Pancreatic Cancer Group: Introduce yourself and connect with others

Hi , my husband of 51 years was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver , liver cancer ,and pancreatic cancer . He is a 75 yr, old diabetic with ischemic colitis and in good health until an an ischemic event brought him to the hospital with what we suspected was appendicitis. The MRI revealed much more. He was released after a week , we are walking about 3 miles a day again as was our habit and are seeing a second opinion surgeon who specializes in the pancreas today . My question . Surgery is out . We were told 18 months . Should we be seeking palliative treatments or chemo and immunoglobulin therapy as the first dr suggested . My sweet husband is super sensitive to everything (food, weather, taste, pain ) especially food . Are there questions we should ask this Dr or should I not refrain from the serious questions and just allow my husband to confer with the Dr. ?

Tumors should be tested to learn about your particular mutation(s) and to help guide treatment and also determine if you are eligible for any trials. You should also be given that information and afforded plenty of opportunities to ask questions and gain a better understanding of what it all means. That is standard practice. PanCAN.org has a lot of information on the importance of tumor testing and if you look around the website you may find a lot of very helpful information and good advice.

Learning that you have cancer can be so overwhelming at first. So, ask lots of questions and learn as much as possible. It takes time, but it's important. Every single cancer is unique in some way to the individual and the testing they do on "your" tumor is essential. Hugs!

“Tumor testing “. What’s tumor testing? My oncologist has spoken of it.

Ray,
I so feel your anxiety. 11/2021 I was diagnosed stage IV out of the blue. A few side aches sent me to the doctor.
I’m here and I am thriving! Am I on medical care? Yes. Am I still doing the things I love, yes-except not many big bold cabs!
Get to a pancreas center of excellence, get second opinions, then make a treatment choice. You can do this! And many good things are coming for even better treatments so we can begin looking at this as a chronic disease.
Be sure that your doctors order genetic testing and tumor testing upfront. This will help direct your treatments now and in the future. Lastly, stay healthy! Fresh air, good foods, some quiet time, and laughing!

Hi Sandy, my husband had the same surgery in July. The doctorw will advise you of how to proceed diet-wise. The first step was liquid, then soft food (pudding, oatmeal, yogurt), then a light diet (eggs, toast, turkey, chicken, mashed potatoes). He was advised to stay away from raw vegetables and salad for the first two weeks. We found that if he had a meal with a little more fat, he'd have a bit of difficulty with digestion. One meal in particular was some ground chicken with a bit of mashed avocado - the avocado was a little too much so soon after surgery. He was lucky as it related to sugar, his sugar has been fine so there wasn't any restriction in that respect. Two things that helped him immensely prior to and after the surgery were using the spirometer and walking. I requested the spirometer in advance, and he started using it a couple of weeks before the surgery. It is amazing what the body is able to withstand. The thought of him getting out of bed and walking after that surgery was unbelievable to me, but he did and it was the best thing. If i can be of help in any way, please reach out. I'll be thinking of you both with positive thoughts.

What a neat testimonial for advocating for yourself, @gardenlady1116. Your journey with cancer has taken you down many roads and you have navigated the roads very well.

Your post reminds us that a cancer diagnosis never hits at a good time. There are usually other bumps in our road, and this new diagnosis represents just one more thing to deal with. I admire your tenacity and I hope that other members learn from your experience!

How are you feeling right now?

When I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, it was my third cancer diagnosis. When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I had two young children and a marriage that was falling apart. I was in a complete stake of shock and my world was turned upside down and inside out. Then my oncologist and surgeon did not agree on the surgery (surgeon didn't think more surgery was needed after the local resection of the cancer and the oncologist disagreed). I had to take it upon myself to find someone for a second opinion. More chaos and confusion as I wound up trying to find my own consultant. The second opinion was very helpful. Once I had chosen my doctors and come up with a treatment plan, things settled down a bit.

With my second cancer, I felt a bit on more familiar territory and didn't wind up with too much with second opinions, my second opinion oncologist suggested the BRCA testing. Based on my family history, he thought the risk of the gene was about 13%. Shock of all shocks, I was found to have the BRCA1 gene. Did not turn my world upside down completely, but certainly changed things. At that point I was divorced and I went along and redid my will and trust.
Now with my third diagnosis, I am really a veteran, but I have much more idea how to advocate for myself and do my own research about my cancer and its treatment. Again I had to refer myself to a center of excellence, but wasn't too difficult for me to see where that should be.

I have learned from every story I read on this forum. We will be there to help you however we can. You probably do feel alone, but you are not at all alone. I hope you will keep talking to this group. I am sure we will all learn from your experience. Others can tell you how they have coped with their diagnosis and initial reactions.

Hey Ray,

Wishing you luck. I started down this road in March of 2023. I can understand the panic completely - I'm still on the bumpy road right now. Let us know if there is anything we can try to answer for you that can help slow down the panic a little.

Hello all. I'd like to remind everyone of the community guidelines, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/tab/community-guidelines/. Specifically:

Remain respectful at all times. Exercise tolerance and respect toward other participants whose views may differ from your own. Disagreements are fine, but mutual respect is a must. Be inclusive. Not everyone shares the same religious or political beliefs. Don't impose your beliefs on others. Avoid typing in ALL CAPS, as it is considered shouting.

Now let's get back to the spirit of the discussion of welcoming new members to the pancreatic cancer support group. Let's extend our welcome to @rayb2024 who was just diagnosed and is feeling overwhelmed and panicked about their new diagnosis.

@rayb2024 Hi Ray and welcome to the Pancreatic Cancer support group on Mayo Connect. It is understandable that you feel in "panic mode and trying to keep it together." We have many members who have been treated for pancreatic cancer with good results. In this forum you will meet some of those members like @markymarkfl and @stageivsurvivor and many others.

As you are new to this forum, please share as you are comfortable doing so.
What tests led to your diagnosis? Were you having symptoms when this was discovered? Has your cancer been staged yet?