knew the ache she was feeling wasn’t regular, but she needed to push for a further full-body MRI to lastly get recognized with pancreatic .
Talking to , the E! Information alum opened up about her terrifying ordeal of battling most cancers whereas by way of surrogacy. Her journey started final fall, when she was recognized with Sort 1 diabetes, which runs in her household, and later started experiencing “excruciating stomach ache coupled with diarrhea.”
Menounos, 44, went to the physician to run some assessments. Every thing got here again clear, however the mom-to-be knew one thing wasn’t proper. “I saved having [abdominal] pains,” she defined, including that the ache was so extreme, it felt like “somebody was tearing my insides out.”
A buddy recommended that Menounos look right into a full-body MRI. She pursued the extra check primarily based on this informal suggestion, and lo and behold, the scan revealed a cancerous tumor on her pancreas.
Her most cancers was detected at Stage 2, so Menounos’s docs advisable that she have surgical procedure to take away the tumor from her pancreas. She underwent the process — which additionally included the elimination of her spleen, a big fibroid, and 17 lymph nodes — in February. Fortunately, she is now recovering and awaiting the start of her child lady together with her husband, Keven Undergaro.
“I’m so grateful and so fortunate,” she mentioned. “God granted me a miracle. I’m going to understand having her in my life a lot greater than I might have earlier than this journey.”
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, a 6-inch organ that sits behind the abdomen and merchandise hormones that management blood-sugar ranges.
There are two important varieties of pancreatic most cancers: exocrine tumors, which account for 90 % of instances, and neuroendocrine tumors, that are a lot rarer. (Menounos was recognized with the latter.) Widespread signs embrace jaundice, darkened urine, higher stomach ache, center again ache, bloating, and fatigue.
In line with the , pancreatic most cancers accounts for about 3 % of all cancers in america however 7 % of all deaths from most cancers. It additionally has the of all cancers.
That is largely as a result of sufferers normally aren’t recognized till the illness has progressed. Early-stage tumors usually don’t present up on CT scans, as was the case for Menounos.
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Getting recognized early might need saved Maria Menousnos’s life.
Picture Credit score: Getty Pictures Menounos is fortunate to have been recognized at an early stage, when her most cancers was nonetheless very treatable. That’s why she has chosen to share her story and encourage different individuals experiencing comparable signs to advocate for themselves.
“Whenever you’re met with a possible dying sentence, every thing adjustments,” Menounos advised PEOPLE. “I want individuals to know there are locations they’ll go to catch issues early. You may’t let worry get in the way in which.”
“I had that second the place I assumed I used to be a goner — however I’m OK as a result of I caught this early sufficient,” she added.
Her most cancers analysis additionally comes just some years after she needed to have a big however benign mind mass eliminated.
“How within the freaking world can I’ve a mind tumor and pancreatic most cancers?” the podcast host joked.