Pancreatitis.

So many people ask me, "How did you know there was something wrong? Most people that have pancreas cancer find out and then are gone before treatment is even finished." True I say. After we had our third child I started having pancreas attacks called pancreatitis. I was hospitalized a couple of times and was seen in the office more times than I can count. My first one was in 2004. In 2010, I had had enough. I never knew if I would have to cancel plans because I would have a flare up. So I started to push my GP to dig deeper into why I was having issues with my pancreas. I didn't fall into the normal categories: I was not a drinker, I did not have my gallbladder anymore, my triglycerides were normal. I was over weight, but I was relatively healthy. So they sent me to a specialist. He found out I had acid reflux and thought there was more so he sent me to a specialist in Milwaukee to check further. I had an ERCP done. This procedure checks all bile ducts, gallbladder if you have it, pancreas, liver and stomach functions. The worse case scenario they thought was my sphincter in my stomach was not working. Lone behold they found a 1+ inch tumor in the head of my pancreas. The doctor at St. Luke's in Milwaukee told my mom after the procedure that they figured out why I was having pancreas attacks. The tumor. But don't worry he said, it's benign. The hardest part of all of this is I would have to put up with the pain, because the alternative was a Whipple and that surgery was not something he would recommend to anyone unless they needed to live. I left the hospital the next day in pain but in good spirits. I was going to be okay. I was not crazy, there was something wrong, but I was going to be fine and the mass was just going to be a nuisance in my life. Fast forward three days to December 22nd. That phone call changed my life. He said, well it's bad. But we have options. We are going to find you the best surgeon there is. We will take care of you. We will fight this cancer. WHAT!!!????!!!! You said I would be fine. It was supposed to be benign. Things were just fine. What are you talking about surgeon...cancer....????? That phone call changed my life. Never would anything be the same again. So many emotions that I had. The mom in me kicked in and protection mode started. I didn't want to tell my husband. I didn't want to tell my kids. The only person I wanted to tell was my mom. She would make everything better. She would make chicken dumpling soup and everything would just go away, right? Here's to wishing.
Till Soon...