Paula’s Cancer Blog

Where to begin I don’t even know! 

Do I start they day I was told there were Suspicious lesions in my vertebrae? Do I start the day they thought I should go into surgery to do a biopsy on my vertebrae? Do I start the day I was actually told the biopsy came back as positive for cancer?

None of these things you want to hear, there is no doubt about that! So I’ll start today August 21st, 2021.

It’s Saturday morning and I’m at Brooks Rehab Center about 20 minutes from home.  I have been here since Tuesday when I was finally released from Baptist Medical Center after undergoing my second emergency back surgery. The surgeon secured my compressed fracture with several screws and rods so I can start to walk again! 

Things are going good here.  I’m meeting new people each day and learning new tricks to help me get stronger. My back still hurts like a mother — but that’s a different story!

The plan is for me to stay a week and learn necessary skills for me to take care of myself at night. My wonderful family will be with me during the day and probably tuck me in at night LOL. But if I have to get up to use the bathroom I need to be able to do that on my own.

I have met with the radiologist and should get my radiologist schedule for my spinal lesions in the next 5 to 10 days. The radiation treatment will be at Baptist South for a couple of weeks, however I don’t know all the information 100% yet.

We meet with the surgeon on August 27 to go over the surgery and what actually unfolded. Can’t wait to see the pictures — that’s going to be interesting. 

According to MD Anderson‘s pathology report review they believe the cancer is in the breast. Although we have not been able to actually locate the cancer, but because of my mom‘s previous breast cancer history and where the lesions are on my spine they think this is the best possible location.  We are meeting the breast cancer oncologist Next week. Maybe we will learn more about The cancer I have and future treatments after radiation. And we’re also going to meet a urologist to talk about my bladder and make sure there is no issues there.

It’s hard to believe that pet scans CAT scans MRIs you name it whatever test we’ve been through has not been able to pinpoint or even see the cancer. Very scary stuff.  Treating it as breast cancer is strictly based off of a piece of a bone and some bloodwork saying that the possible place of the cancer could be in the breast.  

I will use this blog to keep my friends and family up to speed on the cancer journey I’m embarking on. Thank you for all your prayers, your text messages, your phone calls, your compassion and most of all your love during this time.  Feel free to reach out to me in this blog!  I will try my best to write a little something each day.