Getting a diagnosis has been a bit of a challenge. I first noticed that I was loosing appetite around February of 2019, and noticed that I was loosing weight without trying. For those that don't know, this is not the way my weight normally creeps. By mid-March I was starting to have what I thought were stomach pains and diarrhea (yes it is all a bit gross!). I made an appointment with my GP and was able to get one for May 3, 2019.
In my appointment with the GP's physicians assistant, I mentioned my concerns as by that time I had lost 15-20 lbs without trying, and the diarrhea. She finished her examination and gave me a printout from the internet for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I instantly new this was a bullshit diagnosis and that same day made an appointment with a Gastroenterology specialist, Dr. Miller for late June.
Dr. Miller (fantastic doctor in Denver) made sure to run all kinds of tests including a breath test, stool samples, blood tests, urine samples, an endoscopy, and colonoscopy. Everything came back pretty normal. At that point he ordered the first CT Scan which showed that I had a mass around the middle and tail of my Pancreas. He did the first biopsy and it came back with no issues. At that point we thought I may have Autoimmune Pancreatitis so I started a course of steroids. After a month I had an MRI, and the MRI showed no changes in the mass. I came off the steroids and he recommended that I have another biopsy. The second biopsy returned with high grade dysplasia, which was basically pre-cancerous cells. We both agreed at that point that it was time for MD Anderson to step in.
MD Anderson (MDA) requested all of the files from both Dr. Miller and the pathologist that read the biopsies, including the slides. MD Anderson requested an impressive amount of blood (refer to the picture below) and a CT scan. The MD Anderson pathologist read the slides and noted that in both biopsies the slides showed Adenocarcinoma, also known as Pancreatic Cancer. At this point the information went from bad to worse, the CT Scan showed "concerning" spots in my liver and lungs and that the tumor wrapped itself around the aorta. For those of my friends and family that are not anatomy inclined, this is an important artery that connects to the heart. The tumor is inoperable at this point. Happy week before Thanksgiving news for sure (sarcasm).
I don't know how to put a hug emoji in this software....but sending hugs.