About 2 months ago, I was cleaning up around the house and went to pick up something relatively heavy. When I did, I felt something "pop" in my back and it was immediately stiff and painful. After a couple weeks of the adult equivalent of "rub some dirt on it" (heating pad and Advil) with no improvement, I finally went to my chiropractor. He took X-rays, said it looked like my L3 and L5 vertebrae were out of place and the disks were extremely swollen and inflamed. Over the next week to 10 days, I went back several times - the adjustments were extremely painful, but the back itself seemed to be improving. However, I started getting horrible sciatic (nerve) pain in my legs, especially on the right side. At this point, I was starting to get really worried and made an appt with a spinal surgeon. While I waiting for my surgeon appt, the pain worsened to the point where I went to the ER twice - at this point I could barely walk.
Finally the appt with the ortho doc came up. My mobility had been reduced to crawling in the house and I was in constant pain. Doc took X-rays in the office - my L1 vertebrae looked crushed. However, he did say it could be an old injury and I needed an MRI to be sure.
After the MRI, it was confirmed that it was a new break and that the nerves and spinal column in that area were being pinched, causing the pain. There also appeared to be some issues in the sacral area. The doc noted that it was unusual to see a vertebrae fracture like mine did, and to see issues in two widely separated areas (L1 and sacral). When the L1 burst, it constricted the spinal clearance from 13-14mm - which is normal - to less than 3mm. Thus the "paralyzed" comment. Based on what the doc was seeing, it was off for more tests...
CT, blood test, urine screen - everything came back looking good. Except the CT. That showed suspicious "stuff" on my spine - something was essentially eating my vertebrae away. Biopsy confirmed it was cancer, multiple myeloma to be exact. MM is a marrow cancer and is supposed to be manageable, so I am cautiously optimistic. Besides, what are ya gonna do? Gotta play the cards you are dealt. The L1 burst because a significant portion of the bone was gone.
So, a severely broken back ended up being the good news. All a matter of perspective
I have surgery scheduled for Tuesday to put a rod and screws around the L1 to stabilize that area of my spine and relieve the pain. Some time after that, I will be meeting with an oncologist to plan treatment for the cancer. And I get to wear a spiffy back brace for 3 months...
So, if you are so inclined, I'd appreciate any prayers, thoughts, good mojo, etc that you can send my way.
tl:dr - DD breaks his back and finds out he has cancer.
