Hi ,
Many thanks to those of you who have asked me about my back
situation, and have told me that you're praying for me! An update on that is at the bottom of this email. Admittedly, this e-mail is self-centered, but I thought you might like to hear this...
I have to tell you about another astounding, God-ordained "coincidence" regarding this issue --- My back began to have problems in early April. The pain
slowly increased as the weeks passed. Then in May, Carrie and I caught colds which included a cough. Mine would not go away, even after the other symptoms were gone. My cough lingered for 6 weeks, MUCH longer than any cough I have ever had. However, as my back grew worse, each time I coughed it caused severe pain in my back. So, I finally called my doctor. He immediately told me to go to an ENT (ear, nose, and throat specialists) to see if they could get to the root of the problem. They didn't.
BUT, during the exam, they found a tumor in my right sinus! To keep this brief, both of the doctors involved with the biopsy and the eventual removal of the tumor said that they had never seen this kind of tumor before! And, when they got the final results from the pathologist, they said that it was at the last stage before it turns into cancer! The name of the tumor is in the photo, above.
SO, here's the "coincidence".... If I didn't have the back pain and the cough at the same time, the tumor would never have been found. And, it needed to be both issues! ~ If I had only the back pain, I never would have gone to an ENT. If I only had the cough, I would simply have waited it out, and it would have gone away. So, the combination of both issues were necessary to get me to an ENT!
Coincidences? I don't think so! And, I had no idea that there could ever be a tumor in a person's sinus. But, since the biopsy last week, we have heard of three people who have died from sinus tumors!
UPDATE: Up to now, I've had an x-ray, an MRI, and last week, a SPECT scan. I've had numerous medications to help with pain, two spinal
epidurals, and one epidural directly into the sacroiliac joint. I'm in aqua therapy right now, but it's not doing anything, either. I have appointments with both an orthopedic surgeon and a neurosurgeon. We'll see what happens. So, no breakthroughs yet on what is wrong, and what to do. Thanks so much for your prayers!
