Can someone help...terrified: Need info on pancreatic cancer

Posted by cindee60 @cindee60, Oct 23, 2019

I was hoping I could get some information from anyone that has had pancreatic cancer diagnosis and what their symptoms were....I really scared

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So my husband recently was seeing a doctor about yellowing of skin, light stools, weight loss and upper abdominal pain. Last week I took him to emergency and he had a bleeding ulcer. Was rushed to hospital in another city and underwent emergency surgery to clamp off bleeding ulcer. In the meantime he underwent CT Scan 2 scopes and numerous blood tests and an ERCP. 7 doctors told us this blockage was stones. Well it wasn't it was a stricture according to the doctor that performed the ERCP. He has sent a sample for biopsy. So I am now confused and scared out of my wits. ERCP was done late Tuesday Nov 5th. Can anyone advise how long biopsy results take? Now I just received a call from a Heptologist office for an appt next week following up on my husbands recent hospital stay.....what is going on? If he was in hospital for 13 days, had numerous tests and 2-3 scopes would they have missed something really bad? I am so scared.....he is turning pink again as a stent was placed in the bile duct. He is definitely feeling better but did receive 7 bags of blood and 3 bags of iron so I am not sure if he is still tired due to loss of blood or something else is going on?? It seems Heptologists only deal with bad things and yet the doctor told us all the testing they did showed no evidence of cancer.......so sick to my stomach and have 5 more days until appointment. Is there any hope that this could not be something really bad..???
Any response appreciated.

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@cindee60

Thanks Teresa yes I will I just feel overwhelmed and under supported. When we left hospital doctor said nothing they had seen indicated cancer so I have to hang on to that or I’ll go crazy I think

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Hello @cindee60

Yes, do your best to distract yourself from worry, Perhaps a craft or reading or going for a walk would be good for you right now. It is important for you to take care of yourself and not allow yourself to become consumed with worry.

Wishing you both well! I will look forward to hearing from you after your husband's next appointment.

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@hopeful33250

Hello @cindee60

I'm glad that you posted an update about your husband. You wrote, "he is turning pink again as a stent was placed in the bile duct. He is definitely feeling better..." This is all good news, isn't it?

If the testing so far shows no evidence of cancer, that is a good thing. I'm not sure how long it will take to get the biopsy results back, but try your best not to assume the worst.

Hepatologists deal with liver disorders and it does not necessarily mean "something bad."

I hope you are able to relax some until your husband's next appointment. Will you post again after his appointment and let us know how he is doing?

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Thanks Teresa yes I will I just feel overwhelmed and under supported. When we left hospital doctor said nothing they had seen indicated cancer so I have to hang on to that or I’ll go crazy I think

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@becsbuddy

@cindee60 Welcome to Connect. We’re a community of patients, former patients, caregivers and families who’ve come together to share health experiences and to get support. Your husband has seen a doctor and had a CT Scan, correct? What did the doctor say that got you ‘terrified?’ When will you get results? Please stay in touch with us

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Hi Becky after 2 weeks of tests including CT scan and 2 scopes and an ERCP my husband is at home. Doctors kept talking about removing the gallstones to unblock the bile duct but turned out they weren’t stones...not sure how 7 doctors can say stones but I guess it was a stricture and sent for biopsy which I guess is standard. When we left the hospital the doctor taking care of my husband said this “ we have seen no evidence of cancer in the testing we’ve done” so we left and the next day got a call to have an appt with a new doctor who apparently is a heptologist. Not sure why but just opened up an entirely new stress overload. Maybe it’s standard but I’m scared to death

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@cindee60

Thank you so much for your reply I’m so scared and feel so alone. We are in Canada but I would travel to states if the treatment was better. Where did you get your diet change information from?

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my info comes from a few places. Chris Wark who did a tremendous amount of research on cancer in general - he is a layperson, but his research is relaible. Mayo has a book in their library about foods to eat that prevent/eliminate cancer. chemo can help, but i found for me the best was to integrate western and eastern practices

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@cindee60

Thanks Teresa yes I will I just feel overwhelmed and under supported. When we left hospital doctor said nothing they had seen indicated cancer so I have to hang on to that or I’ll go crazy I think

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@cindee60 You really do need to do something for yourself, take a walk, see a funny movie, anything. Just let go of your worries for a few minutes. Your husband is relying on you to be strong right now. Your strength is the very best thing you can do for him. When I got so sick two years ago, I couldn’t think of anything, but I knew my husband was taking charge. Months later he told me that he’d been so frightened and worried, but all I saw was strength. I know you can be strong. Believe the doctors and trust yourself. Becky

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I was just diagnosed and forums like this are helpful. But there is a wealth of information . Mayo website is good as well as Dana Farber, Columbia in New York. Google is your friend.

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Good day Cathy. This diagnosis sucks. (sorry for being blunt) But you can do this - i did! I found for me (and everyone is different) the conventional along with eastern medicine and also diet worked. i did the floforinox, but could only do 5 rounds as my body could not handle the toxicity. While it shrank the tumor a bit, it prevented it from going anywhere else. during that time period i drank a lot of water called ten (you can get this at most local groceries), homemade organic chicken soup with root vegetables, homemade organic bone broth with the bone marrow, and mashed potatoes. Try and stay away from the following: dairy products, white sugar, white flour, processed foods. I also did acupuncture once a week. I also did infrared saunas once a week. hopefully where you are there is a support group- there is not one where i am, but i did find some help on line, and my local friends helped me out. Good luck with this journey.

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@dianamiracle

Good day Cathy. This diagnosis sucks. (sorry for being blunt) But you can do this - i did! I found for me (and everyone is different) the conventional along with eastern medicine and also diet worked. i did the floforinox, but could only do 5 rounds as my body could not handle the toxicity. While it shrank the tumor a bit, it prevented it from going anywhere else. during that time period i drank a lot of water called ten (you can get this at most local groceries), homemade organic chicken soup with root vegetables, homemade organic bone broth with the bone marrow, and mashed potatoes. Try and stay away from the following: dairy products, white sugar, white flour, processed foods. I also did acupuncture once a week. I also did infrared saunas once a week. hopefully where you are there is a support group- there is not one where i am, but i did find some help on line, and my local friends helped me out. Good luck with this journey.

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They told me the chemo they were going to use it might be the one you mentioned. i'm sure I'll get the name again. right now i can only focus on surgery. I want it to be Friday because the waiting is getting to me. Although the surgeon told me that a week or two would not make a difference. Seems like the days go in slow motion. Tonight I start with the skin prep. it's different this time. In previous surgery I used those wipes which were like over sized baby wipes but they have the cleanser on them this time its soap I think actually same stuff but in a bottle, tonight tomorrow night and Thursday night i do it. I have been really watching what I eat before i go in. I am drinking a lot of water too, and walking everyday. I heard chemo leaves a bad taste and everything tastes metallic. ( I'll have to wait and see). I got beef broth and chicken broth Another different thing is I am suppose to drink 8 oz of Gatorade or apple juice before going in within 2 hours, It is suppose to give me energy to help heal. it was a study done by Kaiser Permanente. They are my health provider. I'll be finding out what time I have to go in. It may be early like 0530 which is fine as i am positive i won't get much sleep the night before.

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