PROMISING

My visit with the oncological orthopedist went very well today. I do need an MRI on that R hip on June 1 to confirm some things and to look closer at the blood supply to the hip and at the labrum (cartilage around the edge of the hip socket). However, from strictly a bone point of view via x-ray, they saw no necrosis and no osteoarthritis in either hip. Praise God for that initial assessment! Dr. R pretty much said that yes, it is the radiation that is responsible for the pain and throbbing and stiffness, exacerbated by the side effects of chemo. I will have to live with the collateral damage from the radiation, and this is it. There was good news about my hip tumor. While most cancer patients with mets to the bone find that the cancer eats away at the bone and makes it brittle and porous (resulting in spontaneous breaks), my tumor has sclerosed (has healed hard and dense). This is another big praise. So, unless the MRI shows some new concerns, the thoughts from today were promising. I am grateful beyond words for all of your prayers. I had a lot of apprehension about today and was bracing to hear "hip replacement." Hearing "you need an MRI" was a relief, and we are now trusting God that those results will be good.