On February 19, my life took a sharp turn when I was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer.
I thought it was gas at first, but after several tums, there was still no relief from the sharp pain that had me in a fetal position on the floor. I am thankful my niece found me and convinced me to go to the Emergency Room. Initially, after hours of sitting in the emergency room, they diagnosed me with Pancreatitis. They proceeded to run several more tests to rule out any other concerns--after several days and upon further investigation, they located a large tumor sitting on the duct of my pancreas. It took a few days after the biopsy for the results. I was terrified.
Their first thoughts were to go in and extract the tumor via surgery. They put together a surgical team and began to explore the bests route to extract it. My hope grew tremendously after the doctors explained the high success rate of extraction. They started me on a low-fat diet and then a feeding tube was surgically installed directly into my stomach because things took a drastic turn. The low-fat diet caused my pancreas to become inflamed and I was immediately put on a clear liquid diet so my pancreas would not try to make the enzyme digest anything. The feeding tube installed worked to provide my body with nourishment since I can't eat anything. This also made them change from surgery to immediate chemotherapy treatments. If they tried to extract the inflamed tumor at that time, it could spread the cancer cells throughout my body which would have been fatal.
The first chemotherapy treatment was started on February 23 which lasted 48 hours. It completely drained my body of strength and was half to finally finish that Thursday. After the treatment, some symptoms were/are constant with nausea and fatigue. The only thing I can consume during chemotherapy is the nutrients in my feeding tube and tap water. They installed a port in my chest last Monday where they cause the slow drip from the chemotherapy to reach my entire veins to go all over my body.
Pancreatic Cancer has turned my world and my finances upside down. The cost of chemotherapy, medicine, and equipment to maintain my health is very expensive. I never thought in a million years that I would ever go through something like this. Not only am I going through the most traumatic event of my life, but I also have this financial burden to remain well, as well. So, I'm asking for help.
My medication alone is over $1500 per month. Also, I'm starting to get the medical bills from the imaging centers for the CT scans, MRIs, EKGs, and And other bills from my hospital stay of over a month at Baylor Scott & White.
If you can please give, I greatly appreciate it! If not, please say a prayer for me and share my fundraiser. It would mean the world to me. Everything spent on medical bills, surgeries and medication not covered by my insurance will be used expressly for bills associated with my diagnosis. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my story! God bless!
I thought it was gas at first, but after several tums, there was still no relief from the sharp pain that had me in a fetal position on the floor. I am thankful my niece found me and convinced me to go to the Emergency Room. Initially, after hours of sitting in the emergency room, they diagnosed me with Pancreatitis. They proceeded to run several more tests to rule out any other concerns--after several days and upon further investigation, they located a large tumor sitting on the duct of my pancreas. It took a few days after the biopsy for the results. I was terrified.
Their first thoughts were to go in and extract the tumor via surgery. They put together a surgical team and began to explore the bests route to extract it. My hope grew tremendously after the doctors explained the high success rate of extraction. They started me on a low-fat diet and then a feeding tube was surgically installed directly into my stomach because things took a drastic turn. The low-fat diet caused my pancreas to become inflamed and I was immediately put on a clear liquid diet so my pancreas would not try to make the enzyme digest anything. The feeding tube installed worked to provide my body with nourishment since I can't eat anything. This also made them change from surgery to immediate chemotherapy treatments. If they tried to extract the inflamed tumor at that time, it could spread the cancer cells throughout my body which would have been fatal.
The first chemotherapy treatment was started on February 23 which lasted 48 hours. It completely drained my body of strength and was half to finally finish that Thursday. After the treatment, some symptoms were/are constant with nausea and fatigue. The only thing I can consume during chemotherapy is the nutrients in my feeding tube and tap water. They installed a port in my chest last Monday where they cause the slow drip from the chemotherapy to reach my entire veins to go all over my body.
Pancreatic Cancer has turned my world and my finances upside down. The cost of chemotherapy, medicine, and equipment to maintain my health is very expensive. I never thought in a million years that I would ever go through something like this. Not only am I going through the most traumatic event of my life, but I also have this financial burden to remain well, as well. So, I'm asking for help.
My medication alone is over $1500 per month. Also, I'm starting to get the medical bills from the imaging centers for the CT scans, MRIs, EKGs, and And other bills from my hospital stay of over a month at Baylor Scott & White.
If you can please give, I greatly appreciate it! If not, please say a prayer for me and share my fundraiser. It would mean the world to me. Everything spent on medical bills, surgeries and medication not covered by my insurance will be used expressly for bills associated with my diagnosis. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my story! God bless!
Organizer and beneficiary
Celester Dukes
Beneficiary