Pancreatic Cancer Group: Introduce yourself and connect with others

@gvk911
Many, like myself, received same diagnosis. Sometimes they leave out an important word…” it is inoperable…NOW”. Chemo can work to shrink and even kill tumors, or make them necrotic. When that occurs, surgery will be considered. Focus on being as healthy as possible now, so the chemo, and make sure all trends are being watched closely. If this one isn’t working, switch! In talking to many patients, it does seem doctors give us the grimmest news first .
Be strong, and have hope!

@gvk911 Hey Glenn. Sorry to hear of your diagnosis. It's a tough one to get and process. I know, because I got the same one. It is great that treatment is happening sooner rather than later. I do have a few basic question, before we dive in to things a little deeper.
- Your pancreas is the location of the cancer, but do you know specifically what type of cancer you have? Adenocarcinoma is about 90% of all pancreatic cancers. The type of pancreatic cancer usually determines treatment.
- What type of chemo with you be getting?
- You stated previously that the pancreatic tumor is 2cm. This is still the case correct?
- How impacted is your liver? For example, my scan results stated that I had innumerable lesions.
- Does the cancer impact any of the plumbing around your pancreas and liver? For example, my pancreatic tumor and liver lesions were growing into nearby veins. Since you are feeling good at the moment, I am optimistic that the answer is no.

That should give us a good starting point for more detailed conversations moving forward. Your CT or MRI report should provide the information to answer the above questions. The first two are the most important. If the answers to the other questions aren't easily understandable from the reports, the jargon can be quite a challenge, don't worry about it. Let me know ok?

@tomrennie
Hi Tom,
I met with an/my oncologist yesterday with news that I was not expecting. He told me that I have stage IV pancreatic cancer. The cancer in the liver was caused by pancreatic cells. I believe that I will be starting chemo therapy on Tuesday, April 21 until October. Each therapy takes about 90 minutes. There are three weeks of chemo and then one week off, then it keeps repeating.
The cancer is incurable and also inoperable. I am not sure of radiation. I will ask my doctor.
Thank you mayo Clinic Support Group! You are very helpful
Exercise is good and I see a nutritionist on Monday. I also have a CT scan Monday to get a baseline. Right now I feel real good!

@casey1959, @tomrennie I well understand the heartache you are both experiencing. Going through this with a long term partner is heartbreaking, overwhelming, traumatizing, and life shattering. I hope you both find the strength you need to get through each day and to find joy in the little things to keep you going. Those small moments mean more than I can say. Strength, comfort, and peace to both of you.

@tomrennie We have several cats. 1 is my support cat. I was crying this AM & he came to me to be next to me. Ty for that I so needed it.

@casey1959 I cried a lot typing it. I also have learned that crying with others beats crying alone. This time, my tears were good tears. Our dog gets upset when we cry. He crawled on my lap trying to get me to stop crying. Ever try to type with a 75 pound dog sitting on your laptop? It worked. I stopped crying and started laughing. Even the dog has learned how to help us cope better.

@tomrennie oh my yes yes yes. I'm in tears right now. Our current issue. Bless you both.

@casey1959 It is so hard for all involved especially initially. My wife asked me a few years ago, when I was really sick and beginning treatment, what she could do to help. I responded that I didn't know. I really didn't. I was scared for my life, and I didn't know what to do. She left my "sick room" crying, and I laid there crying. My wife is a problem solver by nature. Her inability to "fix" my cancer problem, and watching me suffer, was extremely difficult for her. I know that she felt guilty about it. I felt guilty for destroying our dreams. When we were 28, we got married and moved from the Philadelphia area to Arizona for job opportunities. We had a dream for our lives together. We worked hard, built good careers, adopted kids, saved money, and planned for an enjoyable retirement. At 56, I ruined our dreams by getting cancer. She now felt the added responsibility of paying for my medical bills. Neither of us really knew how to handle it let alone talk about it with each other. Those initial conversations always were emotional and not helpful for either of us. It took a lot of time, tears, and patience on both of our parts, to get better and dealing with it all... together. We still struggle, but we are way better at it than we used to be. Last night, we actually talked about trying to be happier right now. Enjoy today. We don't know how many more todays that we will have together. We need to plan for the future, both good and bad, but we need to cherish the time we have now. It was a calm, rational, surprisingly joyful conversation. I don't have any answers for you. Like I have said, the mental and emotional challenges of dealing with cancer can be far more difficult than dealing with the physical challenges. Can anyone else relate to any of this?

Sounds so similar to my husband. He turned yellow in October of 2024. Many stents placed in liver. Failed biopsy after biopsy. 9 months to diagnose him with stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer. H Pylori in the beginning. Sepsis 7 months ago. 12 rounds of Chemo. I joined here for support & knowledge. He doesn't use Technology as far as Internet ECT. So I do the research & whatever I feel is needed and I can handle. Trying my best for basically we have just each other. ( 51 years)Wedding Anniversary is the Day before his Whipple. I Feel he's doing it for me . Fears leaving me alone . I m trying to just have a plan & go day by day. This group has been a help for sure. Best to you & yours.

@tjberryi Good luck today. Please let us know how it goes?