When I underwent spine surgery, they sampled some of my spine and the lab test showed a bacteria that sometimes affects people with "hardware" in their bodies. This usually happens 10 years or so down the road. My lab test came back positive, and I just had the hardware (titanium rods) inserted.

I met with an infectious disease doctor and he thought the positive test was due to lab contamination, but just to be safe, he ordered blood tests, which he'll go over with me next week. If the test was positive, I would need to have a port installed to administer an antibiotic for about a month. Here's hoping the test is negative.

I also made an appointment with a psychiatrist who specializes in cancer patients. I haven't suffered any depression yet, though I do admit that I was bummed when I heard that the average survival rate of someone with my cancer is three years. I've never been to a psychiatrist, but I think it would be a good idea to gain some coping skills because I will probably need them in the coming years.