Welcome to our Caring Bridge site. We've created it to keep friends and family updated. We appreciate your prayers, support and words of hope and encouragement during this time when it matters most.
On March 14th, Dave was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. As many of you know, Dave was diagnosed with Colon Cancer back in 2007, and we have been incredibly blessed with over eight years of remission. This journey began last August shortly after Dave and I returned from RAGBRAI, which is the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa and is the largest recreational bike ride in the world with over 14,000 cyclists. Dave started having symptoms of what appeared to be Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
As the symptoms continued, Dave consulted with his colon surgeon and the focus was to reduce the fiber in his diet to help things settle down. From there questions started to be raised about a potential parasite, as we drank water from farm hoses at points during the seven day bike trek across Iowa. After those test results came back negative, the next steps were to test for Celiac Disease and to speed up the date of his annual Colonoscopy. While we were relieved that Celiac was ruled out and blessed with an all clear for the colon, the doctor was very concerned that the issue was stemming further up stream after the colonoscopy prep took much longer than normal. More consultations ahead.
We tried to be as patient as we could while we had to wait to get in with the GI specialist, and during the weeks in between testing on this medical mystery tour. Next stop was a CT Scan with contrast dye, which indicated dilation of both the pancreatic duct and the bile duct. Doctor thought it may be a result of gallstones. More time passed as we waited for the ERCP and Ultrasound of the pancreas, which is where a large tumor was found at the head of the pancreas. Pathology revealed that the tumor is Neuroendocrine in nature, and thankfully slower moving. The only reason.Dave was symptomatic was due to the bile duct being affected.
We were so blessed to be referred to one of the top pancreatic surgeons in the country within the next week, and so thankful that Dave was identified as a candidate for surgery. We learned that the Whipple procedure is incredibly invasive and one of the largest surgeries that can be done, however we were so relieved to hear that Swedish Hospital is rated #3 in the country for this procedure for their skill and care. After the consultation with the surgeon, the next steps were to receive clearance for surgery from Dave's cardiologist, and to consult with the amazing oncologist that saw us through the first journey with cancer.
Surgery is scheduled for April 22nd, and we are so incredibly grateful for all the prayers, love and support. As Dave will be having a special diet for quite some time to come, in lieu of flowers, gift cards to Sprouts, Whole Foods or Trader Joe's would be helpful and very much appreciated. Our address is: 22405 East Dorado Avenue, Aurora, CO 80015.
Please leave any words of encouragement directly on this site under the Guest Book tab or comments section under a journal entry, as we will be reading them to him daily. The most recent journal entry will pull every day, however we have created an entry for each day and those can be read under the Journal tab. We are also posting fun photos from this journey under the Photos tab. The functionality of the site is best on a desk top, as the mobile site appears to be limited.
CaringBridge is a nonprofit social network dedicated to helping family and friends communicate with and support loved ones during a health journey. Learn more about CaringBridge.
