I Almost Gave Up

Jenna Thiel

• Losing my appetite led to PNET diagnosis
• Emergency surgery was my only option
• Bowel obstruction and sepsis led to very slow recovery

I knew something wasn’t right when I completely lost my appetite.

I didn’t want to eat anything except Jell-O and applesauce. I was tired and lethargic, and had excruciating pain, especially in the upper left quadrant of my abdomen. 

Insisting On More

I saw my doctor and he thought it might be my gallbladder, but that didn’t check out. I kept pushing, insisting that he do more tests to figure it out. He sent me to Baptist Health Hospital in La Grange, Kentucky, for an ultrasound. After that I had an MRI and CT scan. That’s when they called me to say they had accidentally found a tumor on my pancreas.

The doctor at Baptist sent me to University of Louisville Hospital for further treatment. The surgeon there wasn’t concerned about the tumor at first. But then I had an endoscopy and he realized how aggressive it was. It turned out to be a stage III pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET). They immediately scheduled me for surgery. I had a distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy the day before Thanksgiving in 2020. I stayed in the hospital for what seemed like forever. I also lost a ton of weight—nearly 70 pounds.

Complications Set In

Four months later I was back in the hospital with a bowel obstruction, which led to bowel reconstruction surgery. I ended up with a fistula where my post-surgery drains were attached, and the infection went into my bowels, leading to sepsis. My body was shutting down; I couldn’t even get out of bed. I was in the hospital for 17 days.

I have two young children, and they noticed what a hard time I was having. All of this happened in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we couldn’t get any home health. Thank goodness for my husband Jesse, who became my full-time caregiver. He left his job as an electrician to stay home with me. Jesse’s cousin, who is a nurse practitioner, helped us a lot at home. My older sister, mom, and dad also came to the rescue.

I almost gave up, but I am glad I didn’t. I decided to fight with everything I had. I needed to be there for my family. Despite the pain and the many complications, I had promised I would take my children to the beach, and I was determined to keep that promise. I went to physical therapy, where I learned to walk again.

My family faced another setback when my sister was diagnosed with uterine cancer. I underwent a hysterectomy to avoid any further complications or another cancer diagnosis.

Look at Me Now!

Today I’m doing well! Originally, I did my follow-up with Dr. Renato LaRocca at Norton Cancer Institute in Louisville. But Dr. LaRocca retired and I now see doctors at the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center (in Lexington) for my yearly scans to monitor the possible recurrence of the tumor. My four-year check-up is in November 2024. I thank God every day and try to live my life to the fullest with my family. Although most PNET cases occur in people over 55, I was only 35 at the time I was diagnosed.

I am so grateful to have made it this far that I am devoting a lot of my time and energy to pancreatic cancer awareness. I volunteer as much as I can. My journey also inspired me to shift my career. I went back to school to learn medical coding. Given my delicate immune system, I can’t work directly in a hospital environment. So medical billing and coding is one way I can be part of the healthcare industry in return for all that it did for me.

For others who have been diagnosed, I would start by saying that this isn’t easy. Take it one day and one minute at a time. Know you aren’t alone. Let others help you and take care of you because this is a battle you can’t win on your own. If you need help, please reach out to resources and lean on others. Seek prayer—I wouldn’t be here without my faith. 

You are a warrior. No matter what, cancer will never take that from you! 

Watch Jenna tell her story in “You’re Not Alone.”