Pancreatic Cancer Group: Introduce yourself and connect with others

Bpope, you may wish to browse through all the discussions in the Pancreatic Cancer group (https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/pancreatic-cancer/). There are several discussing Whipple surgery that I think are very helpful. Here's one to get you started:
- Whipple procedure: What is the recovery like? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pancreatic-cancer-whipple-procedure/

@chiwivalencia, you can get specfic answers to your questions about insurance and possible solutions by calling Mayo Clinic directly here:
- Mayo Clinic Insurance https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/billing-insurance/insurance

I hope you get answers and care for your husband. I agree with @beachdog that getting care at NCI cancer center is best.

@chiwivalencia FYI, he should qualify for disability from social security and they expedite requests from pancan patients. Perhaps addl funds will help with co-pays, etc.

He is on medicaid/care and Mayo only accepted him due to an emergency visit. One week of tests, diagnosis and release. In my opinion its his insurance HMO low income causing delay.

@chiwivalencia
You need to get him into a National Cancer Institute hospital with pancreatic specialty. You didn't say what aspect of his insurance wouldn't cover Mayo treatments. You said he wasn't on chemo yet so what was Mayo doing for him? My wife started chemo the day after installing the port so that shouldn't have delayed chemo.

Good luck.

Hi Colleen. I just found this group and I'm hoping the members can give me and my husband some insight on PC Stage 4. Its for my father in law who we moved into our home to SoCal from the mayo clinic in Scottsdale. his insurance didn't cover him for further treatment there (unfortunately) . He is 62 and diagnosed July 18th. Port put in for chemo Aug 18th and still no chemo. He has NO appetite and getting him to drink water or anything is Next to impossible. pain is horrible and watching him suffer is just heartbreaking. Any ideas on how to get him to eat something, or pain tolerance? Our next step is the ER & hope he gets admitted to at least get an IV into him with fluids......

@srhyne I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year - in NC and currently being treated at Duke. I decided to record my experiences and thoughts that I hoped would be of some use to the newly diagnosed patient and their families. My notes are now available in e-book and paperback format and you can read a sample at the following link to help determine if it might be right for you - https://www.amazon.com/One-Path-Among-Many-experiences-ebook/dp/B0BBD5ZVTG Best,

My doctor suggested a Whipple. What is the recovery like?

Hi @srhyne! I’m new to the group although I was diagnosed in October 2021. I had treatment locally but am now at Mayo heading for a complete pancreatectomy— a word I don’t know until about 6 months ago. If there is one thing that has stood me in good stead as a mantra of sorts, it’s this: You are not a statistic. Statistics say you should be terrified of pancreas cancer. But statistics don’t acknowledge all the many exceptions—and there’s no reason you can’t be one of the better outcomes! So focus on learning from those stories
That said, there’s a lot to learn. Take control of the things you can, like diet, exercise and sleep. The common“mindset“ advice is a two-edged sword. It can turn into blaming the victim if things seem not to go right (“You weren’t thinking positively enough!” That’s nonsense, IMO)
One more thought: Don’t give up if at some point down the road your local team says they can’t help. I was being treated at one of the best cancer centers in the country in Boston, which thinks of itself as a medical Mecca. After 12 rounds of chemo my local surgeon said he thought surgery was too risky, end of story, basically. I had my scans sent to Mayo and they told me, to the contrary, I’m an ideal candidate for a very complicated surgery that they do more of than anyone else. So here I am, doing “prehab” to get prepared.
Keep plugging and putting one foot in front of the other, but let people help you.
Good luck!

I am the spouse of a pancreatic cancer victim. We found out he has it on Dec. 15, 2022. He has had four Florfirinox chemo treatments and 7 rounds of Abraxane and Gemcitabine chemo treatments (sp??). He is stage 4 with metastasis to the liver. We are at the Mayo clinic. he also has Peripheral Artery Disease, but has never smoked or had a weight problem.