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Wade’s Story

Site created on April 15, 2021

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I had not been feeling well from February 13 - 23. I had developed several large sores in his mouth on Feb. 15. With the sores still present, Eugenia insisted that we go to the ER after having visited urgent care two days the previous week with out getting any answers. I went to the ER and they found my C-Reactive Protein level to be 131, normal level is 8 or below. This led them to believe that I may have celiac's disease, chron's disease or something along those lines. They did also prescribe a steroid which help immensely and started making me feel better. I met with my primary doctor on Monday March 1. After looking over my records he referred me to a GI specialist in Mankato. On March 16 I went to my GI appointment and he sent me for a CT scan and set up some future appointments. It looked like I possibly have Celiac's disease, but we needed to do more testing to confirm.

I was scheduled for a CT scan on March 18. I went to the scan after lunch. That afternoon I got a call from my GI doctor. I had a bad feeling when he called me, you usually do not get a doctor's call on the day of the test if everything is ok. He informed me they had found a large tumor located behind my stomach and above the second section of my small bowel. The tumor was 11 cm by 8.5 cm by 6 cm. I was referred to Rochester Mayo Clinic and they scheduled an ultrasound endoscopy, along with a colonoscopy for Wednesday, March 24. The procedure went well and that's when I found out the tumor I had was a rare tumor only found in two people out of a million, called a paraganglioma. They also confirmed that I had celiac's disease.

They scheduled a PET Scan for Monday, March 29. I had a specialized Pet Scan, that showed the cancer had metastasized to my spine and a few other bones. They referred to the spots on my bones as lesions. Our next appointment was with the endocrinologist on Friday, April 9. We did not know what to expect from this appointment but it was very informative. We learned the mass inside of me is a tumor of the adrenal system and has the potential to produce large amounts of adrenaline. First and foremost the tumor needs to come out. Based on the size and the potential to release adrenaline which could lead to elevated heart rate, high blood pressure and heart attack or stroke. Surgery is the first thing that needs to be done.

The rest of the lesions will be monitored and if they cause any problems they will get medical attention. On Monday, April 12 we met with the oncologist and the surgeon. This will be a very intensive surgery. The surgery will be anywhere from 3 hours to 9 hours depending if the tumor pulls off easily or if it is attached. If it is attached they plan to remove all of the tumor and do reconstructive surgery where needed. Besides my main surgeon removing the tumor there will also be a vascular surgeon on hand. Surgery is scheduled for May 11.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Eugenia Stockman — May 24, 2021

This past Friday, we traveled back to Rochester to see my oncologist. We were very grateful to learn that the course of treatment will be an IV of Zometa every three months to help strengthen by bones were they have lesions from the spread of the cancer. I will have these for 15 months. There is also the probabilities of additional scans and monitoring of adrenaline levels to watch for another tumor forming. It looks like my endocrinologist will take the lead on my treatment. We have an appointment this Friday with our endocrinologist and will have further updates on my treatment. As of right now there will not be an chemotherapy. I also meet with my surgeon this Friday and will have my staples removed.
We feel very blessed and loved. Thank you to everyone for your prayers, cards and gifts.
Praying for continued healing. My pain has been very minimal to this point and I have been very thankful for that.
Will start treatment and continue with scans and tests to make sure the tumor does not grow back. We will have an update sometime next weekend from our Friday appointments. So blessed to have the Mayo Clinic so close to us.

God's Got This!

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