CancerCompass message board discussion started by henever on 2/19/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,21113,0.htm Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/  In January of 2005, my wife and I decided to upgrade our life insurance policies.  The amount of insurance we had was not enough to cover our lifestyle if one of us were to die.  At the time, I was 45 years old.  A nurse from the insurance company came to my house, asked me a series of questions, and drew some blood.  Based on my answers to her questions, the nurse assured me that everything seemed fine.  Although I was overweight, 267 lbs... I had appeared to be a healthy man.  On the contrary, two weeks later I received a call from the insurance agent, telling me my policy was declined due to results from my bloodwork.  The insurance agent refused to elaborate, because the privacy act forbid him to do so, because he didn't know for sure he was actually talking to me, the potential insured, over the phone.  He insisted I write to the insurance company for the results of their blood test.  I took his advice and waited for the insurance company's response.  Let me tell you, it took about a month, but it seemed like a lifetime!  I couldn't believe that the insurance company knew I had a health issue, and they couldn't tell me over the phone what it was!  Anyway, the results of my blood test came to me by mail and I brought it to my PCP.  It appeared as though I had developed sudden onset diabetes, so my PCP reccomended an ultra-sound of my abdomen.  That test revealed what my PCP labeled, a cyst, on my pancreas.  My PCP then set up an appointment for me at the GI Unit of the Mass. General Hospital in Boston.  I underwent an endoscopic ultrasound at the MGH.  After the procedure, and in the recovery room, my wife and I learned that I actually had a tumor on the head of my pancreas, and that it would have to be removed via a whipple.  After I got home from the hospital from my endoscopic ultrasound, I became very ill with terrible stomach pain.  Little did I know that this would be my first bout with pancreatitis.  After several days of stomach pain, I developed a fever of almost 103 degrees, and was admitted into the hospital for three days, being treated intravenously with morphine.In July of 2005, I had my whipple.  WOW!!!  They weren't kidding when they told me that this surgery is the most invasive surgery they have.  The procedure took my gall bladder, duodenym, part of my stomach and almost half of my pancreas.  Besides the catheter to help me urinate, I had a tube going up my nose and to my stomach to help keep my stomach empty, and two drains in my stomach to drain blood from within my stomach.  For me, recovery was fairly quick.  I stayed in the hospital for only 6 days, and during that time, all tubes and drains were removed, so I came home without some of the things others have written about.   Two weeks after surgery I got the good news that my tumor was completely benign.  The doctor said he couldn't believe how lucky I was to have found my tumor through a blood test from an insurance company.  He said my particular tumor was slow growing, but my first symptom would have been stomach pain, and then it probably would have been too late for me.  At the time of my diagnosis, I had no symptoms that I had this life threatening tumor growing inside of me.  The doctor said although the tumor was benign at the time I had surgery, it changes to malignant 100 percent of the time.  I guessed I dodged a major bullet!  However, three months after surgery I developed severe pains in my chest.  It seemed like every time I moved, I would get an electrical shock in my chest that would take my breath away.  Doctors could find nothing as to why this was happening, and it went away after about three weeks.  I wonder if this was what some people call, "the whipple pain," or maybe it was just gas that got locked in my system from the surgery.  The only other real problem I had was when I moved my bowels, the smell was un-Godly.  I mean, I know a bowel movement is supposed to smell bad, but this was different!  The smell would linger in the house for the longest time, and it wouldn't stay behind the closed door of the bathroom.  God help my kids if they needed to use the bathroom after I had a bowel movement!  Not to be disgusting, but it sort of smelled like a combination of vomit and bowel movement together.  And certain things wouldn't digest at all, like spaghetti.  I could have spaghetti, and after I went to the bathroom, I could see spaghetti in the toilet.  After telling my surgeon about this, he put me on Creon 10, and I haven't had a problem since with digestion.  Depending on the size of the meal, I may take from 3 to 6 Creon 10. I also take 50,000 units of vitamin D once a week and an over the counter multivitamin two times a day.  Since the Spring of last year, (2007) I have had 4 bouts of pancretitis.  They are becoming more frequent and more severe.  The last two bouts required a stay in the hospital both times.  A new CT-scan revealed a blockage of my pancreatic duct.  They suspect that the blockage is due to scar tissue built up from the whipple I had almost 3 years ago.  Has anybody had this complication?  They say there is no evidence of my tumor coming back, although they've said that it is always a possibility.  I have had two unsuccessful ERCP's to try to fix the problem, but am now looking at another big surgery to fix it.  I guess I'm telling my story (as long as it is....sorry) to try to find out if anyone else has had this complication.  Has anybody?I have been on a low fat diet for about 6 weeks now, and have lost about 28 lbs.  Before this whole mess started, I was overweight at 6 ft. 2 inches and 267 lbs.  By the time my surgery date came around in July of 2005, I was down to 235 lbs.  I left the hospital 6 days later at 217 lbs. and 6 weeks ago I was 221 lbs. Now I'm 193lbs. and feel like I'm disappearing off the face of the Earth.  It sure would make me feel better to know that someone else has gone through this particular problem and came out OK.  Again, sorry for the long story.  henever Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT All I can say is Wow.  I'm a nurse, and dealing with a father with pancreas CA.I had no idea that a Whipple is done for pancreatitis and/or benign findings.  Testing and a needle biopsy would have shown whether the tumor was cancerous.  A person should not have to go to the extent of a Whipple for diagnosis.  Since the head of the pancreas was removed, are you now symptomatic of diabetes?  CCs Kid Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT