How I found out!

So, several people have said PSHAW! How did you find out about this?

I really had no idea until September 30. I had been having pain in my right side and shoulder...always together.... And that seemed weird. Of course, my doctor, Dr. Webb, MD, said those were classic gall bladder symptoms. Not having any gall bladder medicine, I called my back up internist who ordered an ultrasound of my gallbladder on the 30th. One thing led to another, they spotted the goobers and immediately and called me right back for a CT of my pancreas. Looking over people's shoulders and generally making a nuisance of myself when they were dodging my questions, I knew what it was that day. Someone called me that night (my doctor, who was out of town, said, You can't avoid this patient. She is too knowledgeable and assertive (he may have used less nice words to that effect); someone needs to call her NOW.) I was glad he did that.

So they told me I had metastatic pancreatic cancer, and you can look the rest up at Dr. Web's website. Mayo Clinic is good on this, too. I was over at my friends, Terry and Jerry, who walked me home, and we were all pretty much in shock!

By morning I was mobilizing. I waited until 6 am to call Phil Zinzer. I figure any self respecting doctor would be up thinking about things by 6 am even on a Saturday. He explained that I did not have a diagnosis until they had a biopsy. Jimmy Jenkins came out of retirement to move things through Siteman very quickly. I had an endoscopic something or other biopsy on the 5th and with that a diagnosis beyond a doubt.

The next few days I spent talking with my sisters and friends, seeing other doctors, and finally, planning for a 50 hour chemo starting on the 11th. Oh, and I realized I had a blood clot (for which i am now getting two shots a day in my stomach) and, most important, JoAnn (Sister-Doctor) got home from Africa.

There have not been other symptoms that I know of except that I have had periods of unexplained fatigue, usually in the afternoon or evening. The one symptom I have asked about each time and checked for 4 times a day, weight loss, has not shown up!