This morning at 7 a.m. they shipped me into the tube for the long-
awaited MRI to determine what is causing this monstrous back pain.
Results should be back by Friday or Monday. The other tests have
narrowed down the possibilities to metastatic cancer, arthritis or a
compression fracture in the L-3 area of my lower back. Don't know
which is the worse diagnosis....metastatic disease can be treated
with chemotherapy, and IF the chemotherapy works, the pain will go
away. The big question there is the IF, and the other side of that
coin is just not acceptable.

But, since there's nothing they can do about arthritis or a
compression fracture except give me pain pills....those aren't
really the greatest things either. I'm hoping that it's one of
those, though, and when winter weather is gone, the pain will
diminish. It seems aggravated by wet cold weather.

The good news is that soon we will find the answer we've been
looking for the past three months and can begin learning what, if
anything, there is to do about it. And if what I have to do is
learn to live with it, maybe they will have some real suggestions
there. It was so bad yesterday that after less than 1/2 mile on the
treadmill at the gym, my heart rate was up 30 points over normal, my
legs were cramping and I was sweating....all at the same rate I
usually do. But the jacuzzi did help somewhat.

So please, keep this long-time survivor in your thoughts and
prayers....

We'll be gone this weekend when the results are due back, so may not
know anything until we return from <GASP> Death Valley (is that a
place to be while you wait for this news? ->)? )

Marla