It came in the form of increasing back pain.
The dull ache in my middle back, which has been my constant companion for a while now, took a turn to the South, slipping down a few vertebrae to my lower back and bringing with it an occasional shooting sciatic twinge in my right buttock.
Fortunately this started happening the day before my regular Monday clinic at the Marsden, so diagnosis and treatment were prompt, without adding to my already bulging schedule of hospital appointments.
The cause of the problem is probably the long-term use of steroids, which are vital for controlling the uncomfortable effects of GvHD such as dry eyes and mouth (both of which are still fairly severe and would presumably be even worse without steroids), but they also reduce bone density and can cause osteoporosis. Bit of a Catch-22 situation unfortunately. Or, to put it another way, caught between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea....
An X-ray revealed that my vertebrae are slightly compacted and some have hairline fractures. The pain I feel when moving is therefore caused by the muscles (what few I have left) pulling on these cracked vertebrae when I tense them.
The medical treatment in reeponse is three-pronged: calcium supplements to rebuild the bone density, a muscle relaxant to control muscle spasms, and codeine to dull the pain. So far so good this week, although I am moving even more slowly and gingerly than before in order to avoid upsetting the demon with the sharp fork. Meanwhile I have had the first of what should be weekly visits from a physiotherapist who has given me some gentle exercises to do, and I'm still getting out for a totter every day and trying not to remain sedentary for too long at any one time.
Another interesting physical change, to go with the darker hair mentioned in a previous post, is that I am shrinking, no doubt due to the compaction of the vertebrae. I've lost about 3 inches since before the transplant!
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| ....and After |
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| Before.... |
