Spent most of the day at Emerson for an NM bone scan where I get a shot of radioactive technetium and phosphorus. Then wait a couple of hours or more for the chemicals to bond to the bone. Then run through a scanner. They must have seen something because after they sent me to have more X-rays of both legs, arms, and pelvis

When we got back I had Maureen set up the travel wheelchair to take me to the greenhouse where they could point out where things were.

The results of the tests came in. Not good news. The results of the NM bone scan and X-rays are in, and the telling phrases are “concern for malignancy” and “concern for osteolytic metastatic disease.” Here we go again! Trust in the doctors, but how to break the news? Maureen and I are scared of course, the prognosis is in terms of how much longer I can live. What will the doctors be recommending? The symptoms of this disease bear out the fracture being caused by weakened bone. So what will this do to my recovery from the fracture? I message Chen and Lozano to see what they have to say. Would love to be able to get on with my life, but that seems unlikely. Am I going to bow out early?

In the evening, I sat in on the second lecture of the roots of conservation series. Another 1.5 hours towards graduation requirements.

Struggled to get up, but managed the bathroom downstairs. Appetite good – not ravenous – but had my regular boiled egg and Marmite toast. More painkillers. Read that pregabalin and oxycodone have a negative interaction so I messaged Dr. Fanucci that I was suspending pregabalin.

CT scan at Emerson. Had to negotiate how to get out of kitchen into garage. From a standing position (on one leg supported by frame) I have to kneel down (on the knee of the bad leg first, then knee of good leg) and roll to the left to sit on my butt, rotate to have legs pointing out the door, then butt slide down the steps. Once on the stoop of the garage, I can hoist myself up with arms on the car door door frame, good leg push up, and slide my left buttock cheek onto the passenger seat. Then reach over and with hands around right thigh lift the leg into the car. The appointment itself was less of a problem. Roll up into the circle at the entrance of hospital and a wheelchair guy shows up. Called Miranda while waiting for the scan. Devin’s in Vietnam visiting his parents.

The scan was no problem. The test results will later show nothing exceptional. Pick up the oxycodone script from CVS, and a wheelchair from the Stow Council on Aging social worker.

Back home and now it’s time to get the plants for the plant sale out of the greenhouse, labeled, and loaded into the truck. The plan originally was that Maureen would drive to the Red House and drop them off, but Anne Sterling said she’d pick them up. (She did, the next morning.)

Now the trip up the stairs to the bedroom. Tricky, but the butt slide is the best way into bed. Much better night’s sleep, woke up a few times – at one point the leg was hurting a lot but popped an oxycodone and managed to drift off again.