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Pancreatic Cancer Group: Introduce yourself and connect with others
Pancreatic Cancer | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (2398)Comment receiving replies
I am a 47 year old wife and mother of 4 children. I was recently diagnosed on 2/24/26 following some intense itching and looking jaundiced. CT scan of my abdomen in the ER showed pancreatic mass and 3 small liver lesions. Liver biopsy confirmed Stage IV pancreatic cancer. At the time I was otherwise healthy, CrossFit 4-5 times a week and eating very healthy, with no prior medical issues other than the excision of a small atypical ductal hyperplasia in my left breast in August 2024. I met with a medical oncologist on 3/3/26 who gave me little hope and said I would start chemo the following Monday. I had a second opinion on 3/9/26 with an oncologist specializing in pancreatic cancer at the University of Kansas Cancer Center who suggested a clinical trial should the testing of my cancer show I had the mutation making me eligible. But, was then told there were no spots abailable in the trial. I am scheduled to now begin chemo on 3/26. Hoping by body responds well to the chemo and am able to slow the growth and spread. This diagnosis has turned my family’s world upside down and am really struggling to stay positive and strong for them.
Replies to "I am a 47 year old wife and mother of 4 children. I was recently diagnosed..."
@tmpeterson16 Very sorry you have to deal with this at your age. As for your Dr., I found they are often very clinical - cut-and-dried. I loved my surgeon, I know he did a great job (Whipple), but he was very clinical. When I asked him my prognosis, he turned to his laptop, then a minute later he said ‘5 years’. No emotion - just facts. And I wasn’t happy with that #, but as I thought about it later, I think he thought it was a good answer! I’ve also thought that Drs:
1) Don’t know it all, especially when it comes to this diagnosis, everyone is an individual and you’ll hear of many patients who go way beyond what they expect (they’re are many stories of individuals who have survived many years, there is a blog on Mayo.com that is dedicated to this), and:
2)Since they don’t really know, they don’t want to give false hope to pts - therefore just cut-and-dried.
Don’t feel hopeless at all - take it one day at a time.
I was similar to you (just older), had a personal trainer and was going to the gym 3-4X/week, walking my dogs daily, eating healthy and except for one weird fungal thing (removed from one of my sinuses in 2020), no medical issues ever.
Wishing you good luck, and prayers!
@tmpeterson16
Please know your story is so similar to so many! Healthy, active…what happened??
After dealing with this since 2021 I think most doctors give us the same grim news on survival. Once I had my pity party I started thinking about it differently. If 13% survive more than 5 years, how many people is that? Guess what? It’s thousands. Why couldn’t I be one of those? I put my big girl pants on, asked God to use me, lead me, and support me; then took off on this healing adventure. We are all unique, but I do know attitude and faith are huge components. Allow people to help you with your family, give back when you can, and always get second opinions at each crossroad in treatment. Make sure you know of any gene mutations to be on alert for clinical trials too!
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@tmpeterson16
I know each of us is very different as I am 76 and was diagnosed stage 4 in June of 2022. The oncologist told me to find a local oncologist & gave me 11 months with treatment on a zoom call & here I am passing 44 months! My local oncologist retired & I am still fighting 🙂 The new oncologist has seen me twice since January of this year which is good. Don't give up! My chemo is gemcitabine & Abraxane. I've had 85 treatments between 22 July 2022 and 18 December 2025. I am now on a "break" since I felt my body saying it was time to stop for a while 🙂 My CT is stable 🙂