Just before I was wheeled into surgery, several other doctors stopped by to say hello to me and to give final instructions. Because of the length of the surgery, teams of doctors and nurses would rotate throughout. Dr. Coppa would perform the most critical surgical techniques. Also, due to the length and sensitivity of the surgery, I received an epidural as well as intravenous anesthesia.
During the surgery, while I was in a deep sleep, my family got to worry in the waiting room. Dr. Coppa’s in-person visit at the midway mark helped them: Everything was going as expected.
After the surgery was completed, Dr. Coppa told the family that everything went very well. He got the entire tumor out and had the desired margin to clear around the tumor. AND because I was diagnosed so early, more tumors had not formed nor had they spread to my lymph nodes. This was a very big deal indeed, and improved my chances for a long life ahead.
Once I awoke from the anesthesia, my relieved family came to visit me in the ICU – two at a time. Dr. Coppa also stopped by and explained the surgery in some more detail. He stated that I had the best outlook of any patient he had treated for pancreatic cancer, and that he was convinced that my future prognosis was excellent. He said I should ignore the mortality rate statistics for pancreatic cancer, since virtually no one included in the research studies was blessed by the level of tumor containment that I had. Unfortunately, research studies often lump everyone together to form “averages,” regardless of the condition of the individual patient. I realized then – and now – how blessed I am.