For crying out loud!

I am waiting on my GP's office to get a referral for a second opinion on my back. I decided it's better to get another doctor's input as to whether this surgery is necessary/ Then at least if I get that I will feel better about going ahead with it. I am still in significant pain. But surgery scares me so I have to make sure. I wish I had a guarantee that I will be totally out of pain afterwards but they can't give me that.

So today, get a call from that doc and she wants me to see a hemotologist(blood diseases) because of a problem they had with reading the MRI. It has to do with a glitch in the radiation that the MRI picked up. This can be caused by either smoking(I'm an ex smoker) anemia or bone marrow problems. She thinks I should do this before seeing the other doc for the second opinion because it may affect me having the surgery. Well I still need the name of a second opinion doc anyway.

Crap, when it rains it pours!! I really feel like having a bone marrow biopsy right now on top of all this other shite.....

Oh sweetie, you REALLY don't want to have to have a bone marrow aspiration, because that's PAINFUL !!!! It really hurts! My son used to have to have those all the time, because he had leukemia, and they had to check the bone marrow all the time, Believe me, it's PAINFUL. So just hope they need to do blood work, and that's all!

I hope it's just a glitz in the film and there's nothing wrong. I'd hate to think you have anything else to worry about. Seems like they could tell by bloodwork, but maybe not. I don't know.

Please keep us posted, ok? I REALLY REALLY want to know!!! If you can get a copy of your blood work, can you post it here? Hope to talk to you soon! Hugs, Lee

Believe me, I don't want to get one!! I have researched this issue with the MRI's and low signal. Apparently, it is pretty common occurence and can be caused by so many other things like anemia, obesity, and other indeterminate things. The only thing I can find off with the blood work I had 6 months ago is a higher than usual white count which I think signals some kind of infection. Maybe this doc won't even need to do one.

I'm just so aggravated. If it were a little thing then OK, but I don't think I even need this. My gp's office did call me back with the name of a second opionion...they gave me the same doctor that I already saw. Yep, those people are on the ball I had to laugh otherwise I would cry.