NOVEMBER: THINK PURPLE DAY 1

Well like most of YOU...I too had no idea when pancreatic cancer awareness month was.  Nor did I know what the awareness "color" for pan-can was...Please join me as I begin a month long awareness campaign...not just for myself but for others that if they are not already aware...then they will become aware and be proactive in their health.

You know I find it absolutely amazing that EVERYONE knows what the pink ribbon represents...I too am a breast cancer SURVIVOR.  From "Save the Ta-Tas"...to "Check your Boobies"...we get it! You see a PINK ribbon and everyone knows it has something to do with breast cancer.  But lets take all the "money" part out of these multi-million dollar campaigns and lets focus on what's really going on.  How much of your money is really going to research.  YOU would be surprised...and if you're anything like me...you would actually be quite disappointed. I believe there is a CURE...but these drug companies and large corporations wouldn't make the money they are making now...because who doesn't like to "support the cause"...right?! So how many of you bought PINK Campbell's soup cans, hairspray in a PINK can, pens that right pretty with the PINK ribbon on it, magnetic PINK ribbons for the car...the list goes on and on. Thank you  for supporting the PINK ribbon...but how many of you actually do your MONTHLY self breast exams-YES men get it too!

Not to ruffle any feathers...but WE must all be aware EVERY month...not just in October when we see all the PINK...

I can honestly sit here and say I had very little knowledge on what month meant what and what color represented what type of cancer awareness.  I knew pink...and I knew yellow for child hood cancers...but what was PURPLE???

I didn't think too much about November (other than my youngest being born in this month)...nor did I put too much into knowing what "awareness" month for cancer that it was.  That all changed on 11-30-2012...at the age of 34 being diagnosed with PANCREATIC CANCER.  I remember sitting in my hospital room at Banner Thunderbird and thinking wow...I have gone from wearing a LOT of pink ribbons to now I would be adding purple to my collection of things. 

I didn't know the severity of pan-can...the statistics...the treatments...the prognosis...or life after being diagnosed.  What I did know were the signs of pancreatic cancer...only after I was diagnosed of course.  They often say pan-can is a "silent" killer. The symptoms are very vague and could be VERY misleading. 

Today I will share some of  the symptoms of pancreatic cancer:

*upper abdominal pain that may radiate to your back (ummm this is an understatement...more like SEVERE pain that felt like a horse's cinch around my upper abdomen...down my rib cage...then into my lower back.

*yellowing (jaundice) of your skin and the whites of your eyes (I have always liked the color yellow...especially since that was my Dad's favorite color. However having the whites of my eyes turn yellow...not so much!)

*loss of appetite (I related this to stress from "life")...

*weight loss (see above)

*itching-from blockage of the bile ducts (I had the worst itching...I thought I had an allergic reaction...thinking I might have tried something new as in detergent...soap...but Nope!!!)

*bloating (every now and then) 

*nausea (still related this to life)

*diarrhea(related this to my prior surgery of removing my gall bladder)

*elevated blood sugars

See what I mean...these symptoms are very vague...how many of you deal already with abdominal issues...pain...etc., etc....but who would ever imagine that these signs/symptoms could lead you to end up getting the diagnosis of PANCREATIC CANCER. 

This isn't written to scare you...but it is also not my intentions for YOU to just sit back and ignore any "abnormal" symptoms you may be having.  YOU have to be proactive in YOUR health.  You can go to 100 different doctors...but only YOU know YOU!

Don't forget to THINK PURPLE...not just in November...but every month.  Pancreatic Cancer is usually so aggressive...because it is "caught" in later stages...but YOU can prevent the "silent killer" by being aware!!! Here's to more SURVIVORS of this disease.

So from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network...KNOW IT. FIGHT IT. END IT.

Until tomorrow...spread the word to at least 10 other people...think PURPLE