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Pancreatic Cancer warriors I hope you get great news like me
Pancreatic Cancer | Last Active: Apr 26, 2023 | Replies (47)Comment receiving replies
When you say marker-do you mean the CA 19-9 marker? My husband (stage 4) has had 7 folfirinox treatments (at Dana Farber Cancer Institute) and is tolerating them well. For the first 6, the bloodwork showed CA 19-9 decreasing, but on this 7th one, there was an increase. Dr. said it is not always meaningful, and not to get dismayed.... but.... we are. She said only a scan can determine whether tumor is shrinking or growing. We have a scan coming up next week. Any thoughts on whether the CA 19-9 markers are accurate/meaningful trends? That's really the only tumor info we get between the scans.....
He too changed his diet based on various research we did--almost no red meat, (3 times in 100 days), only chicken and fish, limiting sugar since that supposedly feeds the cancer, limiting dairy, and increasing fruits and veggies and fiber. He gave up all alcohol. He is 6'1", and was overweight at 240 lbs in Jan. In 90 days, he lost 55 pounds on the new diet, and is now stable at 185, which is where he should be. Still has strong appetite, but is eating the "right stuff" now. He had high blood sugar in Jan when he was diagnosed, and dr said he had diabetes and had to go on insulin. With the new diet, we were able to decrease insulin by 15% a few weeks ago, and his blood pressure and cholesterol are both down too. I am hoping we can get him off the insulin eventually. Has anyone had any experience with being able to eliminate the insulin after changing diet?
Replies to "When you say marker-do you mean the CA 19-9 marker? My husband (stage 4) has had..."
Insulin can sometimes be eliminated with diet and exercise. Keep checking blood sugars regularly. If insurance will cover, continuous glucose monitoring is very helpful with managing insulin. Two most commonly used are the Libre system and DEXCOM system. I am a retired physician, previously specializing in diabetes and endocrinology
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Hello!
First I want to say that you and your husband are doing an amazing job in this fight against a really tough diagnosis. I believe we will get to the other side of it.
Yes, i was referring to the CA 19 9 marker. From what i have read, it can increase during treatment in response to dying cancer cells, and perhaps in response to other inflammatory issues.
I was fortunate to be able to have the Whipple procedure, which brought my CA 19 9 down to the normal range. From there, during chemo, it rose and fell. I am 8 months out of chemo now, and it is rising again. My last CT was April 4, and it showed no sign of cancer, so it is dismaying to me that it is rising again. I will be having a PET scan soon in response to the rise.
I have read it can rise in response to inflammatory conditions. My CA 19 9 rose after I had Covid in December.
I try new things to keep cancer away. I have eliminated dairy, gluten and sugar, and only have turkey, eggs and fish.
I am in the process of eliminating most meat as well. Also, started fasting, and using herbal supplements, as well as meditation several times a day to address the worry that comes with this.
I exercise every day, either cardio or weight training.
I wish I could tell you more about CA 19 9 to ease your mind.
Keep doing what you're doing and researching other ways to get through this. 🙏🙏🙏