MY LIFE Matters - Spring 2022 - 25

sive test results and performed multiple
painful and invasive bone biopsies in
my hip. There was no tumor; my cancer
was in remission. Great news, but to this
day, the effects of that bone biopsy have
resulted in being unable to sit with my
legs crossed.
Toxic cocktai ls of drugs coupled
with chemotherapy and radiat ion
have obliterated my bone marrow over
the years, not just once, but multiple
times. The steroids I needed to supplement
the treatments for lung disease
had major effects on how my body used
calcium and Vitamin D, both critical
in bone health.
When the cancer returned yet again,
STRENGTH FROM WITHIN Love Your Bones
A short time later, I was diagnosed
I was faced once more with radiation,
something I had sworn off years earlier. My
bones and overall bone health were already
tenuous, and radiation would only weaken
them further. The doctor explained it was
the " lesser of two evils " to deal with my
cancer because the danger of falling and
breaking a hip would mean 12-18 months
of recovery. Radiation would only last a
few months. The toxic cocktail of chemicals
and radiation had left my bones brittle
enough that breaking a hip was a real
concern at age 30. I will never go skiing or
walk down a flight of stairs without being
concerned I am going to fall.
" When I first started to feel ill in 2003, I delayed seeing a
doctor because I didn't have insurance and had to wait three
months to be added to my parents' insurance plan. "
with osteopenia, an early stage of osteoporosis
normally seen in women closer
to menopause. I know I will likely develop
osteoporosis. I require yearly bone
density scans to monitor bone health,
and even with my history, must fight
the insurance company's limit to one
test per year if something in my health
assessment indicates a change. I will also
be on medication for life to preserve the
remaining bone density.
Sometimes picking a treatment is more
than just the lesser of two evils. Treatments
can be guided by things other than
what's best for the patient. Restricting
expenses, making a profit, and ensuring a
positive study outcome for an experimental
drug too often take priority. In the
same way, patients must choose between
bank-breaking treatment costs or their
lives. One treatment not covered by my
insurance was estimated at $20,000 for
just six months of services. They wanted
$250 for the consultation alone.
When I started round five of this easy
cancer, I was less optimistic about a cure
and trying to avoid further damage to
my body. My bones were fragile at this
point. Another thing that was fragile
at this point was my confidence. While
planning for the radiation treatment, the
doctor laughingly said, " If I'm careful, I
can avoid the ovaries. "
If he was careful?
" When you have a health condition,
you have to be your own advocate. The
urgency of your condition will be underestimated,
no matter how dire its
reputation. " (Take Me or Heal Me: An
Ultimatum from a Weary Heart)
I questioned his statement and he
waved it off as a poor choice of words,
but it sent shockwaves through me. His
view of a cure was very narrow: Get rid
of the cancer. That was my goal as well,
but I also wanted to preserve as much of
my overall health as possible.
Time is a precious commodity. Everyone
has heard that little bit of wisdom.
When you are dying, time is everything.
In 2005, a doctor told me I had three
months to live. Count them, 90 days.
The same amount of time it would have
taken for me to be added to my parents'
insurance was now my life expectancy.
MY LIFE MATTERS
SPRING 2022
25
MY LIFE Matters - Spring 2022

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