176: Mike Fitzpatrick survived pancreatic cancer | whipple procedure | nanoknife | lanreotide

1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 176: Mike Fitzpatrick survived pancreatic cancer | whipple procedure | nanoknife | lanreotide | cancer cachexia Mike Fitzpatrick was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1999.&nbsp; That he is still with us in and of itself is amazing; what is even more incredible is that he later learned he had been walking around with symptoms of the disease since 1986!&nbsp; When he initially reported the symptoms to doctors, they performed some tests and claimed at worst he had a twisted bowel.&nbsp; Mike went to a different doctor who ran an MRI and a CT scan and told Mike he had pancreatic cancer.&nbsp;&nbsp; After discussing the diagnosis with his wife, they decided to be proactive and opted for a Whipple Procedure, a complex, 13-hour procedure that got rid of hundreds of tiny tumors on his pancreas.&nbsp; However, in 2018, more tumors were back.&nbsp; They were removed with a nanoknife procedure, but Mike was told for the rest of his life he would have to take lanreotide, a monthly injection to keep the tumors at bay. &nbsp; His health seemed to be just fine until 1986, when Mike experienced pain shooting through his abdomen and back.&nbsp; He found himself with severe diarrhea and sustained vomiting for twenty minutes at a time.&nbsp; Mike sought medical attention.&nbsp; Despite doctors running various tests, they said there was nothing wrong with him that indicated cancer, and that the worst possible scenario was twisted bowel. &nbsp; In 1999, Mike went to another doctor who performed a CT scan and an MRI.&nbsp; Shortly thereafter, he and his wife were called to the doctor’s office where they were told Mike had pancreatic cancer.&nbsp; The doctor urged Mike to undergo a Whipple Procedure to get rid of hundreds of small tumors on his pancreas.&nbsp; When he asked the doctor of the consequences should Mike pass on the Whipple Procedure, Mike was told the consequences could be sudden death because the tumors could “explode.”&nbsp; Mike and his wife chose to go ahead with the Whipple Procedure. &nbsp; It was a 13-hour surgery.&nbsp; Mike had his gall bladder, bile duct and part of his pancreas removed.&nbsp; Then the bile duct was re-attached to his small intestine so that he could eat and digest food.&nbsp; Mike said his recovery from the procedure took close to one year, but the tumors were gone. &nbsp; All seemed well for Mike until 2018 when two tumors were detected.&nbsp; This time he underwent a nanoknife procedure.&nbsp; He was told the tumors were gone, but in 2024, they reappeared.&nbsp; His doctor told him that for the rest of his life, Mike would have to get a monthly injection of lanreotide, aimed at keeping the tumors from spreading. &nbsp; Mike Fitzpatrick is glad to be alive, but suffers from neuropathy, which results in chronic fatigue and a loss of balance.&nbsp; &nbsp; Additional Resources: &nbsp; The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: https://www.pancan.org &nbsp; The Cancer Support Studio: https://www.cancersupportstudio.com &nbsp; The One Cancer Place Institute: https://www.onecancerplace.org &nbsp; Mike's Blog: 50 for Fitz, available on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Cancer Interviews http://cancerinterviews.com <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/41470955/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/41470955