Important News About Wally

I'm writing to give you some important news about Wally.

On Tuesday evening, while on his way to get a fudgsicle from the freezer, Wally fainted and fell down in our garage. He didn't seem seriously hurt, but we called the doctor anyway. The doctor advised us to take him to the local E.R. At the E.R., they took x-rays and a CAT scan. They discovered that he had two compression fractures on two of his thoracic vertebrae. They also discovered that his kidneys weren't working well: apparently, he was also dehydrated. They decided to admit him that night, in order to rehydrate him, and for him to see an orthopaedist in the morning.

On Wednesday morning, the orthopaedist reviewed his x-rays and recommended a procedure called kyphoplasty, where they use a needle to inject bone cement into the fractured vertebrae, to stabilize and repair them. This is a fairly common procedure for elderly patients that have osteoporosis. He ordered an MRI in preparation for the procedure. Wally had the MRI that day.

This morning, the orthopaedist and Wally's general practictioner met with me to deliver some good new and bad news. The good news was that the condition of his kidneys was improved by the rehydration. The bad news was that they could not do the kyphoplasty after, because the MRI revealed a tumor on the fractured vertebrae. They cannot insert the needle through the tumor, for fear of causing it to bleed out, or having malignant cells from the tumor contaminate the spinal cord. Instead, they can only treat the fractures symptomatically, with pain medication and an orthopaedic brace to stablize his chest and back. Wally was fitted for the brace today.

They also ordered more tests to determine what kind of tumor is on his spine. His doctor hopes it is myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, that's similar to leukemia. While incurable, myeloma is generally treatable, and patients can survive a long time with this form of cancer. Because it is found in the bone marrow, myeloma is usually found in multiple bones, and its effects can be seen in regular x-rays. So the doctor ordered additional x-rays of Wally's pelvis, thighs, and upper-arms, in order to look for additional evidence of myeloma. He also ordered chemical tests to look for the protein markers identified with myeloma. Wally had those x-rays and tests today.

If the tumor is not myeloma, they will need to perform additional tests to determine its nature and other point of origin. This may even include a biopsy, to be performed by a neurosurgeon (due to its location on the spine and proximity to the spinal cord). The doctor ordered an additional sonogram of his kidneys, to look for any other signs of additional tumors or growths. The tumor on his spine is very close to his kidneys. Wally had the sonogram today, too.

In the meantime, Wally is resting comfortably (mostly, as much as possible, given the circumstances) in his bed at Research Belton Hospital, room 242A. He is being give oxycodone and percocet for pain management. It seems to be working well, because when he is awake, he is chatty and flirts with the nurses (only Wally!). Otherwise, he mostly sleeps. If we get the test results tomorrow, the doctor may allow him to come home tomorrow. I will send another update when I have more information.