Dear Doctor,
I wanted to thank you for your quick response to my question on 9/13 privately, but couldn't find where to do so. Anyway, thank you for the very quick response. You were spot on about the cancer spreading. On the 17th, Joseph went in for a transfusion, and was told that he was being taken off clinical trials, and that he should start to seek hospice services. By Friday, the 19th, he was as weak as a kitten, and couldn't understand or read lips anymore very easily. (he was also deaf) He took a fall that day, and when his housemate tried to help him up, he had no strength at all. He went in on Monday the 20th for a scan, but they couldn't complete it because of the pain. They admitted him for pain management, and by Friday, the 26th he was gone. It still blows my mind that 9 days before he was at work, and had gone to an interview for a promotion...I guess there is a medical term for it, but I can't remember..but the cancer just ate away what it could, he atrophied terribly in just a few days, and his brain just couldn't function. He passed peacefully, with his family around him. So thank you, you did help greatly, by making me aware of what it very well could be, and because of that, although I hoped it would be the uric acid option, I think I knew that we were facing the spread of this devastating disease. You do a wonderful job on the boards, and I'll stick around to learn as much as I can about this stuff. Thank you once again.
Caroline
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question.
Hi. Although uncommon, chronic pain around the aspiration site can occur as a result of the BMA. This kind of pain may be controlled by taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like celecoxib. However, other possible causes of the low back pain should be investigated. Blood levels of uric acid can increase as the tumor disintegrates because of the chemotherapy. This can also cause joint and low back pains. Tumor spread to the spine and hip bones is another possible cause of severe low back pain.