WITH THE SPEED OF LIGHT

Pancreatic cancer is a very fast-moving and a very difficult cancer to treat. In my mind I know that my cancer is growing and spreading at astonishing speed. I would wager everything that I own that anyone else that has been told they have this dreaded disease feels the same way.

To have any reference of what I am talking about, you might want to follow along my short timeline. I would say my starting timeline for the beginning of this cancer was December 17, 2012. I had a routine MRI of my midsection at the City of Hope just to check out my adrenal glands. I went to see the doctor on January 4, 2013 to get the results of my MRI, only to learn that there was a lesion at the head of my pancreas and possibly one on my liver. The lesion in my pancreas measured approximately 3 cm and considering the entire pancreas is approximately 15 cm (6inches) that seemed watermelon size to me. The fact that an MRI taken six months ago showed no evidence of any lesions, meant that this all happened fast..."at the speed of light"..so to speak.

Now things for me picked up speed. I met with City of Hope's top pancreatic surgeon on January 7th. On the 18th I had an endoscopy with ultrasound which included biopsies on the lesions in my pancreas and liver. On January 21st I was back with my eminent surgeon who delivered the bad news. Adneocarcinoma of the pancreas and liver and to be quite honest it could have spread to other organs by now!! I felt like I had been slam-dunked by Kobe Bryant.

A meeting with the oncologist (my personal chemist) on January 28th was to set up my chemo treatment schedule. I chatted extensively with the chemist over the list of questions I brought with me. He was a very nice man, honest and he instilled enough confidence that I believe he knows his mixology. He scheduled me for a CT scan on Friday, February 1. I'm sure the chemist needs reference points for the beginning chemo. I am thinking that the CT will show the progress the cancer has made since the MRI taken on December 17th. Unfortunately, I don't get the results of the CT until I meet with the chemist on February 20th. But I'm jumping a bit ahead...

On February 4th, I underwent outpatient surgery to install a power port in my chest. It's a tidy little device which will be used for my chemotherapy infusions.  An upside, if there is one, the port can be used to draw blood...so no more needles in the veins.

February 6th...my first day of chemotherapy! It took from December 17 to get to this point, which may seem a long time to some. But to me it came at the "speed of light".

When I take my wonderful long-haired Doxie out for a walk tonight, I'll reach down, grab a root and we'll growl together.

I refuse to let this beat me...ever!

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