8 years pancreas free

This morning while making breakfast it dawned on me that today marks 8 years since I had my pancreas removed. In some ways that surgery seems like a lifetime ago. When I compare how much pain I felt and how ill I was back then to the present, I can't help but swell with gratitude. My health is a million times better, I am a mama to a beautiful and spunky daughter, and I continue to have a loving and supportive spouse.

In February 2020, I got to share my memoir with the medical team from MUSC, including my surgeon, that made my pancreatectomy possible. Little did I know how divine the timing of my visit was.

This past year has been challenging for all. As someone with a compromised immune system, the pandemic has caused my anxiety to surge at times. However, spending more time at home with my daughter and husband has been a gift.

Less than 2 years ago I started using an insulin pump to help maintain "normal" blood glucose levels. Unfortunately, I experienced a lot of times where my blood sugar would fall quickly to dangerously low levels. When my blood sugar crashes I feel like I have the flu - I get cold sweats and chills, feel extra nauseous and like I am about to pass out. Even after my blood sugar rebounds, I am left feeling wiped out and ill for the remainder of the day. Eventually my insulin pump levels were adjusted to the lowest settings and my blood sugar was still crashing multiple times a day. At the advice of my endocrinologist, I am now completely off the pump and am giving myself injections of insulin as needed.

My body continues to require daily naps and my body wears out before my mind every day. I am embarrassed to admit that still, at times, I seek value in a job or productivity. When I remember how far I have come, though, my perspective drastically and instantly changes. I am truly blessed, even if I am still a work in progress.

My hope and prayer is that just as I have experienced miraculous healing, our country and world would undergo life changing "surgery" to move forward in healing and reconciling.