Quick Health Update...
So I know I have been terrible about updating my LJ ever since late June and even throughout July. I'm not sure what's been up. I didn't do anything else. Lord knows I wasn't going out, and I wasn't spending time with my friends. I guess what I mean to say is that I figured something was truly wrong with my body, and I was preparing for whatever it was that was going on.
The second week of August, I had my scans done at Vanderbilt, and they showed no signs of growth or change. But I still couldn't get over this back and leg pain I was feeling. It kept getting worse and worse. A week after my scans, I visited this someone I've been dating in Las Vegas, and I had difficulty even getting about of the best most days. The pain generally cleared up with some mild pain relievers and some heat, so I didn't think anything of it. I was home a week later with little or no pain.
Well, I flew back out to Vegas on September 12 for a 2nd visit. Almost immediately, I started having more and more and more pain....pain to the point of me not walking. I even went to the Emergency Room out there...which didn't do much good. They just looked at me and gave me some highly generic pain pills that didn't do a damn thing. The pain continued to worsen and worsen, and finally my flight out of town came up the following Thursday.
When I arrived home on Thursday (Sept 21), my sister immedately took me to the Emergency Room in Bardstown for some pain medication and evaluation. By then, some nerve damage had set in from a pinched nerve in my spine, and the emergency room physician was ready to ship me down to Nashville for a neurological evaluation. Personally, I had no idea it was this serious, or I would have pushed for some tests while I was in Vegas. Around 8am, I was rushed down to Nashville via ambulance, and the rest is basically history in the making.
I had an MRI done when I first got down here, and it showed that the cancer had returned in my L4-S1 spinal area, and it was pressing against nerves including my sciatic nerve causing me extreme discomfort and pain. So yeah, the cancer is back...and it's in a few different spots along my spine...and I'm having surgery to correct it. The surgery is tentatively scheduled for tomorrow morning, but you never know with cases like these. There are four separate surgery teams assembling to complete my procedure, and it should last somewhere between 8-12 hours.
So I guess I'm just posting because a LOT of people have been asking me what's up...and where I've been, etc. And it's time they know what's up, I guess. I finally got some internet access here at the hospital thanks to
east_ky_cub. Without him, I don't know what I'd do! I have some friends coming in for a visit from the West Coast on Saturday, so that should be nice as well. I have a lot of support, so all I really need is just some support and positive thoughts coming from you all. I think I will pull through this surgery well, and so does the rest of my family.
If you'd like to send a "get well and here's 100 dollars" card, my address is:
Steven Mackin
117 Washington Ave
Bardstown, KY 40004
I'm totally kidding about that 100 dollars part... but cards are nice, I guess. I don't need anything, and just knowing that people care will definitely get me through the worst of this.
My mom and sisters will be in control of my phone tomorrow morning and afternoon to answer any well-wishing questions and comments taken when I'm under the knife, so plesae keep in mind that I won't be around. It might be best to wait a couple of days to call anyway.
Okay I'm gonna wrap this up. Here is my current location in case you're only a hop, skip or a jump away and want to give me a hug pre-knife!
Steven Mackin
Vanderbilt Medical Center
Round Wing
Medical Tower North
Room # 5447 S (as in South)
LOVE TO ALL! I'm sure I'll pull through this!
The second week of August, I had my scans done at Vanderbilt, and they showed no signs of growth or change. But I still couldn't get over this back and leg pain I was feeling. It kept getting worse and worse. A week after my scans, I visited this someone I've been dating in Las Vegas, and I had difficulty even getting about of the best most days. The pain generally cleared up with some mild pain relievers and some heat, so I didn't think anything of it. I was home a week later with little or no pain.
Well, I flew back out to Vegas on September 12 for a 2nd visit. Almost immediately, I started having more and more and more pain....pain to the point of me not walking. I even went to the Emergency Room out there...which didn't do much good. They just looked at me and gave me some highly generic pain pills that didn't do a damn thing. The pain continued to worsen and worsen, and finally my flight out of town came up the following Thursday.
When I arrived home on Thursday (Sept 21), my sister immedately took me to the Emergency Room in Bardstown for some pain medication and evaluation. By then, some nerve damage had set in from a pinched nerve in my spine, and the emergency room physician was ready to ship me down to Nashville for a neurological evaluation. Personally, I had no idea it was this serious, or I would have pushed for some tests while I was in Vegas. Around 8am, I was rushed down to Nashville via ambulance, and the rest is basically history in the making.
I had an MRI done when I first got down here, and it showed that the cancer had returned in my L4-S1 spinal area, and it was pressing against nerves including my sciatic nerve causing me extreme discomfort and pain. So yeah, the cancer is back...and it's in a few different spots along my spine...and I'm having surgery to correct it. The surgery is tentatively scheduled for tomorrow morning, but you never know with cases like these. There are four separate surgery teams assembling to complete my procedure, and it should last somewhere between 8-12 hours.
So I guess I'm just posting because a LOT of people have been asking me what's up...and where I've been, etc. And it's time they know what's up, I guess. I finally got some internet access here at the hospital thanks to
east_ky_cub. Without him, I don't know what I'd do! I have some friends coming in for a visit from the West Coast on Saturday, so that should be nice as well. I have a lot of support, so all I really need is just some support and positive thoughts coming from you all. I think I will pull through this surgery well, and so does the rest of my family.
If you'd like to send a "get well and here's 100 dollars" card, my address is:
Steven Mackin
117 Washington Ave
Bardstown, KY 40004
I'm totally kidding about that 100 dollars part... but cards are nice, I guess. I don't need anything, and just knowing that people care will definitely get me through the worst of this.
My mom and sisters will be in control of my phone tomorrow morning and afternoon to answer any well-wishing questions and comments taken when I'm under the knife, so plesae keep in mind that I won't be around. It might be best to wait a couple of days to call anyway.
Okay I'm gonna wrap this up. Here is my current location in case you're only a hop, skip or a jump away and want to give me a hug pre-knife!
Steven Mackin
Vanderbilt Medical Center
Round Wing
Medical Tower North
Room # 5447 S (as in South)
LOVE TO ALL! I'm sure I'll pull through this!