Cancerwise

My late husband, Tom, received treatment for kidney cancer at UT MD Anderson for several years before passing away in 2007. So, when I joined UT MD Anderson as a senior communications specialist in 2008, I decided to share my perspective here on Cancerwise in a series of blog posts. 

Those blog posts detailed what it was like to support a loved one with a cancer diagnosis. Recently, though, I found myself on the other side of that equation. Here’s how I became a patient at UT MD Anderson, and why I’m sharing my own experiences again now. 

My schwannoma symptoms

Two weeks after completing the 2018 Houston Half Marathon, I was taking a short walk outside my office building. Suddenly, my right leg gave out. It was startling, but nothing seemed to be wrong with me. I’d caught myself before hitting the pavement. So, I didn’t give it too much thought.

Gradually, though, I began to experience back pain that radiated down my right leg. “Oh, that’s just sciatica,” a friend told me. 

I accepted her explanation, assuming the wear and tear my body had endured from years of carrying around heavy equipment as a television news photographer had finally caught up with me. But soon, standing during choir rehearsals — or even standing up to put on my makeup — caused an unusual tightness in my back. Sometimes, it turned into excruciating pain. 

I started seeing a physical therapist, but those sessions gave me only temporary relief. Eventually, I just accepted the pain and carried on with my life.  

A self-referral to UT MD Anderson

The following year, I decided I wanted answers. I saw a sports medicine specialist and had X-rays taken. Those scans revealed an abnormal growth on my lower back, between the L3 and L4 vertebrae. 

The specialist seemed certain it wasn’t cancer. That was a relief. But just to be sure, I scheduled an appointment with Claudio Tatsui, M.D., a neurosurgeon here at UT MD Anderson. 

After completing his own examination, Dr. Tatsui agreed that the growth could be a schwannoma, a type of benign tumor that grows within the nerve sheath cells that normally insulate and protect the nerves. As the lesion was relatively small and I had normal strength and sensation in my right leg, he initially recommended periodic MRIs to keep close tabs on it.