[tousled1]

Gin-TX,

Sorry to hear that your cancer has metastisized. Just when you think you're out of the woods - WHAM! The spine is a fragile piece of equipment as well I know. I had lower back problems for years and finally in Dec 2004 it got so bad that my only option was surgery. I had a spinal fusion T3 through S1. It's a really rough surgery and I still have problems. A year after that I was diagnosed with cancer. I'm speaking from experience and if there is any way to avoid spinal fusion I would do it. I have been on pain meds so many years I've lost track. The only time I was off pain meds was right after my mastectomy. After that surgery my back felt great. Guess it was from carrying around those heavy D cups! Well, it was short lived. I started Herceptin and along with that my back pain returned, worse than ever. In addition, all the bones/muscles/joints in my body hurt. After reading a post from Lani, I asked my oncologist to reconstitute my Herceptin with saline water instead of benzyl alcohol. What a difference! Now the only pain I have is the lumbar spine. I'm sending you nothing but good wishes and hopes that you can get the spine mets under control with chemo. I'll keep you in my prayers.