Chemo #1 in progress


We survived our first 6 hours of chemo on site at John Stoddard!  While I don't recommend cancer for anyone--they do try really hard to make it tolerable for anyone having to be there for extended periods of time.  Tom got his heated/vibrating recliner, a TV screen/small table, warm blankets upon request, and some snacks/drinks available.  Those of who know me can also anticipate I took a small cooler with a drinks and all the snacks 😆

The nursing staff was great, answered all our questions, and helped chat about potential side effects.  We also got to meet our Oncology Navigator Anne, who spent about an hour talking about pancreatic cancer in general, answering questions, and talking about some specifics related to Tom.

I was certainly aware of pancreatic cancer and how bad it is...however obviously until directly affected, I hadn't done a ton of reading about it or concerned myself with the detailed anatomy of the abdomen and how everything connects (although certainly understand the basics).  For those of you who haven't spent hours studying it, I included a picture the Oncology Navigator shared with us today about why surgery is so challenging, and why recovery takes so long when surgery is completed. Tom's cancer is in the head/uncinate of the pancreas--that's the lovely section nestled into the small intestine and kinda wrapped around those beautiful blood vessels in the middle.  Those supply blood to your entire body, so having cancer nearby or encasing them tends to be problematic.  *Please note--the stomach would normally be covering the pancreas, but was removed in the image below to show a better view of the pancreas and surrounding structures*  


The other "fun" fact we learned is that pancreatic cancer can sometimes take 10-20 years to form and often times the first symptom can be an onset of type 2 diabetes.  So while Tom and I had concerns about his recent Mounjaro journey, it could have been several years ago when he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes....or even earlier that his tumor started growing.  

For those interested in learning more information Pancreatic Cancer Action Network – Research, Patient Support, Resources.  

Tom's chemo is currently running and as of yet, no side effects so fingers crossed it continues to go well.  We go back on Saturday to be disconnected for 12 days of "freedom"  The nurses were guessing that Sunday/Monday might be the biggest risk of side effects, so we'll see.  Unless something changes, we don't see oncology again until 6/5 prior to Tom's next chemo dose.  

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