Imagine nine years of debilitating gastrointestinal illness; misdiagnoses from doctors that include gastroparesis, pancreatitis, functional dyspepsia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and being told to reduce the stress in your life; a battery of tests such as endoscopy, colonoscopy, MRI, and an octreoscan; and a variety of medications – only to still feel horribly ill. Meet Tracy Krulik, author of the newly published I Have Cancer. And I’ve Never Felt Better!, who has overcome these challenges to lead a healthier, happier, and more balanced life. She chronicles her journey in her book which has received rave reviews from readers.
When doctors finally correctly diagnosed Tracy in 2007 with a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, the cancer had already spread to her liver and chest. Following surgery on November 5, 2007 for removal of her primary tumor, on the tail of the pancreas, as well as half of the pancreas and her spleen, Tracy took back her health.
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) can be confused with pancreatic cancer, or adenocarcinoma, a more aggressive disease. These rare cancers are usually more slow-growing. They form in hormone-making cells (islet cells) of the pancreas. Pancreatic NETs may or may not cause symptoms depending upon if they are functional, making hormones such as insulin, gastrin or glucagon and causing symptoms, or nonfunctional where they make substances but do not cause symptoms. The late Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, is perhaps the most well-known individual to have been diagnosed with an islet cell pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (NET) for which he had surgery in 2004, followed by a liver transplant in April 2009.
Critical needs in the carcinoid and NET cancer community are awareness and early diagnosis. Over 50% of carcinoid/NET cancer patients are incorrectly diagnosed and treated for the wrong disease. From the initial onset of symptoms the average time until proper diagnosis is 5 to 7 years. It is during this time that the cancer can spread. Tracy Krulik’s story illustrates these points.
Describing herself as the “CEO of my health,” Tracy says she lives with cancer as a chronic disease. She is no longer a workaholic, has changed her diet dramatically, and now exercises five to seven days a week. She acknowledges that she will always have to face challenges in life but does so head on with an extraordinarily positive and upbeat attitude.
Here are some of the reviews for I Have Cancer. And I’ve Never Felt Better!
FASCINATING
“. . . a fascinating read. I thought it would be a basic book about surviving cancer. I was wrong. It was a heartfelt and informative book, yes, but it was impossible to put down. I simply needed to know what was going to happen next. When the author talked about her experience with the many doctors, i wanted to scream at them and when she wrote about her experience with long distance bike races, i wanted to cheer her on. I to , have had to deal with cancer, hypoglycemia and asthma but it is hard to explain to others what those experiences are truly like to live with. The author did a wonderful job of describing her feelings as well as her frustrations. I will be sharing the name of this book with my many friends and family living with cancer or care-giving a cancer patient.” –KCagle
AWESOME READ
“Tracy’s humor abounds in this compelling story about her misdiagnosis and fight to gain power over cancer. I found myself laughing out loud at several points – great writing style will do this to a person! I respect her frankness and honesty – and admire her positivity and determination.” – Me
EXCELLENT!!
“I loved this book on Kindle. Tracy tells it like it is and takes no prisoners! She shares experiences about her cancer journey from the heart, head and everywhere in between all the while injecting humor. I expected more of a survivor theme but got a great story instead :)” – Susan Kirby
From now through March 31, 2013 interested individuals can enter the Goodreads giveaway for an autographed copy of Tracy’s book. CLICK HERE to enter to win. Goodreads gives readers the opportunity to “Meet your next favorite book.”
To purchase a paperback or Kindle copy of I Have Cancer. And I’ve Never Felt Better! through Amazon, CLICK HERE.
