A year ago yesterday Alan dropped me off at the Cleveland Clinic for referral appointments with Dr. A. to see if I was eligible for liver surgery, and with Dr. E. to see what he suggested for treatment

Because of Covid, I went to the appointments alone, and fortunately there was really only one choice - surgery (or no surgery) - so it didn’t matter as much if I missed something said. 

As I think back on this past year, one of my hopes is that no one else has to experience bile duct cancer. One way to do that is to make others aware of what symptoms this disease has. Most of the symptoms can indicate something else and often are absent altogether.

If someone avoids the journey I’ve been on, that would be awesome. February is Cholangiocarcinoma Awareness Month, so I decided to “Be Brave” and sent the symptoms to The Repository (Canton) and The Review (Alliance), and they’ve posted my letter on their websites - cantonrep.com and the-review.com.

In case you aren’t able to see the letter, these are the symptoms listed by the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation and the American Cancer Society:

-Chills

-Clay-colored stools

-Dark urine

-Itching 

-Loss of appetite

-Nausea

-Pain in the upper right abdomen that may radiate to the back

-Weight loss

-Yellowing of the skin (Jaundice)

If you experience symptoms, talk to your doctor.

Letter: https://www.the-review.com/story/opinion/2022/02/05/letter-editor-learn-deadly-bile-duct-cancer/6661763001/