Pancreatic cancer is often caught in late-stage. Thanks to 3 Steps Detect, Julio caught his cancer early.
As a cancer liaison for Station 36, San Francisco Fire Department, I learned about DetectTogether’s 3 Steps Detect. I passed the early cancer detection program information on to the members of 36, and it really stuck with me.
I did not have any tell-tale signs immediately to alert me, but after a month of pains in my abdomen area and lower back, I decided to reach out to my primary care doctor.
At first, we thought it could be acid reflux, but we ruled that out when the pain got worse. My doctor sent me for an abdominal ultrasound and found that my gallbladder had some fatty polyps. They also spotted something on my pancreas that was blurry and hard to identify. She thought it could be pancreatitis and had me stop drinking. She also ordered a CT scan of my pancreas, and that’s when the image revealed the spot more clearly on my pancreas. A biopsy revealed I had cancer. The tumor had created a blood clot in my silica vein, which caused all my pain. The silver lining was that we detected it early, in stage 2, and the tumor was dormant.
As soon as we found out that it was cancer, we took action. My wife is an oncology nurse at UCSF San Mateo, so we got the ball rolling between her Doc (Karen Chee) and our cancer foundation. Within two weeks of my diagnosis, I had my port placed and I had my first treatment behind me. I had a total of 12 treatments over six months. I had surgery to remove what was left of the tumor along with my spleen and gallbladder. I had five weeks of radiation for precautionary measures. Recovery has been slow, but I am getting stronger every day. The doctors are confident that they got it all and I have no cancer anywhere else.
If your doctor doesn’t want to order a scan, demand it or contact another doctor. You need to advocate for yourself.
I tolerated the treatment well and kept a positive attitude throughout the journey. I have great support from my wife, who has been my rock through this, and my family. My fellow Firefighters, both active and retired, have been amazing, so much love and support.
I would advise not to dismiss signs and pains that don’t feel right; act on them as soon as possible. If your doctor doesn’t want to order a scan, demand it or contact another doctor. You need to advocate for yourself. The faster you get diagnosed, the better the outcome.
You will likely get emotional when you hear the cancer news, so let yourself go through your emotions. Then, you fight and stay positive to beat cancer.
