June 4, 2008

AWEFUL! That describes the two MRI’s that I had yesterday of my spine. I’ve been through many of these scans before, but none of them were as bad as yesterday’s test. I felt terrible from the pain medicine wearing off, and I had to lie perfectly still, stuffed into a tube, for over 1.5 hours. I’m not normally claustrophobic or afraid of the MRI tube, but I was ready to call it off and crawl out before the test was over! My back really hurt and the machine was much louder than normal, even with my earplugs.

I did my best to keep focused on prayers and worship, but it was impossible to relax. By the last 15-30 minutes, I resorted to singing my favorite hymns and children’s worship music in my head to keep from going nuts. This might sound silly to some, but it usually works for me.

I’ll call Dr. Aggarwal’s office today to learn the results of these tests. Unless she finds something major, then I think we’ll continue on the chemo drugs at the new, increased dosages. She told us that if my pain goes away over the next two weeks, then that will be a great sign that the chemo is working. If the pain doesn’t go away, we have “several options to still try”.

Today, I’m feeling much better, but I’m being careful not to get behind on pain meds. Mark and I appreciate all of the comments, calls and concerns you’ve shared with us this week. This has been tough on all of us.

We love you

Sandy