I was diagnosed as having pancan in late March 2023 and stage 4 via laparoscopy on April 6, 2023, so I'm just short of one year. The highest CA 19-9 recorded for me at any point was 1,736 in mid-March. I'm currently at 30 (test taken last Friday 2/2/24) and have been in "normal" range since mid-November. (Of course, normal doesn't mean NED, since my CT scan still shows a tumor, although it's much smaller than initially.) FWIW, I'm not operable due to blood vessel involvement, so chemo is my weapon of choice. I just finished round 19 on Tuesday. I was on modified Folfirinox originally and now on modified Folfiri (no oxaliplatin).

I love the comments from @gamaryanne . Pancan is a battle, and I certainly understand your concern. But there is hope. It'll take hard work, dedication, research, and a semblance of normalcy, as she points out. I was forced to retire from teaching, and it took me a long time to come to grips with that. However, since then I've begin volunteering as a "reading buddy" at my local library, working on needlework projects for my family (I never had time to do that before), and writing postcards urging registered voters to cast ballots in this election year.

Wishing you and your wife all the best!

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