As you perhaps recall, a broken rib led to my discovery of cancer. As the doctors explained it to me, my cancerous lymph nodes weakened one of my ribs, ultimately leading to a hairline fracture.
If not for that pain, I still might not realize I have lymphoma.
And now that explains why my back has hurt since, oh, last July.
I have dealt with back pain for a long time, dating back to junior high when doctors discovered a mild case of scoliosis, which was straightened out. I occasionally throw out my lower back, probably because I have too much stomach in the front. But the pain I felt between around July 2008 and just after my first chemo treatment in mid-December was much different.
I received a CT scan in February after my third chemo treatment, and a member of my medical team at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center was going over the results and casually mentioned that my fractured vertebrae was healing nicely, which was a good sign.
Say what?
I'm not sure if this was mentioned to me before. It might not have even been noticed on prior CT scans. I don't know. It's entirely likely I wasn't paying attention.
But apparently, I've been walking around for nine months with a broken back. That explains a lot. And I guess it's a good sign that it's now healing nicely.
Of course, ever since I found out, my back has been hurting. Psychosomatic? Likely.
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Faces of Cancer: Richland Christian counselor lost wife, 3 children to cancer
As a Christian counselor, Dick English is familiar with the Old Testament story of Job, a man who has everything taken away but refuses to curse God. As a man whose family has been wiped out by cancer, he sees Job as a role model.
Since 1977, English's family has endured six bouts with cancer, and his wife and three sons all have died at the hands of the disease. His last child, Troy, passed away just a few weeks ago.
"People will teasingly call me 'Job,' " English, 68, said with a brief smile. "But the reality is that I'm not on drugs, I'm not buried in denial. I've had some rough times in life, but at the same time, there's so many people who have prayed for and continue to pray for me. There are some rough things in life, but at the same time, there's a whole lot of joy."
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When someone is diagnosed with cancer, it is devastating to the entire family. And when cancer takes a life, finding an outlet for grief can be vital.
In January 2007, Rich Brooks was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma -- kidney cancer -- not long after he retired as maintenance manager for the Benton County Fairgrounds.
"He was the first person close to me to get cancer," said his daughter, Renee Dahlgren, 33, director of government affairs for the Home Builders Association of Tri-Cities. "I was going to beat this thing with information."
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What if there were a cancer that had practically no symptoms, no routine screenings and the few symptoms that might exist were dismissed by your doctor? And what if, when the cancer was finally diagnosed, it would probably be too late to save you?
And what if that cancer could have been found and cured if there'd been more awareness? Wouldn't you be downright mad? Sure you would. I was four years ago. But unfortunately, this still describes most women's experience with ovarian cancer today.
Hang on though, ovarian cancer only strikes women over 60, right? Especially those who don't have children? That's what I thought four years ago. But, while the average age of diagnosis is 63, some 30 percent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are under 55. I was diagnosed at 39, when my twins were 2 years old.
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To many people, breast cancer screening means a mammogram. But for millions of poor, mostly young women who visit Planned Parenthood, it is usually just a physical exam by the only health professional they may ever see.
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