Pancreatic Cancer Group: Introduce yourself and connect with others

@gamaryanne that’s interesting as my husband’s oncologist has looked at films with each CT and MRI to better interpret his response to chemotherapy. I thought that was normal.

@beckykuh
Wanted to send encouragement to you - I had the whipple surgery in Canada in the fall of 2018. Followed by 11 sessions of chemo (couldn't finish the 12th one). I had tingling in my fingers and feet so stopped chemo. I am still here after all these years, managing my life and looking after my husband. My pancreatic cancer was Stage 3. I do have neuropathy in my feet and a lot of problems with digestion. But overall I live a pretty good life. I would like to wish you the best. Hang in there.

@lhlawrence
I'm an 87 year old man, diagnosed in Feb. 2025 with adenocarcinoma in head of pancreas, non-resectable. I've been on chemo, gemcitabine and abraxane, since March, every 2 weeks, so far no metastasis. My surgical guy, Mark Bloomston, with Lee Health in southwest Florida, introduced me to two potential procedures for shrinkage of the tumor: nanoknife and histotripsy. The latter is non invasive, using high energy ultra sound to generate gas bubbles in the tumor that burst, destroying the tumor in the process. It's new for the pancreas, has been approved for use in the liver by the FCC. I had the histotripsy procedure done in December, as an outpatient, recovery a piece of cake, and significant impact on the tumor. Final results await the next scan, but Bloomston very pleased. Your doctors should be aware of these options, nanoknife has been around for a while. Histotripsy for the pancreas is new and wasn't covered by my insurance. Could be a problem. I've learned a lot from ChatGPT, recommend it as a surrogate doctor for general advice and options for discussion with the real gdoctors. Hope this helps.

@icelander19 Thank you so much for your reply. It is a bit overwhelming to me right now and am learning as i go. Had my first chemo treatment on Friday. Always nice to talk with others to see how they dealt with side effects. How long did it take you to get an appetite back? Am making lots of notes, so on next treatment will know more of what to expect. Thanks for your input, sure appreciate it.

I don't recall how long it took. I remember my surgeon told me to eat often and small meals. That way there was less problem with digestion. I still have a lot of digestion problems, probably because of how extensive the whipple surgery is. These days I eat whatever I want but sometimes pay for it after. My bean bag in the microwave sure helps. The chemo can be very hard on you later. Just take it one treatment at a time. I know how overwhelming it can be. I recall sitting in the chair at cancer care, at my first chemo treatment, and I was just overwhelmed and couldn't stop crying. It is natural. I hope you have a good support system at home. I sure wish you all the best and send hugs.

@yellie I wish!

If there is anyone on here who had whipple surgery a few years back, can you tell me how you are doing now.