Pancreatic Cancer Group: Introduce yourself and connect with others

@tomrennie yesterday was tough- nausea returned. i finally drank lots if fluids and after a good nights sleep i feel much better this morning.
i hope it continues!
How are you?

I did make myself go out yesterday. I volunteer at Dock Street, a theater downtown, and yesterday we had some training in the morning. I had gone to the beach for a nest inventory before that. Then the kids came over- they are busy busy3yr old and 6 yr old.

I did not watch the Phillies last night- i guess it was a good one to miss. So far i like their acquisitions.

In the process of lining up a second opinion visit to John Hopkins. They have been very cooperative and helpful. Unless my schedule here gets messed up I should be there all day Sept 1 for evaluation.

My extremely talented son in law fixed my phone yesterday- i can hardly do without this darn thing now. Too many drs visits!
I will try to watch the phillies tonight since they come on a little earlier. The kids and family are coming back over to fix dinner.

I hope your day is a great one!!!

@jopier You are rolling with the punches. Sometimes you have to do that. Hydrating and rest help. Also, staying active is good for the body and mind. Spending time with the kids, volunteering, the beach, and whatever else helps you maintain some sort of life balance really helps. It's easy to get consumed by the challenges of your cancer battle. For me, that isn't healthy. I need to live a little each day to keep my sanity. I am still alive after all. Thank goodness for your son in law. A working phone to keep track of everything is necessary. Great idea on the second opinion. It can't hurt. Hopefully the Phillies victory last night will start a winning streak. I too like the new additions. I am doing well. Thanks.

Hello, I’m from Canada and I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer October 2025. I had a whippel in November and had a 51 day recovery in hospital. Infection and my stomach causing the long stay. After getting out of hospital I was delayed chemo because of liver enzymes and white blood cell count. I finally started chemo and had to stop several times due to infections. After 7 chemo treatments my doctor has placed me on a hold time to see what they will do next and that’s where I am now.

@kevinsutter Hi and welcome to Mayo Connect. You have been on quite the journey. Sorry to hear that. Is the hold time also to help your body recover?

I’m not sure nor is my oncologist. My liver enzymes in my blood are very high and I keep getting infections so he said the benefit of chemo does not outweigh the risk so I guess I’m done unless my gastroenterologist can find a way to get my liver working correctly. The margins were good on the tumor that was removed so there is that.

Does anyone else have experience with high enzymes after whipped and how they were resolved?

I was given my diagnosis just this evening- though I was expecting it to come back as pancreatic cancer.
It’s small 15mm x 16mm in the pancreas head and unction (???)
There is nothing the tumor has connected to, clear lymph nodes and not connected outside of the pancreas.

Still trying to wrap my head around all of this!

@kathylisk Hi and welcome to Mayo Connect. Getting the diagnosis can really be a gut punch that takes your breath away. Having difficulty wrapping your head around it is completely understandable. What led up to your diagnosis? Were you having any symptoms?