Aloe Again

Doctors appointments are fun but not.   You learn so much in such a small amount of time it's not in any way overwhelming.  My latest appointment with the surgeon yielded these new results what did he say again. 

The rare type of malignant gastrinomas I have are neuroendocrine.  I have a disease called Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.  The gastrinoma tumors in my pancreas and liver caused this condition.  Okay, big words aside, what the H#@% does all this mean?  Neuorendrocrine tumors secrete hormones.   Gastrinomas secrete the hormone gastrin.  Because gastrin causes excess stomach acid, I have stomach and duodenal ulcers in addition to the tumors in my pancreas and liver, shesh.   Gastrinoma tumors typically are slow growing.  

Treatment options right now are as follows:  chemo and surgery with the possibility of a liver transplant.   What order and when is to be determined and there are doctors working on this as we go to press.  In fact, one of the experts my surgeon is consulting is Dr. Ellison, the son of Dr. Ellison, of Zollinger-Ellison.  Fancy.

The chemo treatments I'll receive are called Chemoembolization.  Chemoembolization delivers chemotherapy drugs directly to the tumors, while minimizing exposure to healthy tissues.  This delivery method minimizes side effects, like nausea and vomiting, and maximizes the cancer-killing properties of the drugs.  During chemoembolization, chemotherapy is injected through a catheter (inserted into the vein in my thigh) directly to the tumors using image guidance.  The chemotherapy drugs are mixed with particles, called microspheres, which block the flow of blood to the tumor.  Without a blood supply, the tumors no longer have the oxygen and nutrients they need to grow.  Chemoembolization allows high doses of chemotherapy drugs to be targeted directly to the cancerous tissue for a longer period of time, without exposing the entire body to the effect of the drugs.

Information taken from http://www.cancercenter.com/liver-cancer/chemoembolization/

The surgery is called a Whipple procedure.  The goal of the Whipple procedure (pancreatoduodenectomy) is to remove the head of the pancreas, where the tumor resides.  Because the pancreas is so integrated with other organs, the surgeon must also remove the first part of the small intestine (duodenum), the gallbladder, the end of the common bile duct and sometimes a portion of the stomach.  This is done during the first four hours of surgery.  In the reconstruction phase of the operation (the second four hours of the operation), the intestine, bile duct and remaining portion of the pancreas are reconnected.  The Whipple procedure is a difficult and demanding operation for the person undergoing surgery and the surgeon. 

Information taken from http://www.mayoclinic.org/whipple-procedure/about.html

Treatments Dr. Lindsey has implemented:  Organic, elimination diet.  No gluten or diary.  Limited sugar.  (Ha! I cave on this one quite often.  I have a candy addiction- intervention anyone?).  Out of habit I’m still mostly vegetarian.  I eat seafood sometimes because it’s just so darn good.  I have NEVER been more aware of what I’m putting in my body.  I do not eat anything processed.  My toothpaste and deodorant are all natural now.  My lip-gloss is organic.  It’s quite interesting what you find when you go looking.   Most products commonly found in American stores contain insanely harmful things.   A lot of "food" is full of chemicals and preservatives.  These substances are not meant for humans.  We do not possess the capabilities to process them.  I’m getting off my soapbox right after I say:  be knowledgeable about your body, what you do with it and put in it.  You only have one and it has to last you….  Okay, stepping down.  

My latest obsession is Yoga.  To all who told me for years how great it is, I finally get it!  And I couldn’t agree more.  My daily consumption of water probably equals that of Lake Superior.  Treatments my other doctors have implemented:  Betsy bought me a Nutribullet so I blend greens, berries, nuts and seeds into delicious meals.  Jos sent me Brazilian Aloe Arborescens I take three times a day.  Lisa and I laugh ridiculous amounts, which I know is shrinking those little suckers.  Tiff and I planned a road trip that will take us through the mountains, a canyon (the big one), and end at the ocean.     

I'm definitely in good hands.