I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to share my good report from the doctor. It's taken me a while to recover my strength from the pancreatitis that put me in the hospital for a week in September.
Last Monday Robert and I went to Fargo and I had a procedure called an EUS. That stands for Esophageal UntraSound. If you are interested in what I had done, you can look at my preceding post.
This could be a long story but our neighborhood ladies are having our monthly Bible study tea today. I need to get ready to go so I'll give you the sweetened condensed version.
I DO NOT HAVE PANCREATIC CANCER!!!!
The doctor saw nothing that indicated cancer so he didn't need to do a biopsy at all. This is terrific news and we are all soooo happy.
The doctor said that the pancreas is a "Wimpy organ" and isn't much interested in healing itself. He said that a case of pancreatitis like I suffered can take a YEAR for the pancreas to recover from. A YEAR!!!
He did say that there is a small group of cysts that could be putting pressure on the pancreas. He said that the largest one is about half the size of when he usually drains them. The surgeon also said that, to drain them at this size, could REALLY irritate my pancreas.
They need to be watched, though, so he is recommending another MRI in 3 to 4 months. That's what I'll do then because any one of those tiny to small cysts could turn cancerous in the future.
The best news of all is that Doc M said the color of my pancreas is much healthier than it was in September. IT IS HEALING!!! YAY but it is going to take a long time to fully recover.
This means that the ultra low fat diet the hospital dietician put me on is still a priority and will be for months yet. My primary doctor encouraged me to explore regions of fat consumption above 30 grams a day. I tried 38 grams the other day and almost regretted it. I was able to get the attack stopped with charcoal capsules BUT I learned that it's best to stay as low fat as possible--so I will
In our farm news, the guys finished harvest a couple of weeks ago. YAY. We had snow earlier and that stopped things. I kept praying for warmer weather and IT CAME! The snow all melted and there was no snow on the ground for over a month so harvesting went easy except for the many combine breakdowns. sigh.
Well, last week our second Winter started. See. This all came in one night.
Here's a poem I just found about Winter. I like the part where it says the dead flowers of Summer are seeds hidden under the snow. YAY
Lots of love,
Dawn
TIMELESS TREASURES
A Winter's portrait, so bountiful,
Nature's gift indeed...
Though lurking are the lifeless flowers
Returned to earth as seed.
All sacred gifts sent unto us
Are made by God's own hands -
And always, they are precious ones
To love just as He plans!
While lilies in the valley rest,
And clad are crystal trees...
A lifeless day revives the soul
Through snowflakes on a breeze.
These heavenly troves to come our way,
So beautiful, big or small...
Will touch our lives through each new day -
God's gifts... they're best of all!
Dianne Cogar
