Evil Villain Pancreas

Alien Symbiote Pancreas

I recently posed the question on the facebook page  “What does your pancreas remind you of?” I got a lot of really hilarious responses, and I’m really excited to do some more cartoons, but I started off with this one.  My friend, Christina’s husband, John, just got his pancreas removed last month.  She said that they used to refer to his pancreas as an Alien Symbiote.  I’ll be honest, at first I had no idea what this was, my inner geek-o-meter went down a couple degrees and google/wikipedia came to the rescue.

For those of you who like me, do not know what an Alien Symbiote is check this out.  Scary looking thing, isn’t it?  A bit darker than the normal Bad Pancreas Cartoons, on the other hand, with the way my pancreas has been behaving lately, for all I know he has become a Symbiote as well.

Here is hoping this gives John and Christina a much needed chuckle during John’s recovery!! Everyone send some prayers their way while you are thinking of it!

Call to Arms

So we’re at war in our household with one Bad Pancreas. Admittedly, my weak point is asking for help, but I have to confide that I can’t take on the little guy on my own.   As the months leading to my surgery turn to weeks (and days, and so forth) I’m going to need a lot of support.  So, I’m asking:

1.  For Prayer.  We desperately need prayer, in every single aspect of our lives.
• We need prayer on September 12, on the day of surgery,  for guidance for the doctors.
•  We need prayer after September 12, for healing.
• We need prayer leading up to and following the surgery for our financial well-being.
•  We need prayer for our fundraiser, we know God will provide for us to have this operation, but any security we can muster will exponentially help our certainty that we are doing the right thing and allow us to have peace about our decisions.
• Prayer for our family and friends, this is going to be a hard time for everyone involved.  We’ve been told by the doctors over and over again that it is almost a community affair, this surgery affects everyone, it is going to be a hard, long surgery, with a hard, long recovery.
2. For Financial Help. This is by far the hardest thing to ask for.  I know with the economic climate the way it is, many of you can’t afford to help.  Please know that I understand, and I’m not asking you for money.  I appreciate anything you might be able to contribute, whether it is a one time prayer, or help spreading the word to those who may feel led to give.
• Social Media.  One of the best tools we have for raising money is Facebook and e-mail.  In order to raise any money at all we have to be exposed to potential donors.  To do this, we need all the help we can get, from sharing events, status updates, and pages, to initiating your friends to donate their status message for the day with our fundraising link (http://www.giveforward.org/evicttaraspancreas). If you have a blog, please feel free to share the links to this site and the one above, as well as my story and any images.  We have a limited amount of time to make as big of an impact as we can with this campaign and I’m being really up front here because we simply can’t do it without your help.
• Mail.  If you have access to a list of addresses through your church, business or organization who you think might be inclined to help out our cause, we would love to send them a letter explaining how they could help if they were so led, including the time and place of our eventual event.
• Fundraising Event. I’m completely at a loss here, if anyone has any experience with these things, I would so appreciate your advice.  I’m sure we’re going to need a location, food, advertisement, possibly people to help run it, and I have no clue what else. I’m open to ANY advice!!
• Donations or  Merchandise Purchase. If you are interested in contributing financially you can do so here at our charity website OR you can purchase Bad Pancreas Cartoon Merchandise at the Shop.  We get a 30% commission on merchandise sales, and 100% of anything donated to the charity site.  If you have any advice or ideas on how to make this drive more successful, please, please contact us!
3. For Support After the Surgery.
• Watering the Plants and Feeding the Cat during the Surgery Week. I know my darling husband will do his best to take care of my patio garden and our giant fat cat, however, I’m sure it will be far more overwhelming for him than he or I realize.  To this point, if anyone would be willing to stop by once a day for the one or two weeks I will be staying in the hospital during and after the surgery, I’m sure it would be an incredible relief.
• Spending time at the house.  I know this one is tricky.  My doctor asked us if we could find someone to stick around while my husband is at work, and essentially babysit me my first few weeks home.  If you have any spare time you’d be willing to spend hanging out at my humble abode post surgery, we’d be so thankful.  We would be more than happy to provide food and sleeping arrangements. If you can stay more than a day, let us know and we will start looking for some simple furniture to make our spare bedroom inhabitable!
• Running Errands.  I won’t be able to drive for the first few months, and I’m sure Rob is going to have his plate full taking care of me and working his insane schedule.  Which might leave a few neglected tasks that need to be tended to.  We may need someone to run and grab something from the pharmacy or help me get to a dr. appt.  every now and again.
• Silly Domestic Stuff.  Like possibly providing a couple meals for Rob and whoever is able to stick around and help out that week.  I won’t be able to stand to cook for myself or anyone else, at first I will be on feeding tubes, so this won’t be a huge deal for me.  But, it might be nice for other people to be taken care of.  If you would be able to do this during the first month or two post-surgery, that would be amazing.

I know this is a lot.  Truth be told, we can’t do any of this but by a miracle of God.  Anything you are able to contribute, even just thoughts or prayers will be more than sufficient.  We love you all so much.  We feel your support all the time, and we are seeing God answer your and our prayers each day.  I couldn’t have made it this far without you, and I know you’ll be with me through this whole super, major, life-changing experience.  I can’t wait to share it with you all.

My Pancreas is a Bad Apple.

My Pancreas is a Bad Apple.

Panky, Panky, you can run, but you can’t hide. Finally, the doctors agree, my pancreas is a bad apple. And the old adage an apple a day will keep the doctor away ain’t holdin’ water this time.

It’s time. That’s right. We finally got an eviction date!

(drum roll please!)

(keep drumming)

September 12.  That little miscreant is going to be outta there.  I’m thrilled and terrified.

My first reaction was SHEER JOY.  My second reaction was utter panic.  So, we’ll see where I am tomorrow, maybe I can formulate more eloquent thoughts on the matter, but for now, I thought I’d share: We’re officially counting down!

Bad Pancreas.

Tara has a very bad pancreas.

Tara has a very bad pancreas.

Did you ever make the wrong roommate decision? You know who I am talking about, that leachy, anti-social person, who left their half eaten pizza sitting in the sweltering sun too long attracting all manner of rodents and bugs, who left the house unlocked that day you came back to find your entire collection of Mr. T DVD’s missing (I don’t pity that fool).  The one who broke grandma’s salad bowl and called the cops on the idiot downstairs banging on his ceiling (uh, you mean the LANDLORD?)?

Well, that is what my pancreas is like.

Don’t get it?  Don’t worry.  Basically, my pancreas refuses to work (hold down its job) or be remotely cooperative with its neighbors (other organs) and causes an incredible amount of pain and damage all the time.

So what do you do when you have a bad pancreas?

Evict it.

I’m giving my pancreas the boot! No more! That stinker is outta here.

Some people have good pancreases.

Good Pancreas.

Some people have pancreases that work. Good pancreases.

A well-behaved pancreas serves two purposes: It secretes enzymes (exocrine function) which are chemicals that break down food in the intestines so that your body can absorb the nutrients from what you eat; secondly, (and more common knowledge) it makes hormones that help keep your blood sugar levels balanced like glucagon and insulin.

This hardworking, digestive powerhouse, while relatively unresearched, is essential to the digestive process. i.e. without it, a person can’t (or might as well not) eat.  Until recently it was believed that a person couldn’t survive without their pancreas.  In the 70’s a Doctor at the University of Minnesota began to experiment with a procedure called Total Pancreatectomy with Autologous Islet Transplantation.