Life returned to normal after a while. My hair grew back. Kids had school. I had work. I saw my oncologist a couple of times a year and eventually, I even ‘graduated’ to once a year.
After a few years, it was like that time in our life was just a little blip on the radar. It was something that was in our rear 
view mirror. No need to look back. Time to move forward and enjoy life again.
Each year came and went….2004…2005…2006…2007…2008…2009… Until…
May 2010 – I began working out with my youngest daughter. She had a friend who wanted her to run cross-country with her the next school year. I decided I would go with her to the school and get in shape. I even had the app Couch to 5K to help both of us with the training.
I noticed my lower back was hurting. Since we had just started working out, I thought my body was just mad at me for trying to run/walk several days a week. I pushed through and continued to go to the school with her for a few more weeks.
As the summer went on, it would seem to get better and then I would do something else that would cause pain. There was always some kind of explanation for the pain. Once I stepped off a stool after changing a light bulb and it hurt again. Always it would seem to get better after some rest.
In August, my oldest daughter and I drove to St. Louis to visit family. When we got there I could barely get out of the car. My sister in-law made an appointment with her chiropractor. I went several times the week we were there and again, it seemed to be helping.
When I got home I found a local chiropractor and began seeing him regularly.
October 2010 – I could no longer explain away the pain. I made an appointment to see my regular doctor and a friend offered to drive me. At that point it still had not dawned on me that cancer might be the cause for my pain.
After a brief visit, the doctor sent me for x-rays. When I came back she told me there were 3 possibilities: 1) I had a hairline fracture in my hip that was causing the pain, 2) I might have cancer and 3) I honestly do not know what she said as my mind was racing about hearing cancer again. Surely this was not happening again.
She told me I needed to use crutches and keep as much weight off my leg as possible. As we got to the car, my friend made a comment about how calm I was when the doctor said ‘cancer’. Little did she know I was falling apart on the inside.
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