I just got back from the hospital (surgery)- I need advice

sweetie i dont know what to say except that ypou are in my thought s and prayers and sending you lots of hugs. Keep The Faith!

Dear Jeannie,

Oh my dear, I am so sorry for the hell you are going through. The doctors, the tests, THE WAITING, is excruciating. And now a surgical procedure. I can understand why you are at a loss for words (although it seems now you are getting your words back).

My semi-educated (and definitely not definitive) guess is that your compression fracture is a result of osteoporis. I imagine the chances of it being mets is nearly 0, since you were clean everywhere and spinal metastases would seemingly take a long time. Your nodes, pelvis, and chest are blessedly clear, and it seems like they would go before the mets could get to your spine.

I am glad that you are (finally) getting well taken care of, and pray that all those doctors and other medical personnel will remember to treat you with tender loving care.

Hi Jeannie,

I'm in agreement with everyone else. Since all other tests have come back clear, I bet osteoporosis is the culprit. I had no idea that pelvic radiation could cause bone damage and definitely want to read the article from MoeKay.

Do keep us updated. I'm praying you will get good news soon.

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I wanted to add a couple of caveats to my post above discussing the recent study which found that therapeutic radiation to the pelvis can results in bone damage and may increase fracture risk.

First of all, the women in the study were all age 65 and older, so that these results may or may not be similar to those which would be found in younger women.

Second, the article below, which also discusses the results of the study I mentioned in my earlier post, makes the point that radiation techniques have improved since the late 1980s and 1990s, when the study participants were treated, so the chances for damage may be lower for newly diagnosed patients.

http://www.azcentral.com/health/wome...3pelvic23.html

MoeKay

Thank you for all your responses. If any hystersister has suffered from a fracture in the spine area or anywhere else - I would love to hear about it.

Does anyone know how long it takes to get back a biopsy result? Also if there is something wrong - does the lab contact the doctor right away?

Sincerely,
Jeannie.

Gio,
Didn't your doctor tell you how long the biopsy would take? My doctor says 4 to 6 days, but I'm sure every hospital and every lab is a bit different. Call your doctor's office and ask when the biopsy will be back. I'm sure the biospy results are sent to the doctor as soon as they are completed, regardless of the results. A fax doesn't take any longer than a phone call.

Waiting is always the worst part of this ordeal.

Hugs,
Janie

Hi Gio,

Sorry that I am just getting back to you. The word compression was never mentioned. But my osteo Doc said that I had fractures from the radiation. They were painful, but not debilitating. However, my DH claims that I have a very high tolerance for pain. But I do believe that pelvic radiation can damage the bones of the lower spine, like the sacral area.

My bone biopsy took a while to come back. About a week or so. I got the results on Christmas eve. Talk about a great Christmas present.

Good luck. I am sure you will be just fine! They will heal with time.

Sincerely,
Sharon

Jeanne - My rad/onc told me the negative effects of having radiation therapy along with the positive effects. Bone damage was just one of them.

After I had completed the required surgery/radiation to rid my body of the cancer, I thought I could put the cancer experience behind me and resume my normal life. Well, that doesn't seem to happen to most of us. Once our lives have been threatened, our worlds become a little less secure.

Being a master at cancer head, I would have the same concerns you have. I pray you find out the results of the biopsy soon and that they are negative for cancer!!!

You take care now...take time to breathe deeply!