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Pancreatic Cancer Group: Introduce yourself and connect with others
Welcome to the Pancreatic Cancer group on Mayo Clinic Connect.
This is a welcoming, safe place where you can meet people living with pancreatic cancer or caring for someone with pancreatic cancer. Let’s learn from each other and share stories about living well with cancer, coping with the challenges and offering tips.
I’m Colleen, and I’m the moderator of this group, and Community Director of Connect. Chances are you’ll to be greeted by fellow members and volunteer patient Mentors, when you post to this group. Learn more about Moderators and Volunteer Mentors on Connect.
We look forward to welcoming you and introducing you to other members. Feel free to browse the topics or start a new one.
Pull up a chair. Let's start with introductions.
When were you diagnosed with pancreatic cancer? What treatments have you had? How are you doing?
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@marvinjsturing Whew! Good to hear. Take care
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2 Reactions@mscarano, how are you doing? I'd love to get an update on your appointment with Dr. Truty and the treatment plan. How are you feeling about things?
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2 ReactionsDr Truty stated I am not a candidate for surgery and tumor is active and locally advanced. Recommends I find a local oncologist to work with that will meet my quality of life needs. They did fix my bile stent and put in a stomach stent to my small intestines to better deal with my discomfort.
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2 ReactionsWhat kind of discomfort are you having? Can you share more about the stents? After my husband eats, sometimes, not all the time, his stomache swells up and gets rock hard. The pain for him is excruciating.... Wondering what's going on..... Thanks for sharing what your experience has been...
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1 Reaction@marvinjsturing I'm so pleased to hear that there was no new growth, Marvin! It sounds as if you had a nice visit with your family as well.
@mscarano, that must've been difficult news to hear that you're not a candidate for surgery. Do you already have a local oncologist? I might also ask about a palliative care team as they specialize in pain management and comfort care. Do you know if they provide palliative care where you live?
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1 ReactionAgree, need to include Palliative Care and also alternative options. Need to start working it, but don't know what I'm up against and how best to determine what doctors/teams are best to work with in my area. Need to also include Cigna insurance to figure out what they cover in-house.
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2 ReactionsThose are all important considerations, @mscarano. Will you keep posting as you find answers?
Yes, for now.
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1 ReactionHi,
My husband was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer two months ago. Like so many others, he was just living a normal life when his doctor ordered a CT scan. His stomach was bothering him and all lab results were normal. We never suspected anything like this. He wasn’t even sick. He has a 10cm tumor in the body and tail of his pancreas with several smaller lesions in his liver. He started his first cycle of Folfirinox 13 days ago and round two is tomorrow morning. I feel hopeful most of the time, and terrified some of the time. I’m hoping to hear from more caregivers about how they’re coping. I’ve been a registered nurse for many years, but always in labor and delivery. Everything I know about oncology I’ve learned in the past few weeks.