The Adventures of PanCan Man

Episode 1: The Diagnosis

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Episode notes

There's an uh-oh moment when you're told you have pancreatic cancer. But what happens before that? How do you know if you have the symptoms?

In this episode we hear about the pancreatic cancer diagnosis for host Frank Roche. Yep, that's me. And I talk about what led me to being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer nine months ago: stomach cramps, dark urine, jaundice. And I talk about the rapid steps my PCP and gastroenterologist used to diagnose me initially -- sonogram, contrast CT, MRI -- and then the interventions they used to treat my jaundice and stage my cancer -- ERCP and EUS.

This show is the beginning of a story. As of the publication of this show I have had 12 rounds of chemo, and I'll soon me moving to radiation and then surgery. In Episode 2 I'll talk about finding the best medical team to help me slay this dragon.