And so it begins....

Two weeks ago today, I walked into an orthopedist’s office expecting to receive a cortisone shot for a sore shoulder. I walked out with a preliminary diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma.

Wait. What?  I have holes? In my bones?

What ensued were a series of tests by my primary care physician. She was aggressive and thorough, informing me that the holes could either be caused by Multiple Myeloma or another form of cancer that had metastasized. We needed to get to the bottom of it and quick because we could be looking at a stage 4 cancer.

Wait. Huh? I just wanted a shot.

CT scans. X-Rays. 24-hr urine collection. Check. Check. And check. Blood draws, mammogram, pap smear. Check, check, check.

Results started coming back quickly.  Lungs – clear. Mammogram – good. Pelvic scan – no issues.  Whew. Pap – clean. Blood work – whoa. Blood work was “suspicious”. Kidneys were on the verge of failure. And I was anemic. All indicators of Multiple Myeloma. By the end of the day Friday I had a bone marrow biopsy scheduled for Monday, full body scan on Wednesday, and an appointment with an oncologist on Tuesday.

 

By the time I met with the oncologist on Tuesday, we were 90% sure it was Multiple Myeloma, even without the biopsy results (which, as it turned out 90% of my marrow had MM cells).

 

And now, here I am. Writing my first ever blog post. My hope and prayer for this blog is that I can offer some form of encouragement to others on the same journey. And that documenting this journey for myself and my family and friends will give us a place to laugh, cry, be afraid and be strong together.... and most of all give us a place to be overcomers.