Help support the Schmuhls
Mike Schmuhl is my brother in law and recently diagnosed with cancer. He is married to my sister, Suzie, and they have 4 kids: Mason, Brayden, Everley, and Brooks. Mike will fight this aggressively and is going for the cure. Please help support their family so he can fight this battle and not stress about the medical bills, gas to travel for his treatments, and if/when Suzie needs to take off work to help.
A little story to catch you up to speed what is going on :
In November 2020, Mike had UTI symptoms and back discomfort and went in thinking it was possibly a UTI. At the time, he really did not have many symptoms other than feeling “bloated.” He was initially diagnosed with a UTI and placed on antibiotics. His urine sample results did not point to a UTI. Mike returned to the ER knowing (and having an extra push from Suzie) that a UTI could not be causing his symptoms. He was admitted and found to have elevated liver enzymes and an obstructed bile duct. Finally answers to his symptoms. An ERCP was done and a stent was placed into his bile duct. At that time, he was biopsied, had a CT, MRI and ultrasound- none revealed cancer at the time. After spending a few days in the hospital, Mike was sent home. Shortly after being home, Mike began to vomit blood- we returned to the ER and were sent home again. Later that morning, Mike woke up so dizzy he couldn’t stand up. Once again, we returned to the hospital and another ERCP was performed. Results showed he was bleeding near the area where the stent was placed. The stent was dislodged and they decided to keep the stent out and monitor if the bile duct stayed open.
Things seemed to be going well, but in January the jaundice returned. An ERCP was done and a stent was placed, once again there was no indication of cancer on the biopsy. Thankfully, Mike’s doctor referred him to see a specialist at Froedert. On February 16th he went in for another ERCP and they found evidence of a malignancy near the head of the pancreas and the bile duct. It was shocking hearing the news that day and we found ourselves so anxious to get treatment going and to know what to expect. We had to wait over a week, but finally got in for a consult with a surgical oncologist at Froedert. At this time several more tests were ordered to determine the kind of cancer it was, staging and the treatment plan.
This week, Mike’s PET scan showed either ampullary bile duct or pancreatic cancer. Although, the diagnosis is frightening, we were so relieved to find out the cancer has not spread and is only a small area on the pancreas. An angiogram was done to check if there was any vascular involvement as the surgeons felt the tumor was fully resectable. (This is a very good thing!) Today, March 5th 2021, Mike went to surgery to have an infusaport placed and will begin chemotherapy next Tuesday. He will receive 3 different chemotherapy drugs every 2 weeks for four rounds. One of the drugs will need to infuse over 48 hours from a pump he will bring home with him. After chemo is finished, he will have another scan, another 4 rounds of chemo, another scan, then chemoradiation, followed by a month of rest before surgery to remove the tumor.
We are feeling very hopeful as the cancer was caught early- the oncologist said we are going for a CURE! We have had so much support so far from family and friends- it has really brought our whole family’s spirits up to know how many people care about us.