You are right, Bob.....what a few months of stress you have survived; I'd be jumping up and down, too. Glad to hear that your medical team were thourough and have found your mystery pain is really not very serious. Keep up the good work, staying well.

I'm so happy to hear that it was indeed what you had initially suspected and at the same time I'm glad to hear that the doctors were vigilant in checking for Myeloma.

My grandmother and her brother died of that and it is not a pleasant diagnosis.

Now...go do your happy dance but just make sure you don't fall and break another bone!! ;)

One can only wonder if the unfortunate experiences you've been through are reasonable under the circumstances or might have been partially caused by a lack of prowess among the docs who saw you, including radiologists. Were you being seen by physicians at or at clinics of a medical school? Maybe it was to be expected given the nature of your injury, but it doesn't sound like any of them did a very good job listening to what you had to say. That alone is cause for concern for any "next time" experience with this same crowd.

There's an aphorism often told to first year medical students. There are probably several versions, but one I heard was "when you hear hoofbeats that sound like large animals running, think of horses and not zebras." Your docs seem to have ignored that simple advice.

Was a long journey of tests...better than telling you it was a virus or just in your head. I appreciate a thorough doctor. Am happy with your results. You can be very grateful. Hugs

So happy for you. After having breast cancer and a sister have her cancer metastasize to the bones in her back something like this is a fear to me. So glad yours will heal without serious treatment.

What an ordeal! And what a relief! You'd think he could have delivered good news like that ASAP over the phone.

Sorry you had to go thru all of that, but glad it ended happily.

OMG, I was wondering where you've been, you haven't been quite as active here as usual.

I'm soooo glad everything turned out well, but you and your wife must have been sick with worry. Are you going to be laying off the volleyball and other stressful activities for a while? Will the broken bone heal? I think your doctor should have been more on the ball, but what a relief.

That's an amazing story. I applaud your strength and calmness while facing such a scary scenario. I hope you can return to all the things you enjoy.

Sorry you had to go through all of that, but I commend the doctors on being thorough. Isn't "benign" a beautiful word?! I'm so glad it all worked out, with a happy ending.

Amazing story is right. I'm glad you titled the story like you did because it sure didn't sound good mid-way through. I guess the doctors had to ignore your opinion to avoid a lawsuit down the road if you had been wrong. I can't believe you played volleyball with a broken rib - no matter how much Advil you took!

I'm so very happy for you, Bob. SO happy!

I'm really happy for you Bob that is really good news, my husband has myeloma and it's a journey that's for sure.

Very thankful for your good news and thankful that the doctors checked you out completely.

I have already laid off of volleyball since the beginning of June, and probably will continue to at least until August, even though it is feeling pretty much healed.

To extend the comment by the-poster-formerly-known-as-Snidely, I think the doctors were looking for a zebra because my explanation seemed to be a unicorn. A single rib broken (rather than several) in a healthy 50-year old male, in a location that is hidden and protected by the shoulder blade, especially given that the fall was over a month before seeking treatment seemed like a far-fetched, grasping-at-straws explanation to them. Especially given whatever it was they were seeing on the X-rays.

A couple of weeks ago my wife found out that the husband of a friend had just passed away. A day or so later and she learned more about it, she said "he died from 'multiple myeloma' do you know what that is?" My response was "yeah that's one of the things they think I might have."

Cancer has always been a big scary monster to me, since my mother endured several years of progressively more horrible treatments before finally passing away. Add to that a dimly remembered line from a TV show or a movie where a character is given a diagnosis of "bone cancer" and he breaks down because he had heard in the past something like "with bone cancer its not the cancer that kills you, its the pain of the bone cancer that kills you".

I do think they could have given the news over the phone as soon as it was available. The cynic in me thinks the doctor wanted another office visit fee from the insurers. A more charitable view might be that he so rarely has unqualified good news to present that he wanted the opportunity to make himself feel better by delivering it in person. I was annoyed at the cancer doctor when he was sitting there saying he was sure the radiologists were wrong all along and was sure that it was an unusual accidental fracture all along when just at the previous appointment he was just as sure that "It's real"

Although I've never seen it, my new favorite Shakespeare play is "Much Ado About Nothing"

That's the kind of news that lets you breathe again.

So glad you finally have a good diagnosis and are healing. Take care and remember our bones are as old as we are!

I'm very glad it turned out so well and while you were right, it was good that they did their overboard checking to rule out the worst. You would have been in a bad spot if they had taken your word for it and it turned out to be something much more serious.

So, All's Well That Ends Well. So very glad it wasn't anything worse than a break that will heal. And good for you for still playing volleyball!!

Happy news, but I'm sorry that you had to go through so many tests and weeks of worry before getting that news.

I gotta tell you that if it were me undergoing all that jazz, my BP would have been through the roof and all the health care folks would have been more worried about a potential heart issue rather than anything else. A simple visit to the doc's office will send it so high one might wonder how I am still alive.

I feel good that your wedding experience was good. I feel good that you have beaten the medical-care system. I feel good that you have relieved some pain. I feel bad that you are getting older and that this BS happens!

Oh, wow, I was getting so worried as I was reading your original post. I was getting all teary-eyed and ready for a good cry. SO glad that it's not cancer and that you are going to be just fine. Take care of yourself!!

I am so glad that you've gotten to the bottom of it and at least now you know what caused that pain. Sorry that you had all of that mental anguish though.

What a scary road you have been traveling! So happy and thankful that your results were good news.

You've really been thru it Bob, but you're in the clear. I'm so happy for you.

Thanks so much to each and everyone of you. It has been a long and scary journey. I thought several times about sharing my feelings, thoughts and fears here at the KT as this was going on. Perhaps if I had, especially early on, you all would likely have pointed out how foolish I was being and how I needed to figure out what was going on. As each subsequent test was scheduled I thought about asking here for kind thoughts and prayers, but I likely would have felt like a hypocrite, since I am staunch unbeliever -- ever since my mother's battle with cancer.

It was remarkable how much one broken rib can hurt, especially how the pain isn't just localized to near the break, my whole right side ached pretty much continuously. When someone here started a thread about "Does your body predict the weather?" I thought about posting that my right side must be able to predict bad weather in the Houston, Texas area since it had been hurting for most of the time that they had been having bad weather there. However I didn't think RavenCajun would have appreciated that, plus I wasn't feeling much like joking.

When it was finally diagnosed as a broken rib, I was immensely relieved. However my relief only lasted about 20 seconds until the doctor said the fracture looked "funny" and wanted me to go back to the hospital for more tests "if possible, today."

At times this has all seemed surreal, like a bad dream from which you cannot awake. Maybe I should take it all as a learning experience, as an opportunity to better look out for myself and my health.

If so, maybe yesterday was the first pop-quiz. I was using the push-lawnmower to cut down weeds and seedlings, and felt a slight pricking sensation on my ankle, like a fly-bite, but then realized I was wearing socks, so that was unlikely. My next thought was a thorn snagged in my sock, and tried to brush it away, but there was nothing there. The pain then steadily increased, doubling and re-doubling, I abandoned the mower and limped toward the house. I didn't see what caused it but it had to be a poisonous bite or sting from something. I used a benedryl ointment, a lidocaine cream, and took anti-inflammatory drugs, wrapped it, iced it and elevated it. Even with all that it was still throbbing with pain when I went to bed at 1:00 A.M. This morning the spot was slightly numb and tight feeling, but by mid-afternoon the only symptom was a tiny red dot. If this bite or sting or whatever it was, was a pop-quiz, I'm not sure whether I passed or failed.

"It was remarkable how much one broken rib can hurt"

I have had a broken rib, and can say it was the worst pain I have ever had.

Your next challenge is healing that broken rib. It is by now, an old break that has been agitated to the point that it has not knitted properly. That probably means no volley ball for awhile. Maybe they will put you in a shoulder sling.

I'm surprised that it took so long to diagnose a broken rib, although that one was in an uncommon place. I guess that doc's these days do not see many of that type of injury. If you lived 100 years ago as a ranch hand riding unpredictable horses and driving cattle, broken ribs would have been more common.

I wish you the best of luck. You've had some luck already in that you have dodged the cancer bullet.

I'm really glad all is well. I agree with your cynical statement re: the cancer doc wanting another office visit. And here is another cynical statement: You must have really good health insurance.

I'm glad you have negative results.

I would however caution those saying it's all about the money. I'm really sure it's all about making sure you're ok; no stone unturned. Doctors aren't hurting for patients and time is really slim for them, so I truly doubt they want to add to their waiting rooms. Frankly, I'm surprised anyone would really think that! Doesn't everyone have to wait to get seen? Is there ever a time it's empty in the waiting room? C'mon, they don't want to work 24/7.

I certainly wasn't suggesting that in general, just about the last office visit on Friday where the entirety of it was the doctor coming in, sitting down, staring at me from across the room, and saying the biopsy is clear. That easily could have been handled by an e-mail or a phone call or a short letter rather than having me leave work, drive across town, wait in the waiting room, wait some more in the exam room only to hear a couple of sentences.

Perhaps they wanted to be sure I got the information, and given how they continually called and left reminders on my home phone despite me repeatedly and pointedly telling them to call my cell phone instead, I can understand why that would be a worry for them.

I'd say you're right on there. They don't want any misunderstandings when it comes to something as important as this could've been. Also, many people would've been far more anxious than you and they'd want to be there to answer any further questions. I'm just sure of it.

I was really commenting more generally. Those on this thread and anyone else who might be lurking ;)

Bob_cville, geez, what a scary time for you, but what a wonderful outcome. I was on the edge of my chair, reading about your ordeal. Congratulations on a clean bill of health!!

jim_1 Zone 9A, I also have white coat hypertension and it's terrible to deal with. The doc has me monitor my BP at home, but it still shoots up at his office, which makes me hate going there. I've also been putting off my dental cleaning because they now insist on taking BP prior to the appointment and, of course, it goes up there as well. I am considering valium. :)

Good lord, you didn't "dodge the cancer bullet". That was all in the medicos' heads. Your MD should have ordered an x-ray of your ribs at the get-go. (And you should have sought help at the get-go.)

I can't guess the cost of all this! There are no 'numbers' to put on your anxiety.

I cannot think of any reason for making you come into the hospital to tell you the biopsy was *benign*. There's nothing to question about hearing, "This isn't cancer. You were right about breaking the rib when you fell."

Sorry, Rob, but this is poor doctoring and poor communication. I absolutely positively guarantee you that if Bob had medicaid or medicare, they would have settled on a broken rib a heck of a lot faster. You can't argue with me, I know what I'm talking about.

When we go for hubby's follow-ups from his prostate cancer, a couple of weeks prior he gets blood-work done to test his PSA. They should come back with 0 or almost 0, since his prostate is removed.

The doctor could call us by phone to tell us the results are great, 0 or whatever but he likes to see his patients. So we drive an hour, pay for parking and sit in the waiting room for a 3-minute visit. When the weather is bad, as it was in January, we called and the nurse told us over the phone (good news) But she still wanted us to schedule an app't with the dr, so we made one for April so that our appt's would fall in the spring and fall for good driving.

My DH was angry to see that Medicare was charged $300 for a PSA test from his physical last month. He's mid-seventies. His PSA numbers were never 'interesting' back when the test was appropriate for his age (prior to 70).

We did our physicals at the same time. The lab gave me the option of declining the cholesterol test because I would have to pay the entire cost for it. I did decline it. (Perfect cholesterol is my only health claim to fame.) I wish DH had known he was getting the PSA; he would have declined it as inappropriate.

Just because a test or procedure isn't Out Of Pocket doesn't make it appropriate.

Jasdip -- Why is your DH having this test if he has no prostate? Is it indicated because he DID have a problem? (I don't understand.)

oh they can get you going and coming...had a total hyst cancer cervix, and everything that could be, was removed....and the surgeon follow up were a nightmare...the sob had so many patient you get a 2pm appt and see him at MIDINGHT...no joke...I finally said no more...and have had occasional vag checks...even with breast cancer lumptomy I'm down to once a year....but still get squished (tomorrow in fact) btw be sure your next check, they have the latest scanner...

I'm not interested in "arguing" with you SB, but I too know what I'm talking about. You can try to dismiss it, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong. Besides hearing from my coworkers on a daily basis, here's an excerpt from JAMA (aggressively=lots of testing).

__________

Results ...The most important factors physicians identified
as leading them to practice more aggressively were malpractice concerns
(76%), clinical performance measures (52%), and inadequate time to spend
with patients (40%).

_______________

Because it sums it up quite well. I'd add to it, there are institutional measures expected sometimes, so their hands are tied! The last thing they want is to add to the workload with large numbers of patients.

Thanks for defining the meaning of aggressively.