and I am sure some people are curious because of the Facebook posts, but they found several metastatic lesions along my spine and pelvic area. I endured my hospital stay that ruled a few things out, but I'll know more hopefully soon. I meet with the oncologist next Tuesday to see what all is going on. Initially, they suspected multiple myeloma and they still haven't ruled that out. However, they still haven't made an official diagnosis yet. I guess the biggest problem is they can't find the origin of the lesions. So now everyone knows
You are a fighter, Corey, which is a critical attribute to have when going through oncology treatment. I am fervently cheering for you in this fight and sending you my best wishes that some positive news is provided to you by your doctors.
Thanks for the good word fellas. Life throws all sorts of things at you, it's just a matter of keeping the the treasure and tossing the trash. The oncologist called today to move my appointment up from next week to tomorrow. That doesn't sound ominous at all Either way, just gotta get rid of the trash and keep on.
Our thoughts are with you Corey. Mary was the head of the Mich. Oncology Association for many years and knows much more than the average lay person. If we can be of any help let me know. Is this latest diagnosis related to your earlier spells?
Today was a weird day. Basically, they know very little but suspect a lot. The blood work came back ok for most all of the major cancers. However, the CT scans and X-rays clearly show I have bone lesions from skull to legs. So, I've got a bone marrow biopsy as well as a biopsy for one of the lesions. Then, I have a full body PET scan. The easy part is the 24 hour pee sample, albeit a bit gross. Thanks for all your good thoughts and words.
Sorry to hear you're having these health troubles Corey. Football and politics take a back seat when it comes to dealing with one's health. Good luck to you in this and keep us posted.
Things are starting to get crazy expensive and we're trying to raise funds to handle the procedures. If you can give, I would be humbled. If you can share it via social media, I'd be eternally grateful. Click here to support Cancer screening and medical bills organized by Corey O'Connor
So the spinal tap and bone marrow biopsy went well. I mean, I'm alive. I'm in a ton of pain and discomfort today whereas on the day of the procedure I felt fine and even slept. I wanted to thank those who already donated. It really means the world to me. Someone pointed out to me that they don't like using GoFund Me and would prefer PayPal. I went ahead and set up a PayPal if you are more comfortable using that. It is right here: paypal.me/CoreyOConnor14 I'm a bit freaked out at the moment. The Cancer Institute that I am using gives you this webpage called seeyourchart.com and from there you can follow everything they are doing, have done, and even what is scheduled to be done. It's really cool. The first time I visited the site, I clicked on the 'Your Diagnosis' tab and it went nowhere. Today when I went to check it, about 5 hours ago, it had some of the results from the biopsy posted but not all. I clicked on Your Diagnosis again this time and it took me to a page about cancer. I am hoping that it's just some default setting, but I plan on making a few phone calls. My follow up with the oncologist is scheduled to be on the 1st. Before then, I have the full body PET scan and probably another bone biopsy on the bone lesions. Thanks for your support again! Corey
Again, I wanted to thank those that donated using either of the links above. I will find out 'the news' on the first. This week, I have a busy week with full body PET scans and more surgical biopsies. One thing is for sure, when I beat this, I'm taking my donor list on tour and we're all gonna have a beer.
Tomorrow is the big day. I visit at the oncologist first thing in the morning. So, hopefully, we'll know exactly what's going on here. Prepare for the worst, expect the best of fights.
What a crock of ****. They told me it couldn't be the 2 cancers they were worried about. Then they went so far to to say it wasn't cancer at all. That is when I began to have questions. First of all, they said the blood work doesn't indicate cancer. However, my B2M marker which is a significant marker for cancer is 2.66. The safe range is basically zero to 2. At 2.66, that is very high. Additionally, from all the reading I've done, if you have a bone lesion on a single bone then it may not be cancer. However, if you have lesions on multiple bones, then that is a clear indicator of cancer and that the cancer has metastasized. I have lesions from head to toe and all points in between. Then you may remember I had the spinal tap and bone sample taken from my healthy hip. They told me they couldn't do the 2nd biopsy on the actual bone lesion because the insurance wouldn't cover it. That turns out to be ********. The hospital refused to buy the specialized needle required for the biopsy AND that they didn't have a surgeon who fel comfortable doing the procedure. That's what we know right now. How do you make the 'no cancer' call from that? Well, now they are sending me to Huntsville Hospital where they have the needles require and a surgeon who is an expert on the surgery. So here I am, still out of work. Desperately trying to pay my bills and or the procedures and hoping that this Dr isn't a quack!!
I don't know much about B2M levels. Saw some articles talking about over 4 being high...I found one which seems to indicate that normal is up to 2.7; Understanding Your Lab Results The bone lesions sound scary...especially with the multiple lesions. But multiple myeloma should have a bunch of blood abnormalities (elevated monoclonal antibodies, etc,) and you said most of your blood work came back normal.
indeed, my blood did come back normal which is why I am having another bone biopsy on a bone lesion itself.
I had my final biopsy done on a bone liaison yesterday. It's so funny that everyone wishes you well on the day of the procedure when you're going to be high as a kite all day. You'd figure that more people would wish you well on the day after. I can definitely feel that someone was digging around my pelvis, spine and hip. Tomorrow or Friday I believe that those are the days I will fid out what's been going on.