What's it like to have a cancer scare in the middle of a pandemic? A (too?) personal thread: 1/n

Since last summer, I've had off-and-on pain in my left foot. It felt muscular, or maybe like tendinitis, and walking around didn't hurt, so I figured it would go away. 2/n

In early February, there was a night where the throbbing pain wouldn't stop, so I went to my family doctor. To ensure I didn't have a stress fracture, he ordered an x-ray. 3/n

I got a call from my GP the next week saying the x-ray showed a 'lesion' that was eating away at the bone. The doctor say "I don't want you to lose sleep over this" but couldn't say what it was, so naturally I lost sleep over it. 4/n

I mean, what do you think when you're told there's a lesion eating a bone in your foot? (I thought I might not get to see my kid grow up). The GP ordered a CT-scan & referred me to an orthopedic surgeon. The CT-scan was scheduled for March 18th, at the time over a month away. 5/n

There would be no appointment with the specialist until the CT-scan was done, so I had to sit on this vague and very scary information for over a month. 6/n

Remember, the CT-scan is scheduled for March 18th. By then, we were into this whole pandemic and self-isolation thing. The visit to the hospital was a tad more stressful as a result. But on the bright side, the diagnostic floor at the hospital was EMPTY... 7/n

The technicians were marvelling at how quiet it was. (I assumed MRIs and other scans were all being limited to 'important' cases, which didn't make me feel much better about my situation). 8/n

Anyway, I get the CT-scan, and am told I'd hear from the specialist for an appointment in 3-5 days. Those days go by. Another week goes by. I phone the specialist's office and... IT'S *CLOSED* DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. Remember: there's a lesion eating a bone in my foot. 9/n

I call the GP's office. There isn't anything they can do but *FAX* a request for follow-up. (The specialist's voicemail service is FULL and not accepting new messages!!!). 10/n

Another week goes by. It's not until yesterday that I receive an email confirming an appointment for the next morning (i.e. this morning) at Grand River Hospital (where the specialist has been working during this crisis). 11/n

And so I met with the specialist today. The big relief is that he's extremely confident it's not cancer. He explained all the reasons it's not cancer. Of course they're not 100% sure until a surgery to remove the legion and test it, but he compared the odds to a lightning strike.

The CT-scan was pretty freaking. A computer-generated 3-D image of the bones of the feet. In the bone that leads up to the big toe, there's a kidney bean-sized hole where bone should be. At the midpoint of the bone 50% of the width is gone. 13/n

But the lesion is contained. And there's evidence it's been there a looong time (two of the reasons it's very unlikely to be cancer, apparently). So they're gonna operate in a couple of weeks. Might need a plate to shore up the bone. 14/n

So that's what I've been going through the past two months. Other than my wife and a few close friends, no one knew. I didn't even tell my parents until today because I didn't want them to worry. And I wonder during this crisis how many people are going through the same or worse.