Hello!!

Thank you for your kindness! Yes, I had surgery at the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville on October 13th. I spent 6 days in the hospital and I cannot say enough good things about this place. My first 2 nights were really difficult, more because of the pain caused by the gas they pump you with for a laparoscopic procedure. I mean, that pain was everywhere, I have NEVER felt gas pains in my shoulders, but this was insane. Hot compresses and literally being burped like a baby really helped. I also learned if I karate chopped myself on the shoulders it helped tremendously, lol. I looked crazy, but it works so whatever 😀
I was up and walking on the same day, with the help of a walker. It was very difficult to get up by myself. The nursing staff was great but my husband stayed with me 24/7 so most of the time he was the one helping me. Because they removed part of my pancreas, I could not eat anything the first 3 days, I was on IV and water only. The pain was bad, but manageable. I had issues when I started eating again. I threw up the first thing I tried to eat. I felt weak, dizzy and nauseous. They checked my blood sugar regularly and at first it was all over the place, but then it stabilized. I had high bp and flushing for a few days, again because of the body getting used to food again.
When I came home, the first night was very hard. I was not able to lay flat or even on the sides so I had to sleep on a recliner. After about 1 week I was able to sleep on the bed.
It's been a bit less than one month, I have my follow up on Monday, 11/13. However, my pathology report was remarkable, all margins were clear, no lymph node involvement so I should be cancer free (fingers crossed). My glucose and BP are back to normal. I just feel really exhausted by 3 pm and I feel full really fast but for the most part, I am able to eat whatever I want. I am still walking and started lifting light weights to get some strength back. The fatigue is no joke.
Overall, it was not as bad as I thought it would be, but it was definitely not easy. I do not regret the surgery at all, especially if we can confirm I am cured. I am sure I will need scans regularly, I hope to God this never comes back.

Sorry for the long post. If anyone is about to go through the same surgery and has questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. I was terrified before going in and I am so very grateful everything went well.