On Monday, I had my usual appointment with my oncologist but saw his PA instead because he was on vacation. I like his PA, so it isn’t a problem when I need to see her instead of my oncologist. I am going in more often because my current medication is on a three-week schedule. I take the medication for two weeks, and then I have a week off, and then it starts over again.
My blood work looked good. My white blood cell count and ANC continue to be in the middle of the normal range, and my red blood cell count was about an entire point low and out of range, but that is normal for me. This new medication may drop my red blood cell count a little lower, so we will keep an eye on that.
Once we went over my bloodwork, we talked about how I have been feeling on my new medication. I have had some dizziness and a headache now and then, so that has been easy to deal with, but about two weeks ago, my shoulder blade started to hurt. At first, I thought it was a pinched nerve or a pulled muscle. The pain was pretty mild for the first few days, and then the pain got more intense. At the height of the pain, I was taking three oxycodone a day, which is the maximum dose my prescription allows. I have never taken that much in one day, even after surgery, because that particular medication scares me.
I told her that when the pain was to the point of making me cry, I considered going to the emergency room. I explained that I didn’t go because I knew they would give me a more potent painkiller and maybe x-ray me, then send me home, so there was no point in going.
By the time I was at my appointment on Monday, the pain was gone, but I showed my oncologist PA where the pain had been. She felt around that area, and everything seemed normal, so she said it was most likely the tumor that was in my shoulder blade that was causing the pain. She stated that there were two options to keep this from happening again, which are a shot that is similar to what patients with osteoporosis are given to help strengthen the bones or I could have two or three targeted radiation treatments to generate scar tissue around the tumor. I promised her that I would call if the pain came back again so she could speak with my oncologist and come up with a plan.
Fast forward to Wednesday night, and the pain had returned to the same spot as before. I called my oncologist’s office Thursday morning, left a message, and about ten minutes later, they called me back and said that my oncologist and his PA decided to refer me to a radiation oncologist. A few hours later, my previous radiation oncologist’s office called me to schedule an appointment for next Tuesday afternoon. I am not thrilled about going through radiation again, but if it stops the pain, I am willing to do it.
I will update everyone after my appointment next Tuesday. Take care!