About a month ago, I learned I have pancreatic cancer. I decided to share my story on my blog so I can process this crap by writing it out and to provide hope or comfort to anyone in the same boat who might read this. To warn…
Tag: pancreatic cancer
The oncology surgeon said the Whipple procedure was the best option for removing my pancreatic cancer. I’m a bit old school, so every time I hear that name I smile thinking of the Charmin commercials with Mr. Whipple. And with a name like “Whipple” it seems like…
After the Whipple procedure and the week of recovery in the hospital, it felt great to be home. There were some differences between recovering in the hospital and at home and I added items to the list of things I will never again take for granted. As…
For a lot of people, chemotherapy is scary. To some it brings hope for remission or even just a few more weeks or months with loved ones. For all of us, when we think about intentionally pumping toxins into our bodies and dealing with the subsequent side…
The main game for me this year is “Defeat Pancreatic Cancer.” Apparently my body thought it would be fun to send me on a side quest: “Pass a Kidney Stone.” I played this side quest once before during pregnancy, but this time the onset felt different and…
Dealing with the physical side of cancer is tough. The Whipple procedure and chemotherapy are not cake walks. However, I feel the mental side of coping with cancer is more difficult. Before sharing how I’m coping with cancer, I want to say that even though I’m doing…
Today was my last chemo treatment for pancreatic cancer, so I got to ring the bell! It was an exciting day, but it brought some unexpected emotions. Well, this is a surprise For the past five months, I have been running a chemo marathon looking forward to…
We received the official pancreatic cancer diagnosis on March 24, 2021. This disease has a low one-year survival rate, which terrified me a year ago (still does). So I am thrilled to pieces to still be here on March 24, 2022 to say: I am a one-year…
On April 27, 2021 I had major surgery known as the Whipple procedure. April 27, 2022 was my first Whippleversary! When I was in the hospital last year, I wasn’t even thinking about making it to my first anniversary. At that point, I wasn’t even sure where…
Due to the high rate of recurrence, most pancreatic cancer survivors are closely monitored even after there are no longer signs of cancer. This usually involves scans, which tend to result in a great deal of anxiety. Scans + anxiety = scanxiety. And scnaxiety sucks. For those…