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Days ago
I feel good today.
I have finally slept and as Lyanne mentioned I am able to eat again. By the way, this is not the way to reach your goal weight.
The best advice from some of my good friends that have been through a similar journey with cancer is to take one day at a time. Brother, that is an understatement. I realize I am still at the start of this process but going from hope to disappointment and back again is emotionally and physically tiring. I am so grateful for being able to have my family around me and can tangibly feel the value of all the prayers lifted up and care from family and friends from the different communities of which I am a part.
Another example of love is this journal. So thankful to Aly and Ryan who designed and built this site in record time to help me stay connected with everyone. I hope you find it edifying and feel free to reach out to me anytime at rickabe@gmail.com. Hope you are all well and hope we can speak soon. ❤️
Dad was discharged today! It hadn't looked like dad would be leaving the hospital until Monday at the earliest. Thanks to the doctor's quick work, they were able to identify the bacteria causing his infections. This allowed them to target the bacteria by prescribing him specific antibiotics. In addition, Dad's lab numbers seemed to be trending in the right direction, which showed the doctors that the new stents were working and gave them the confidence to release him. Though he might miss that hospital Jello, Dad is happy to be resting (and eating) comfortably at home. Congee, oatmeal and protein shakes are just a few things he's ready to start enjoying! Now he's wondering if his new enzyme pills will act as supercharged lactaid pills. Will he be enjoying ice cream for the first time since high school?
Dad was in surgery most of today. The endoscopy confirmed the stent they put in Dad’s pancreas just a week and a half ago is already pinching because of its proximity to the tumor. The original stent was plastic, and they’ve replaced it with a stronger metal one that should fair better until we can get the tumor shrinking with chemo.
Additionally, and crucially, the return of the blockage caused some fluid to back up in Dad’s gall bladder, resulting in an infection – hence the fever and chills. They added a second stent between the gall bladder and the small intestine, basically a shortcut for Dad’s digestive system to act as an extra measure of keeping things moving and importantly preventing future infections. We’re told this hospital more or less pioneered this particular surgery, and that’s of great comfort to all of us.
They’ll keep Dad for at least a couple of days to see how (mostly liquid) food is making its way through his new and improved stent system. He’s also still on lots of IVs for different antibiotics as they work to fight the infection itself. We’re eager to get Dad home – it’s hard to sleep when an IV alarm is going off every few hours and the cranberry juice cartons are hard to open.
Dad went to the emergency room today with stomach pain, a fever, and chills. The doctor is concerned about an infection following his surgery. Dad says the pain in his stomach feels like it did when it first started, so everyone assumes another blockage or some kind of compromise of the stent they put in last week. They are prepping Dad for another endoscopy tomorrow to confirm what’s happening and do additional surgery depending on what they learn. He’s on fluids and some antibiotics in the meantime, which are helping him feel better. One of the meds they’re giving Dad is Metronidazole, which is the same antibiotic the vet was prepared to prescribe for Dug's stomach issues if they didn’t clear up on their own, so we are now calling it the Dug Medicine.
Dad’s laparoscopy surgery went well. They made three incisions on his stomach and used cameras and a saline wash to look around his abdomen for visible cancer cells, which helps construct the picture of just how much the cancer has spread. The doctors weren’t able to see any during the surgery, which is a hopeful sign. While he was under, they also installed the port on his chest that they will use to administer chemo when the time comes. Dad is sore from the various incisions and groggy from the drugs, but otherwise looking good. He says his abdomen feels like he did a really hard core workout on Tonal, but without the benefits of developing a six-pack.
Mom and Dad met with the oncologist today to begin putting together a plan to address the cancer, starting with getting a better idea of how localized it is to the pancreas. Dad is scheduled for laparoscopy surgery this Friday so the doctors can take a look. They are expecting to start chemo the week of March 10, which should give Dad about a week of rest following the surgery. The stent that was added to his pancreas during his endoscopy last Friday to resist some of the blockage created by the tumor has helped Dad eat more. We’re hoping he can add back some mass before his chemo begins. Dad says he’s back at his high school weight! Ryan, Dug, and I booked a one-way flight up tomorrow, so we can all be together as we figure out what life will look like for the next month or few.
Sushi saved my life.
A few weeks ago I was eating sushi in LA and I ordered too much. Can't waste good sushi so I overate and felt gluttonous and uncomfortable. I soon began experiencing pain in my upper stomach to the point where I couldn't eat anything. After visiting my Primary Care Physician in Seattle we started in on a battery of tests. Ultimately an ultrasound, CT scan and endoscopy confirmed that I have pancreatic cancer. In retrospect the sushi was in part a coincidence but if it had not sounded an alarm I would likely have not considered the thought of having cancer and it would have gone unseen.
We are still early in the tests and treatment but it looks like we are in for a fight. They warned me not to google pancreatic cancer and they were right - damn internet.