I began my day with a 20 minute drive to get x-rays done. They were long x-rays, to be able to view my entire spine. Not only that, we did flex x-rays, basically with me leaning to the side and back and such. It was uncomfortable, it was early, but at least we got it done.
I had to take hydrocodone at work today, since I've been going non-stop since 7 AM and I'm completely worn out because of it. I'm still feeling some residual effects and it's not that pleasant. I suppose it's better than being in pain.
My orthopedic surgeon appointment was at 2 today. We looked at my x-rays, and then he talked to me about my schedule for the rest of the year. He then told me to think very seriously about the surgery, and that he's going to begin looking at all of the x-rays to determine the best course of surgery. I will go back on the 26th of March. That is when we will begin to schedule things.
So, at this point, I need to find another surgeon to give me the second opinion that my dad is asking for. I somehow have to get this pulled off in the next two weeks, before spring break.
I don't have copies of the x-rays to post. They're really not anything too special.
Things are starting to finally move forward. I'm glad.
2008-02-27
2008-02-26
Ice
Yes, ice. Wonderful in a glass. Not wonderful on a sidewalk. Ice is terrible for anyone to fall on. However, I have a feeling that, if I were to fall, I would be in a great deal of pain.
I'm amazed I haven't fallen yet. I've gotten very close a few times. Of course, I've been hyper-careful, just because the consequences could be very, very bad.
The crap on the sidewalks continues to melt and freeze, so I think it'll be around for awhile. Lucky me.
I'm amazed I haven't fallen yet. I've gotten very close a few times. Of course, I've been hyper-careful, just because the consequences could be very, very bad.
The crap on the sidewalks continues to melt and freeze, so I think it'll be around for awhile. Lucky me.
2008-02-20
Boo Mandarin Chicken Day
Cooking over 100 lbs of chicken in a wok is not so good for my back. Granted, it was only 12 lbs at a time...but still.
Looks like I'll be resting for a bit before I go out tonight.
Looks like I'll be resting for a bit before I go out tonight.
2008-02-16
Lucky Break
My day could have been crappy. It wasn't.
I went roller skating for my step-sister in law's (whew) birthday party. I was afraid that my back would hurt, or that my ankle would hurt. Neither happened. My back had a bit of soreness, but that's all. I just managed to wear myself out and get a couple blisters. It was a good time.
I need to go skating more.
I went roller skating for my step-sister in law's (whew) birthday party. I was afraid that my back would hurt, or that my ankle would hurt. Neither happened. My back had a bit of soreness, but that's all. I just managed to wear myself out and get a couple blisters. It was a good time.
I need to go skating more.
2008-02-15
Build-up
It's about 45 minutes before I'm supposed to start work. As usual, I'll be working about 6 hours today.
So, the fact that my back is already hurting is not a good thing.
It's not bad, yet. But the only thing that I've done so far today is sit on my butt at a computer. I've taken some ibuprofen, and I really hope that it helps. I guess I'll have an update about it later.
I hope my back doesn't hurt tomorrow. I'm going roller skating for the first time in many years, and I would really like to enjoy it. My left ankle will be a bit of a problem, too (I sprained it about 3 years ago). I guess, like everything else, we will see.
*edit*
Well, It's about 2, and the ibuprofen did it's job for the most part. The pain is coming back, but it's not too bad, so I won't take anything for awhile. We'll see after I go back to work.
So, the fact that my back is already hurting is not a good thing.
It's not bad, yet. But the only thing that I've done so far today is sit on my butt at a computer. I've taken some ibuprofen, and I really hope that it helps. I guess I'll have an update about it later.
I hope my back doesn't hurt tomorrow. I'm going roller skating for the first time in many years, and I would really like to enjoy it. My left ankle will be a bit of a problem, too (I sprained it about 3 years ago). I guess, like everything else, we will see.
*edit*
Well, It's about 2, and the ibuprofen did it's job for the most part. The pain is coming back, but it's not too bad, so I won't take anything for awhile. We'll see after I go back to work.
2008-02-06
Fed Up
I'm not dealing with the pain today.
Some days, I feel up to suffering through the pain for the sake of my pride. I don't want to take painkillers, and I want to be able to stand it on my own. It's a Buddhist thing, I guess.
Today, however, I just wanted to not hurt. I'm so sick of it. I guess, today, the side effects of the hydrocodone are outweighed by the pain. Being in pain drains me and makes my day terrible. I'm tired of it.
I don't plan on making this a habit. Tomorrow, I'll probably be okay with just suffering through as usual.
Some days, I feel up to suffering through the pain for the sake of my pride. I don't want to take painkillers, and I want to be able to stand it on my own. It's a Buddhist thing, I guess.
Today, however, I just wanted to not hurt. I'm so sick of it. I guess, today, the side effects of the hydrocodone are outweighed by the pain. Being in pain drains me and makes my day terrible. I'm tired of it.
I don't plan on making this a habit. Tomorrow, I'll probably be okay with just suffering through as usual.
2008-02-05
Departure
This will be short, since class will eventually get back on topic soon.
I had to call in to work yesterday because of being sick. I really didn't want to miss 5 hours of valuable work, but I really had no choice. I was hacking my lungs out and it really did a number on my back. I had to take hydrocodone last night...again. I'm lucky I didn't have to go anywhere.
At least I'm not sick today.
I posted a long article right before this, so I'll leave you with less reading for this one.
I had to call in to work yesterday because of being sick. I really didn't want to miss 5 hours of valuable work, but I really had no choice. I was hacking my lungs out and it really did a number on my back. I had to take hydrocodone last night...again. I'm lucky I didn't have to go anywhere.
At least I'm not sick today.
I posted a long article right before this, so I'll leave you with less reading for this one.
Scientists Find Link Between Pre-1970s Diagnostic X-rays for Scoliosis and Breast Cancer Mortality
From what I can tell, this is mainly for pre-1970, but it really makes you think:
Scientists Find Link Between Pre-1970s Diagnostic X-rays for Scoliosis and Breast Cancer Mortality
Researchers have found that women with scoliosis, or abnormal curvature of the spine, who were exposed to multiple diagnostic X-rays during childhood and adolescence may be at increased risk of dying of breast cancer. The study appears in the Aug. 15, 2000, issue of the journal Spine*. Authors included scientists from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Md.; the Twin Cities Spine Center in Minneapolis, Minn.; the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas; Information Management Services in Silver Spring, Md.; and the U.S. Scoliosis Cohort Study Collaborators, a group of physicians from 14 orthopedic medical centers across the country.
The 5,466 women in the study, who received an average of 24.7 X-rays, were found to have a 70 percent higher risk of breast cancer than women in the general population. There were 77 breast cancer deaths among the patients, compared to 46 expected deaths based on U.S. mortality rates. Patients were younger than 20 years old when they were diagnosed with scoliosis between 1912 and 1965. The mean age for scoliosis diagnosis in this study was 10.6 years, and the average length of follow-up was 40.1 years. Follow-up was complete for 89 percent of patients.
"These findings provide yet another indication that radiation exposure, especially in childhood, is associated with increased breast cancer risk later in life, and that the amount of risk is proportional to radiation dose," said Michele M. Doody, M.S., from NCI's Radiation Epidemiology Branch and the principal investigator of the study. Reported risks for exposures after age 40 are much lower.
Scoliosis occurs in approximately 2 percent of girls and 0.5 percent of boys. It is commonly diagnosed in early adolescence and may gradually progress as rapid growth occurs. Scoliosis patients typically undergo routine X-rays of the spine throughout their adolescent growth spurt to monitor curvature progression so that corrective action may be taken.
The researchers found that the risk of dying from breast cancer increased significantly with the number of X-rays. The vast majority (89 percent) of exams in this study involved definite or probable radiation exposure to the breast. Patients who had 50 or more exams had nearly four times the risk of dying from breast cancer as women in the general population. The number of exams per patient ranged from zero to 618. Six hundred forty-four patients had no recorded exams.
Similarly, the risk of dying of breast cancer increased with increasing estimated cumulative radiation dose to the breast. Patients who received doses of greater than 20 centigray (cGy) had more than three times the chance of dying from breast cancer than women in the general population. The estimated cumulative dose of radiation ranged from zero to 170 cGy; the average was 10.8 cGy**
This is by far the largest group of scoliosis patients followed to date. The number of X-rays that each patient received was tabulated through detailed review of the medical records and films, and the breast doses were estimated using actual machine parameters derived from one medical center (University Hospital Rehabilitation Center, Hershey, Pa.). Information was available during most of the calendar time periods covered.
Part of the increased risk of dying from breast cancer may be due to other breast cancer risk factors, said Doody. Breast cancer risk in the general population tends to be higher for women who have not experienced a full-term pregnancy or whose first full-term pregnancy was at age 30 or older. Based on questionnaire responses by 3,100 women in the study who were alive at the end of the follow-up period, it appears that women with more severe scoliosis were less likely to have given birth than those with less severe disease. Since severity of scoliosis also correlates with number of X-rays and radiation dose to the breast, it is possible that some of the observed breast cancer excess could be related to reproductive history.
Almost all of the X-rays received in this study were taken before 1976, when the dose to patients was considerably higher than with current techniques. For example, the estimated breast dose from a full-spine anteroposterior view (facing the X-ray machine) in 1940 to 1959 was about six times higher than an anteroposterior view in 1976 to 1989 and 200 times higher than a posteroanterior (turned with back facing the X-ray machine) view in 1976 to 1989. Although radiation exposures to breast tissue are much lower today than during the time period covered by this study, they are not insignificant. The authors recommend that efforts to reduce exposures continue by having patients stand with their backs to the X-ray machine, carefully limiting the portion of the body exposed to the radiation beam, and shielding the breasts. Repeat exposures should also be minimized wherever possible.
Scientists Find Link Between Pre-1970s Diagnostic X-rays for Scoliosis and Breast Cancer Mortality
Researchers have found that women with scoliosis, or abnormal curvature of the spine, who were exposed to multiple diagnostic X-rays during childhood and adolescence may be at increased risk of dying of breast cancer. The study appears in the Aug. 15, 2000, issue of the journal Spine*. Authors included scientists from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Md.; the Twin Cities Spine Center in Minneapolis, Minn.; the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas; Information Management Services in Silver Spring, Md.; and the U.S. Scoliosis Cohort Study Collaborators, a group of physicians from 14 orthopedic medical centers across the country.
The 5,466 women in the study, who received an average of 24.7 X-rays, were found to have a 70 percent higher risk of breast cancer than women in the general population. There were 77 breast cancer deaths among the patients, compared to 46 expected deaths based on U.S. mortality rates. Patients were younger than 20 years old when they were diagnosed with scoliosis between 1912 and 1965. The mean age for scoliosis diagnosis in this study was 10.6 years, and the average length of follow-up was 40.1 years. Follow-up was complete for 89 percent of patients.
"These findings provide yet another indication that radiation exposure, especially in childhood, is associated with increased breast cancer risk later in life, and that the amount of risk is proportional to radiation dose," said Michele M. Doody, M.S., from NCI's Radiation Epidemiology Branch and the principal investigator of the study. Reported risks for exposures after age 40 are much lower.
Scoliosis occurs in approximately 2 percent of girls and 0.5 percent of boys. It is commonly diagnosed in early adolescence and may gradually progress as rapid growth occurs. Scoliosis patients typically undergo routine X-rays of the spine throughout their adolescent growth spurt to monitor curvature progression so that corrective action may be taken.
The researchers found that the risk of dying from breast cancer increased significantly with the number of X-rays. The vast majority (89 percent) of exams in this study involved definite or probable radiation exposure to the breast. Patients who had 50 or more exams had nearly four times the risk of dying from breast cancer as women in the general population. The number of exams per patient ranged from zero to 618. Six hundred forty-four patients had no recorded exams.
Similarly, the risk of dying of breast cancer increased with increasing estimated cumulative radiation dose to the breast. Patients who received doses of greater than 20 centigray (cGy) had more than three times the chance of dying from breast cancer than women in the general population. The estimated cumulative dose of radiation ranged from zero to 170 cGy; the average was 10.8 cGy**
This is by far the largest group of scoliosis patients followed to date. The number of X-rays that each patient received was tabulated through detailed review of the medical records and films, and the breast doses were estimated using actual machine parameters derived from one medical center (University Hospital Rehabilitation Center, Hershey, Pa.). Information was available during most of the calendar time periods covered.
Part of the increased risk of dying from breast cancer may be due to other breast cancer risk factors, said Doody. Breast cancer risk in the general population tends to be higher for women who have not experienced a full-term pregnancy or whose first full-term pregnancy was at age 30 or older. Based on questionnaire responses by 3,100 women in the study who were alive at the end of the follow-up period, it appears that women with more severe scoliosis were less likely to have given birth than those with less severe disease. Since severity of scoliosis also correlates with number of X-rays and radiation dose to the breast, it is possible that some of the observed breast cancer excess could be related to reproductive history.
Almost all of the X-rays received in this study were taken before 1976, when the dose to patients was considerably higher than with current techniques. For example, the estimated breast dose from a full-spine anteroposterior view (facing the X-ray machine) in 1940 to 1959 was about six times higher than an anteroposterior view in 1976 to 1989 and 200 times higher than a posteroanterior (turned with back facing the X-ray machine) view in 1976 to 1989. Although radiation exposures to breast tissue are much lower today than during the time period covered by this study, they are not insignificant. The authors recommend that efforts to reduce exposures continue by having patients stand with their backs to the X-ray machine, carefully limiting the portion of the body exposed to the radiation beam, and shielding the breasts. Repeat exposures should also be minimized wherever possible.
2008-02-03
A Different Source
The last couple of days have been pretty crappy. I've managed to catch something. Whether it's a cold or the flu has yet to be determined, but I'm exhausted. I've heard that illness goes for the weakest part of your body. Which explains why it hit my lungs first. I also have asthma, for those of you who don't know. On both Friday and today at work, my back has also hurt quite a bit. It seems more like the aches and pains of illness, though. It still doesn't make it any better.
I really hope that I'm not seriously sick. I really need to be able to go to work and class.
I really hope that I'm not seriously sick. I really need to be able to go to work and class.
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