Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve celebration.

This year my New Year's Resolution is to give up cancer! I am going to quit it cold turkey! I think the chemo is already working to shrink my tumors b/c I have not had any of that horrible pain I was having for a couple of weeks now. The tumors on my liver were enlarging my liver and putting pressure on the sac that surrounds it, which has a ton of nerve endings in it and that was in turn sending referred pain into my right shoulder and my actual liver itself was causing pain in my upper right side. So, my logic is that if the pain is gone, then the tumors have at least stopped growing or are in fact shrinking. Of course, I won't have the tests to prove it for another couple of months, but all my money is on this theory.

I hope that with my recent cancer diagnosis, I can give everyone out there reading this a New Year's Resolution for life. You have to take charge of your health. If you are not satisfied with what a doctor has told you, or not told you regarding even the smallest medical issue, you have to be persistent. Only you know your body and when something is not right you have to take charge and find out what is wrong. I struggled with these stomach issues for an entire year, I saw 3 different gastroenterologists. The first one I saw wouldn't give me the time of day, he didn't listen to me and did not even make eye contact with me. I had to push to have tests run which did not show anything so he dismissed me and told me to do what was working, take a pill every day. I fired him and told him I did not appreciate his lack of concern for me. If I had listened to him, I would still be taking a pill every day to mask my symptoms and who knows how long I would have gone without discovering my cancer?

My second doctor was great, he was genuinely concerned about me and challenged by my case. He had more tests run on me which were also inconclusive, I even had to push him and keep returning to his office until I could get a diagnosis. October 24th, I had more tests run, per my request and a HIDA (gallbladder) scan confirmed that my gallbladder was not functioning properly. It was excreting bile at 6%, instead of 40-50%. I was told the gallbladder removal was only a 50/50 shot at relieving my symptoms, turns out it was a 50/50 shot at discovering cancer. I went to my 3rd gastro for a second opinion and he was in agreement with my 2nd doctor as far as it being a 50/50 chance. Ultimately, it was my decision to have the surgery on November 21st which changed my life.

To make a long story longer...don't stick with a doctor who is not giving you the results or answers you need. You are a paying customer and the customer is always right. You wouldn't return to the same restaurant over and over again if they were not providing the service and good food you were paying for. If I had accepted the fact that nobody knew what was wrong with me and that there was a magical pill that was alleviating my symptoms even though I still had no diagnosis as to what the magic pill was fixing I would not be fighting this cancer at all. I would have only masked the symptoms that were presenting themselves for a reason. I was the only one responsible for my health and I stood firm and pushed until I was finally given some answers, I firmly believe that is why I am fighting the fight now and not 10 years from now. So, please go and have that mole looked at or have your scheduled tests run, whatever it is that you know you need to address, quit making excuses and get answers! If I can have my gallbladder removed, get a cancer diagnosis, a PET scan, 2 CAT scans, a colonoscopy, a mammogram, a barium enema(FUN!), a biopsy, a PICC line gone bad, a central line inserted and removed and do a round of chemo all in one month and at the age of 30, then you can go and take care of what you need to with no excuses!

Sorry this was so long and preachy, but it is very important!
Love,
Kelly