@lully2505 , how might we help guide you through tour upcoming surgery. My wife had a mass on pancreas removed, spleen removed, gall bladder removed, and debulked as many tumors as they could get off the liver. We can answer questions about those items if that will help you?

Hello, thank you for reaching out. This is gonna be long, so I apologize in advance.
Yes, I have a recently diagnosed PNet on the tail of the pancreas, towards the body. I found it incidentally about a year ago when I went to an urgent care due to stomach pain unrelated to the tumor. A CT scan done at the Urgent Care saw a "cyst" on the pancreas and they recommended I see a specialist and have a pancreatic protocol MRI done. I had to wait almost 3 months to get an appointment with a specialist and when I went in, he dismissed my concerns and said it was nothing to worry about. That was in Feb. 2023
I left the office with a bad feeling, scheduled an appt with my PCP but he was not available until July 14th. I was getting ready to get married on June 11th, so I archived it in the back of my mind until I could see the doctor. I had no symptoms. Fast fwd to July 14 2023, my GP was appalled that the specialist did nothing. He requested the MRI stat, as well as a CA-19 blood test, which was slightly elevated at 37. By luck, my husband has a work contact at Cancer Specialists of North Florida, and she was able to help us get the MRI done and scheduled with an Oncologist.
Between now and then, I have had a biopsy via endoscopy, that confirmed a 1.2cm PNet on tail of pancreas. Well differentiated, stage 1, non functional. I did a Gallium 68 Pet scan and it confirmed the tumor has not spread.
I spoke with multiple doctors, surgeons and Pnet specialists until I got to see someone at Mayo in Jacksonville. Dr Stauffer recommended what all the other doctors had already said - we could watch and wait, however, I am 41 years old, healthy, normal weight, no other health issues. I opted to have surgery to have it removed before it has a chance to spread. Surgery is scheduled for October 13th (Friday, the surgeon was widely available!!). From what I understand, it will be laparoscopic distal, removing tail of pancreas, spleen and any lymph nodes around it.
I am terrified of surgery but the watch and wait approach would not work for me. I have terrible anxiety and my mental health has been a mess since July.
You can imagine we have been a mess, my poor husband having to deal with all this with me within a month of being married. He is very supportive, I don't know what I would do without him right now.
I am looking for others with a similar experience, just to ease my anxiety towards surgery, recovery, what to expect. I am thankful to have found this resource. Thanks for reading!