Philip's Story

In the fall of 2020, Philip noticed the color of his bowel movement and urine was off. He made an appointment with his primary care physician, by the time he saw him he had developed jaundice. He was referred to a gastroenterologist, his bilirubin level was high so there was there may have been an issue with his bile ducts. Philip had a procedure done and a biopsy that revealed a cancer diagnosis. On November 20, 2020, he was told he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer, the same day his father passed away.

Chemotherapy followed by surgery was the recommended treatment. In January of 2021 chemotherapy was started and Philip was referred to Dr. Shanel Bhagwandin to discuss surgery. After meeting with Dr. Bhagwandin, Philip learned he was a candidate for the Whipple Procedure. On March 29^th surgery was performed at Jupiter Medical Center, he spent 5 days in ICU and was then transferred to the surgical recovery unit for several more days to recover before being discharged home.

Philip had chemotherapy post-surgery and tolerated it well. A follow up scan in March of 2022 showed something suspicious, it was cancer. Radiation therapy was the recommended with Dr. Tennyson at Jupiter medical Center. Philip completed his radiation treatment, has felt well since. He is being followed regularly, test results have been good and his CA19 (a lab test used to monitor cancer) is down.

“Dr. Bhagwandin did an excellent job, his bedside manner is good, he always took time to talk to me and explain everything. He even visited me at 9pm when I was in ICU. Everyone should be aware of their body, if anything is unusual pay attention to what your body is telling you.”