Pancreatic Cancer Group: Introduce yourself and connect with others

Radiation therapy, then fingers crossed, the Whipple procedure. I am determined to beat this thing. I have 3 grandchildren under 3 and I want to see them all graduate from college.

@jayace2430 It is understandable that she doesn't want to do the surgery again. How is she doing today?

@brewster066 They all sound like great reasons to me. Good for you. What is your next step?

@tomrennie
Hi, the surgery went well. However, the doctor said it is a possibility the tumors may reappear. My wife has expressed she does not want to go through this surgery again.
Presently, I’m here in the recovery room with her.
Her biggest challenge are the ebbs and flow of the pain.
I am extremely grateful to be able to vent and share with amazing supportive people-:)

hi. Thanks for the question. The James at Ohio State has greater resources and expertise. They came up with a definitive plan from the outset. They are more aggressive. That is what I am looking for. I would expect patients would receive the same at the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic or Sloan Kettering. I feel when you have an aggressive disease you need to work with teams of this type.

@brewster066 Hi and welcome to Mayo Connect. Changing your care team can make a big impact. You sound very optimistic. That's great. How is your care at the James Cancer Center different than your previous care?

Hi 65f here with unresetable tumor on pancreas. As of yesterday I went on a device called optune pax. It’s pretty new was used for brain cancer an breast cancer and good results from that. Now there doing it for pancreatic cancer. What do I have to lose. It kills cancer cells prevents them from dividing. Along with some maintance chemo pills. I decided to add some Essiac tea to my treatment. Has anyone tried this. Or heard of it? You wear it 12 hours a day for 3 months het a scan an go from there.

Hi. My name is Bruce. I am 70 years old and live in the Dayton area. I am physically fit and healthy guy until I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Sept 2025. I started treatments at one of our local regional hospitals. After 4or 5 months, I concluded they were not being aggressive enough. I moved my care to the James Cancer Center at The Ohio State University 2 months ago. It is the best decision I made. I now have a plan that may allow the surgeons to remove the tumor.
For anyone who is starting on this journey, the key is to ask questions. And never take no for an answer.

@jeannine17
My wife has PDAC. We traveled to Mayo to get a surgical opinion with Dr. Truty and then we traveled back (from Denver) to meet with Dr. Ryan Carr, oncologist, for a second opinion. My wife and I really liked Dr. Carr---super knowledgeable and caring. In fact, we are thinking of going back to Mayo to meet with him again. I'm sure there are many great oncologists at Mayo but thought I would share our experience. Good luck with your treatment!

@jeannine17 Good luck with your appointment today. Please let us know how it goes? Here is a link to get an appointment initiated with Mayo. Let me know, if you have any questions.
http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63