I had my appointment with the Bone & Joint Surgery Center at UW yesterday. I saw a Physician's Assistant because the doctor I was referred to wasn't going to be available for a few more weeks. The PA was kind, knowledgeable and calming. She took a look at my X-rays and MRI pictures. Her first comment was that the tumor looks calcified around the edges, which means that it has likely been there for a while. She seemed to think as far back as high school. She went on to say that it doesn't look very aggressive. It isn't growing and changing rapidly. She is, however, concerned that it is causing me pain. Pain is usually a sign that it is active. The only way to determine how active the tumor is, is with a bone scan. By determining it's activity level, they can further determine what the next steps should be.
The reason she didn't want to just take a biopsy, is because they would have to drill through the strong part of my bone. This would be major surgery with a recovery of at least a few weeks. It would also weaken my bone and make me more prone to injuries. Needless to say, the biopsy will only be done if absolutely necessary.
My bone scan will be done on August 22nd, which is the first day that my doctor can see me. He will go over the results right afterwards with me and then come up with a plan.
I definitely feel some relief, but I know that I don't have the answers that I need yet.
Thank you to everyone who has prayed for me and is continuing to pray.
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