New Year's Resolution
It is now August and I have finally gained enough confidence to take a stab at the New Year's Resolution I made to start blogging. Writing does not come naturally to me, so this is a real challenge. I guess I should introduce myself in my first post. My name is Cindy. I am a wife, mother, retired teacher and a Myeloma survivor. I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma which is a type of blood cancer in July 2008. At the time of my diagnosis I was a fifth grade math/science teacher and completely ignorant of the healthcare system. I had been experiencing excruciating back pain for over 2 years. The orthopedic specialist I was seeing told me I had degenerative disc disease and treated me with pain medication and physical therapy, but my pain didn't go away. It became progressive worse. My instincts were telling me that what I was experiencing was more serious then degenerative disc disease, but I grew up in a culture where the doctor and patient had distinct roles and did not