Pancreatic adenocarcinoma
We receive confirmation that the tumor is cancerous, and it is the aggressive kind: pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Pancreas cancer, or pancreatic adenocarcinoma, is one of the deadliest cancers. If you do a quick search online, you will find bad news. Even with aggressive treatment, the prognosis is poor. Various conditions stack the odds against successful pancreatic cancer treatment. In one article Jim read that the survival rate was under 9 percent. I knew I could not read the facts about this deadly disease until after I was pronounced cancer free. Even though I have been teary eyed multiple times over the thought of facing this condition, we have determined that we need to walk in faith believing for full healing. Our future is not written yet. We are determined to beat this. We have to. Right?
I had an initial meeting with the local oncologist and are made aware that, he is taking a two-week vacation and leaves the next day. At this point, Jim and I started having serious conversations about what we were hearing from the current medical staff: The local surgeon who told me to get my affairs in order…we knew he wasn’t our doctor, the oncologist that is leaving on a vacation and tells me to work with his staff until he returns…hmmm. We can’t believe this is the diagnosis and that I need to plan for mortality. Neither of these doctors have given us hope. This seems like a door closing for us to work with this team.
Who knows what I would have done without Jim’s mental clarity? I wasn’t in my right mind these days. I laugh inside as I think of Paul Newman in a scene from the movie Cool Hand Luke. He is trying to break out of a prison camp and gets violently beat when he is caught. One of the other prisoners tells him, “You gotta get your mind right Luke…”. And like him, we are not willing to accept these shackles. In my case, the shackles of imminent death by pancreas cancer. I decided that I am not serving a life sentence when no crime was committed. God loves me. I serve him. He wants me to prosper in all things and I am not accepting death by pancreas cancer.
Looking back on this time, it is apparent that Jim has already decided that these are not our doctors and that we are going to go to Mayo. He vocalizes to me, “We need to get a second opinion. Let’s see what Mayo has to say.” I feel I was so overwhelmed that I was probably giving Jim many blank stares. By nature, I don’t like being a burden to anyone and asking Jim and others to rally around me two hours away in Rochester, MN sounds like a huge ask. After resisting and arguing that it was too far to travel to the Mayo and wondering how we would make this happen, I agreed that it sounded like our best option.
He firmly tells me that I need to make it a priority to make phone calls to our insurance company, as well as coordinate with the local medical providers to transfer my medical records to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. I don’t want to. I want to curl up in a ball and cry, but the next day I pull myself together and do it. I am currently working from home as a senior business analyst in the health care industry, so while I am attempting to focus on my work, I also am taking breaks throughout the day to make my phone calls.
In late February during one of our band rehearsals we heard from our guitarist, Dale that a friend of his had success at Mayo when working with Dr. Mark Truty. His friend had fourth stage pancreatic cancer and two years after treatments, he is still cancer free. It seems like this is a sign that we are heading in the right direction. We have heard that I am late first stage or early second stage. That in itself sounds promising with first-hand knowledge of a fourth stage patient beating it.
My medical records were sent and received by Mayo pathology, who confirmed the results of the biopsy. It was also determined that their team has a better treatment plan than my current physicians and that is their criteria for accepting me as a patient into their health care treatment plan.
Thank God! Hallelujah! Our prayers are answered. I became a Mayo patient and now I am able to set up an appointment for a consultation with oncology and a surgeon. I finally acknowledge that God is showing up for me. I need to hold onto and believe that God is the healer of all my diseases, He perfects that which concerns me and that as I walk with Him, I would overcome.
“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.”
“who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,”
