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Pancreatic Cancer Group: Introduce yourself and connect with others

Pancreatic Cancer | Last Active: 3 days ago | Replies (1728)
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@kathy74

I am 75 and was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in September 2024. I had the block in Octotober and they said it may wear off. So far so good. It took that terrible back pain away and I also wear a 12mg Fentanyl patch. I was on chemos gemsar and abraxane. They took me off the abraxane because of the awful after effects. They gave me a brake from gemsar because my Magnesium was very low, my glucose was 231 and my platelets were 58. The low for platelets is 150. I finally went back to chemo last Thursday, with a lower dose of chemo and have this week off but they want me to come in to check on my platelets. My Tumor was 7.2 cm and shrank .67 inches since October but my cancer is wrapped around the celiac axis and the body plus the tail. Onc. said I am inoperable and will not survive this disease but will not tell me how long I have. Good luck to you and I appreciate your decision not to have chemo because it wreaks havic with your body.

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Replies to "I am 75 and was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in September 2024. I had..."
bradthompson88 | @bradthompson88 | 6 days ago

I'm sorry you have had such a struggle, both with pain and with the knowledge that it can't be cured.

I start chemo and a clinical trial next week. I am stage 4 metastatic to liver and surrounding lymph nodes. I had pain at first and have been living pain free for about 6 weeks. There is no reason for it, but I take every day like this as a gift.

I asked my doctor the same question as to how long I have. She said it is a very individual answer and would not give me a timeline other than to say 6 months if I did nothing. At first, I was a bit miffed that I didn't get a number. But, now having had time to reflect on it, I think I like it this way. Instead of being given a number to aim for, I now have the choice to go on as far as I want.

Having lost a nephew to a car accident, I can say that while it won't be painless for me and for my family, I have the luxury of making sure I am right in this world and everyone in it. I need to be generous with forgiveness and on asking to be forgiven. I watched the biography of Michael J. Fox and a quote has always stuck with me, "With gratitude, optimism is sustainable". I choose to be grateful for as much as I can every day.

I hope this doesn't sound preachy. I maybe have no basis for posting as I have not gone through the chemo yet. I know what my pancan sponsor told me and that was that those that do the best get up even when every part of their body says stay down. I want to be here to hold future grandkids! I wish you only the best. Brad

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