How the nightmare began

Many people (including me) wonder how this could happen so quickly.
I decided to write a short synopsis about how we got to where we are today.
Trying to think back this is the best we can remember about when the symptoms started.
Thanksgiving seemed normal the whole family came over , Tim had his normal appetite and sense of humor. That is the last normal time I can remember by the first week in December Tim had lost his appetite and had a constant feeling of being bloated and weak. Mikey at work told Tim his eyes were turning yellow and after being coaxed by some of his coworkers (thank you)Tim saw the m.d. on Dec. 6, 2006. That is when the emotional roller coaster began.

I am going to try to leave out the medical jargon. We started with blood tests that showed Tim's liver was not functioning properly. On Dec. 13 We were referred to a G.I. specialist Tim's jaundice had gotten worse from an increase in billirubin by this point Tim was not eating anything. An MRI was scheduled and after this was performed they told us not to leave they wanted to call his doctor immediately who told us to meet him at the hospital to have ERCP .
The MRI showed a blockage in the bile duct which was causing the bile to back up and Tim to turn Yellow. We were hoping for gall stones that could be removed during this procedure and we would go back to life as normal. The funny thing is when we checked into the hospital of course the first thing they talk about is insurance and payment. They said they estimated Tim's stay to be 2 days so we still thought this can't be too serious.
When we got to the G.I. lab the doctor said the MRI showed a tumor blocking the bile duct which was so advanced that surgery was not a option. Tim said can you fix me as they were starting the sedative to preform the procedure so that was all he remembered. The doctor took me outside and said I want you to look into my eyes so you know how serious this is we have an oncologist on board to consult with. I know I will never forget that look in his eyes or the sick feeling that came to my stomach and has not yet left.
The procedure he preformed was to place a temporary stint into the bile duct to allow the bile duct to drain. He also took some cell brushings from the area as a sort of biopsy to see exactly what we were dealing with. He kept telling me this is just a band aid I cannot fix the problem this is temporary. When Tim came out of the procedure he kept asking me over and over" did they take anything out" "why didn't they remove anything" . It seemed like he asked this every 10 minutes all night long. I don't know if it was the medicine he was under or the fact that this information was too much to absorb. Tim told me until this happened he believed he was invincible.
On Dec. 14 Tim had a cat scan of his entire body , a MRI of the spine , a bone scan and another ERCP to do a stomach biopsy. As anybody who has been through this knows the waiting is the hardest part. Throughout the weekend many nurses tried to lift our spirits by saying just because it looks suspicious doesn't mean its cancer until the biopsy is back. On Tuesday Dec. 18 we got the official diagnosis cholangiocarcinoma which had metathesized to the liver and pancreas. Tim took this news much better than I did. He said i know it has to be allot harder on your side of the fence. I just want to make sure you and the girls are going to be o.k. Always selfless.
On Dec. 21 Tim had a port-a-cath put in his chest to make chemo treatments easier and at the same time he had a paracentesis to drain 4 liters of fluid from his abdomen. This was a good thing because it relieved the pressure and he was able to eat again also the fluid had begun to press on the diaphragm and make his breathing more difficult. For a guy who hates needles he sure had his share this week.
On Dec. 23 Tim spiked a fever which ruined our chances to come home for Christmas. I promise I will never take advantage of another Christmas in our own living room again. Thanks to everyone who gave up their family time and visited us that day. On Dec. 26 Tim received his first dose of chemo which we believed to be a great Christmas gift.
On Dec. 29 Tim developed a pleural effusion which was quite painful and delayed his release from the hospital again. Finally on Jan. 1, 2007 Tim was released to come home. YEAH!