My back pain prompted a trip to the ER, encouraged by both of my oncologists, as a way of perhaps ruling out my cancer (particularly the adrenal tumor) as the culprit in this latest complaint. My visit turned into a 5-hour marathon (although that number seems to have become the standard these days).

There was good news and bad news, as you might expect. The good news is that there seems to be no connection between my adrenal tumor and my back pain. The ER doctor ordered a CT Scan which seemed to show the tumor either staying the same size or slightly shrinking.

The bad news is that we still have no idea what is causing my back pain. Thankfully, I seem to be dealing with it better and the increase in my meds (we doubled the Fentanyl patch and I am also taking two Oxycodone pills every four hours) has reduced the pain level from a 9 to a 7.  Answers, if they exist, will have to wait until Monday.