Busy Medical Week

Last Wednesday, 12/8. when I saw Dr Winkler, I told him that for two or three weeks, whenever I lean forward and put my elbows on my thighs, the right thigh hurts, Rose jumped into my lap one time and I yelped. Dr W sent me to have x-rays of my right hip, thigh, and knee. By the time I got home (28 miles) after a half-hour stop at Kroger, there were three messages in my voicemail.1) Tracy from Dr W's office saying that there is a lesion on the femur and they have made an appointment for me with Dr Jackson (orthopedic surgeon) the following afternoon. 2) A woman in Dr Jackson's office telling me of that appointment. 3) Dr Winkler saying that there is myeloma in the femur and he wants Dr Jackson to look at the x-rays. He wants me to use a walker or crutches. Also, he may want radiation therapy in the future.


The 2:40 appointment worked well with the 12:45 one I had with Dr Heine (oral surgeon), but meant that I couldn't meet Rose's bus at 3:50.


Dr Heine said that my mouth is now healing well and that I can go off the medications when I finish my supply on hand. I will go back to him on January 6.


Dr Jackson said he can put a rod in my leg. It would require only a small incision in my knee and would not interfere with radiation if that is used in the future. I didn't give him an answer about that, because I wasn't sure I wanted more surgery and more metal in my body. However, I thought about it a lot over the weekend, and decided to have the surgery. My thinking is that although my body did a good job of healing my left femur after radiation killed the myeloma cells four years ago, it likely would not heal so well after all the medication I've had in those four years. Therefore, I think I need to have the rod to strengthen my leg. I'm already tired of using the walker!

My surgery is scheduled for noon on Tuesday (12/21) at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah. I need to be there at 10 am, and will spend one night there. I went there this morning to have the pre-op lab work, EKG and chest x-ray.