But I started feeling back pains and had an MRI to check things out. Because of the chemotherapy, my spine had gotten more brittle and I developed osteoporosis. That meant that my fall had caused a back injury. According to the MRI: “1) Sclerotic appearance to multiple lower thoracic and lumbar vertebrae. 2) Sclerotic lesion vertebral body of L2 with compression deformity of inferior end-plate with approximately 15% reduction of height, suggestive of metastatic disease.” Huh? Again, I’m not an MD. Sure sounds creepy though. Right?
I was referred to an interventional radiologist for a consult. I never heard of that specialty before. As Johns Hopkins defines it: “Interventional radiology is a medical sub-specialty utilizing minimally-invasive image-guided procedures to diagnose and treat diseases in nearly every organ system.”
It was agreed that I would have a procedure whereby the compression in my lower back would be reduced by inserting cement between the two affected vertebrae. This was a brief technique done under local anesthetic. It was a big success.
Two anecdotes here – one serious, the other more humorous. The first one: There are many reasons why a lot of people don’t like medical insurance companies. In my case, it was the insurer’s initial denial of approval for the needed back procedure. According to the insurer, the pain would pass without any intervention. This was despite my specialist’s telling the insurance doctor that I really needed the procedure. Finally, 15 minutes before the procedure was due to start, my specialist received approval. Then I was wheeled into the OR. Thank you Dr.