someone was throwing bricks at my back. I stayed in for about thirty minutes, then retreated to the van for a good, long cry.

I should back up and tell the whole story. Last week, I scaled down my pool visits (3 times last week instead of every night) because my back was hurting off and on in the exact spot of my previous spinal tumor / surgery. Coincidentally, I was not able to do PT either day last week (therapist was sick, then I had appt. with Dr. M). By Saturday, my back was really stiff and hurting, especially at night, but I was hoping that it was because I hadn't moved around as much as usual.

I became concerned on Sunday evening, when I could no longer lie flat on my back due to the pain. This, you may remember, was one of the MAIN symptoms of my original spinal tumor. Also, the pain is worse at night and is not related to my activity level. This, too, is a symptom of a spinal tumor.

My concern turned to terror after my disastrous trip to the pool Tuesday evening. If I am suffering from simple back strain, wouldn't the water relieve the pain instead of intensifying it?

I called Dr. M's office (to tell them about the hospital mixup that required rescheduling of my CT scans for tomorrow) and asked if I need additional tests for the spinal pain. They scheduled me for an MRI at 11 a.m. today. No results yet.

Dr. M was the one who did my recent lung radiation treatments, and one of the scariest potential side effects is radiation-induced spinal cord damage. MRI / CT would not reveal this kind of damage. It is basically diagnosed if no other source of the problems can be found.

Please pray with me that this turns out to be nothing more sinister than my own overreaction.

Thanks,

Sharon