Pancreatic Cancer Group: Introduce yourself and connect with others

@ivy1951 My Husband also had a Distal Pancreatectomy in July 2024. They did not get clear margins which we only found out after the Tissue went for an outside pathology. Cancer was also in 14 of the 20 Lymph Nodes which were removed. Biopsy of the lungs confirmed pancreatic cancer in several nodules in his lungs. He never received any Chemo or any other treatment. He just lost his battle this morning. Without any treatment other than the Surgery in 2024, he lived for over 2 years. He had a great quality of Life up until a couple months ago,
Only God can determine when he is ready for your Husband. I don't want to give you false hope but I would get a second opinion. The Lung Nodules grew very slowly and my Husband never had any pain or any other symptoms from them.
Live your Lives to the fullest and please don't think that a year is all he has. I don't know all of the circumstances but people are living so much longer now.

@suelannon
Thank you for your kind thoughts. We have had a second opinion with a major cancer center, and their conclusion is the current treatment as noted in my summary. We are continuing life as normal around his treatments, and he is busy as he has always been. Sending my condolences for your loss, and wish you the best.

Hi all-

I was diagnosed with stage IIA at 54 in January following a CT looking for kidney stones. I had been feeling very fatigued since the beginning of December, but I was finishing up my last semester at school so I thought it was just finals stress etc. I started having mild to moderate back pain in late December, which is why I had that CT.

I needed a stent placed in February because my liver enzymes were rising due to the blocked bile duct. The tumor was borderline resectable in the head of the pancreas, so they wanted 4 rounds of FOLFIRINOX prior to the Whipple, ended up having 3. Whipple was done in late May. Began GEMCAP in late July. Currently finishing up round 2 of 4 this month.

The pathology report was mostly good news - no nodes involved but the tumor was poorly differentiated with iffy margins in the bed of the pancreas. I’ll have a consult with radiation oncology next month.

This is my second primary cancer - I had Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2001. That was a cake walk compare to this treatment.

Hello, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April of 2026 at the age of 56. I was having stomach pains for a few months. My Dr said it was heartburn and scheduled a upper endoscopy. But it was 3 months out. Pain was getting worse finally ordered an MRI and found a large tumor around my duodenum closing it off. With spots on my liver that were suspicious of cancer. They did a biopsy on the tumor and it was cancerous. They didn't biopsy my liver because of the location they felt they were to hard to get at. I started chemo treatments May 20th 2026. The first round hit me hard. I ended up in the hospital 3 days after treatment. I couldn't eat and what I did eat I vomited out. They found my duodenum was almost completely closed. They did an emergency procedure and put in 3 stents to open things up so I could eat. I ended up spending 9 days in the hospital. I also lost 50lbs and I wasn't heavy to begin with. I lost so much strength. With the stents they put in they put me on a strict diet. No fruits or vegetables nothing fiber. Basically the only meat I can eat is ground meat. That has made trying to gain weight hard. I have gained about 8 pounds back in the last 3 months. I'm on round 9 of chemo now. Each time gets a little better. I'm hoping to be able to go back to work in a few weeks. I have been off since May. I have been getting treated at my local cancer center. Next week I go to the Mayo clinic to get their opinion. My Dr says they won't do surgery because of the mutation into my liver. That means I have to live with the stents. My last PET scan showed nothing changed and nothing new. I'm scheduled for my second one in 3 weeks. Hopefully it will show progress. I have all the same issues that most people have that I have been reading. Stomach pains, gas, diarrhea, nausea, constipation. My taste buds are so bad nothing tastes good anymore. Even water is hard to drink. I Force myself to eat and drink because I know I need to.

Hello I am Paula. I have not been diagnosed yet, but am starting screeing soon. I was hospitallized with what I thought was "food poisoning". After testing, CAT Scans and an MRI, my Gall Bladder appears infected (possibly cancerous) and the MRI also showed several spots on my pancrease. I am researching both and wanted advice on what I should be concerned about doing. I am in good spirits and trust God, but wanted to hear from people who have had this experience.

Dear Hawkinsp: You're early in the process. As you learn more about your unique situation and diagnosis, it's a good idea to get an assessment from a designated comprehensive cancer center near you if you're not already at one. The link below explains what they are and where to find them.

Good luck and stay strong.

Dan
https://www.cancer.gov/research/infrastructure/cancer-centers

@abarrett89 Wow, things have been coming at you quickly. I commend you for attacking the cancer with your surgery and treatment. That isn't easy to do and tolerate. I know what mostly good news feels like. I had one of those reports from scans last week. For me, the mostly good means that there was some stuff that concerned/scared me. Was there anything in your pathology report that concerned you?

@granitedoug Hi and welcome to Mayo Connect. Sorry to hear about your journey. It has to be extremely difficult and overwhelming. That can't be easy. Hopefully the treatment with Mayo can give you some peace of mind. When is it? What location are you going to?

Hello
My appointments start the September 23rd in the Rochester location.

@granitedoug So in a few days. I think that is great for you to get another opinion. Have you ever been there before?