Barbara Grauvogl

Well, Linda says I need to tell you my story..... so, here goes. 


Over the past year, I have been losing weight - slowly, but it turns out quite a bit.  As time went by, I ate less and less because I was full after just a small amount. 


In September, I went to my annual doctor visits and we discussed the weight loss and decided I should see a Gastroenterologist.  Ok, no problem - like many of us now I'm over the magic number 50 - so I made an appointment.  He thought it was nothing, but let's do an Endoscope and stretch the opening to ensure I don't have big problems in he future - and of course while were at it do a Colonoscopy.   Now it's the middle of October, he does the procedures, comes out and says, 'I saw something during the Endoscopic procedure and took a biopsy. '  Ok, concerned, but hey he said my symptoms weren't acting like cancer (uh, huh).  Then the call came - October 26th, around noon.  You have cancer and it's malignant.  By the way, for a few hours there, the world was flat - because it tipped over and dropped me off.  


Mom was at my door early the next morning - Linda's birthday by the way (sorry about that Lin).  Let the testing begin.  For the next 2 weeks it was test after test.  Then we said, ok that's enough - we need to get to a good Oncologist and figure out where to get treated.  Enter stage right, Linda Burmania - within a day, I had records being sent to her Oncologist (FDL) and a GP (Waupun) that would take me as new patient.  I start packing.... Dr. Lundberg took one look at my CT and said - you need to see Dr. Gamblin at Froedtert.  It may turn out, that that decision saves my life, since I've been accepted into a drug trial that is a biologic. The drug basically tells my immune system to attack anything giving off PDL-1, which my cancer is giving off.