Bad news and GOOD news for me.

December has been a medical whirlwind for me. A shadow was spotted on my Pancreas in September by the Dr that was reading a test ordered by my Cardiologist. That test resulted in a MRI that was suspicious. That test resulting in endoscopic ultrasound which revealed a malignant tumor had indeed taken up residence in my Pancreas.

Yep I have Pancreatic Cancer. That’s the bad news.

Now the good news. I had a PET scan last week. Today I met with the Oncologist that I chose and he delivered the best report that I could have asked and prayed for. The cancer has NOT spread to any other part of my body. We caught it early and it certainly looks fixable.

The fix will not be easy or short term. I am facing 6 rounds of chemo therapy and the Whipple surgery procedure.

The plan in place is 3 rounds of chemo followed by an imaging round. The Surgeon will make a determination if I qualify for the surgery at the end of the the first three rounds or if I need to do the full 6 rounds prior to surgery. Hopefully I will have the surgery at the end of the first three. If I get the Whipple early I will complete the last 3 rounds post surgery. Each round of chemo is 3 weeks long. 2 weeks treatment and a rest week. Each treatment is about 4 hours long.

I am embarking on a harrowing journey. We went over the side affects of chemo today. We are hoping and praying that the road will be less bumpy but we are also prepared for a tank trail with major bumps.

I have the port installed and I am ready for the 29th at 1:40pm. My chin is up. I am in good spirits and in the good hands of Chicagoland top tier oncology Drs and Whipple procedure Surgeon.

We caught it early, Thank God. We have a plan in place to fix it, Thank God!

Let the journey begin.