Please Pray for My Dad!!!

This summer, my dad has been having some stomach issues, just a lot of pain when eating or drinking certain things. He had an upper GI, which just showed gastritis and was told to take Prilosec. The Prilosec did not totally help, but he was feeling better.

Then last Thursday, he was having severe pain in his abdomen radiating to his back that he couldn't stand it any longer, so he went to the ER. They were initially looking for kidney stones and we wish that is what they would have found. They are totally treatable. He had a CT and they thought they saw some "spots or nodules." The radiologist called my dad Friday morning and told him he needed to get a CT with contrast, to get a better look. His doctor also had him come in and do some lab work. Then on Saturday night, his doctor called him back and told him that the spots or nodules seen were on his pancreas and lungs and his CA 19-9, which is a cancer marker for pancreatic cancer was elevated.

His doctor immediately put in a call to the Mayo Clinic. According to the Mayo Clinic website, this is what I have found, "Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, is ranked No. 1 in Digestive Disorders in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings. Because pancreatic cancer is a serious illness, Mayo Clinic physicians make every effort to see prospective patients as soon as possible. You can usually obtain an appointment within 48 hours and receive a complete evaluation from your treatment team in just two to five days."

My parents drove up there today 9/1/09 and have an appointment at 8:00 in the morning. We don't really know what is going to happen yet, but I am guessing they will repeat CT scans and then do a biopsy to determine whether or not it is cancer. We don't know how long they will be there for either, it will just depend on what they find and if they can do surgery, chemo or what.

We are all in shock with this possible diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The only symptom my dad has is abdominal pain. He is not jaundice (yellowing of the skin) or hasn't a lost his appetite. He also doesn't have any of the risk factors for pancreatic cancer which are smoking, being overweight or obese, personal or family history of chronic inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), personal or family history of pancreatic cancer, family history of genetic syndromes that can increase cancer risk, including a BRCA2 gene mutation, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, Lynch syndrome and familial atypical mole-malignant melanoma (FAMMM.) Pancreatic cancer occurs most often in older adults. Most people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are in their 70s and 80s. Pancreatic cancer occurs more frequently in blacks than in whites.

For those of you who do not know my dad, he is a very positive, outgoing person, who is everyone's friend. He is a goofy guy, but has the biggest heart of anyone I know. I know he is very scared, but he is staying strong, along with my mom. He is just hoping to be able to get home soon and see his new grandson (not yet born, but could be any day), play golf with his crazy friends, go to the KU home opener and even the Chiefs home opener. Please pray for good news and a safe return back to Kansas City.