More learnings

Here's an update on what we learned at our appointments today.

Shoulder. The scans on the right shoulder show a small tear that they don't typically perform surgery on to fix. But they also show tumor growth in the head of the humerus (arm bone that butts up into the shoulder) and down it a bit of the arm. Good news is that the tough outer part of the bone looks really strong so there is no immediate concern for a fracture in that area. The PET scan does show (likely) the same in the left shoulder although we don't have the MRI on that shoulder/arm to confirm. The mid-level physician who met with us (the main doctor was still in the OR) said that he recommends radiation on that area along with all the other radiation that the radiation oncologist will likely recommended.

Neuropathy. Josh went through a series of tests within physical therapy to measure his endurance, physical capabilities, etc., including a walk around the exercise area for 6 minutes as a therapist walked next to him pushing a wheeled stick that measured how far he walked. He was clearly the person least debilitated in the entire room. The therapist gave him techniques that should help reduce the neuropathy:

1. Foot massages (self given since he's extremely ticklish)
2. Move foot around in a bowl of rice to stimulate the senses
3. Wear fuzzy socks occasionally to change up the sensory routine
4. Wear looser, more cushioning shoes

We're ending the day with an MRI of the pelvis (after an x-ray of the pelvis and femur to make sure there are no near-fractures that need to be treated). Time for the weekend...