In April 2023, a routine Chest CT for my pulmonary doctor revealed an “incidental finding of ‘something suspicious’ in my liver.”
At that point in time, I was 30-months clear of any evidence of Pancreatic cancer. After my 2020, Distal Pancreatectomy in the tail of my pancreas, my CA19-9 Cancer Antigen blood test stayed in the “normal range” throughout 5 months of chemotherapy and 2 years of recovery post-treatment.
The Pulmonary doctor and Radiologist recommended I get an MRI of my chest and abdomen – which revealed that I had a metastatic tumor from my original Pancreatic cancer that had settled in the upper Left segment of my liver.
My first reaction was, “This is great. I can deal with one isolated tumor, and the liver is an organ which can totally repair itself and regenerate.”
Unfortunately, this optimism of mine was not shared by my doctors. For the next 4 months, I endured a “Reign of Pessimism:”
“This is a very grave situation. We hope you realize this.” “Even if you get rid of this one tumor, it will likely come back to your liver or to other locations in your body.” “You have 4 choices: surgery, systemic chemotherapy, radiation, or the possibility of an Ablation of the tumor in the liver via radio frequency heat. But this is rarely done with Pancreatic cancer patients.” “It will take a very long, slow time for your CA19-9 score to lower itself.”
It was a dire time for me; the first time I was really scared of dying an early death. I vacillated between depression, fear, and a stark determination to live. It was a really harrowing roller coaster.
I decided to choose the Liver Ablation. On the day of the out-patient surgery, my CA19-9 blood test registered at a whopping 2,202 score. Throughout my 30-month recovery, it had always been 24-28. This high score indicated that the tumor in my liver was very virulent.
Praise God, the Liver Ablation was a success! 3 weeks after the procedure, an MRI revealed the ablated tumor was “dead” and there were no other detectable tumors anywhere in my body.
I met with my new Oncologist, who really listened to me, my Holistic approach to treating cancer, my determination. I told him, “I will not rush into systemic chemotherapy. I want to give my body time to recover from the Ablation and allow it time to heal itself, rebuild my immune system, and recover with my anti-cancer diet, my daily 1-2 hours of run/walking, work in my garden, prayers, journaling, special time with my family, and work with my psychotherapy clients. I believe my body can heal itself.”
3 weeks after my Ablation, my CA19-9 blood test score dropped from 2,202 to 274. Upon my return from 3 weeks in Santa Fe, my CA19-9 had dropped from 274 to 95.
I am grateful to God that there is no detectable sign of cancer in my body once again.
Blessings and prayers to people around the world.