Update: After my Whipple surgery

Posted by cyrus73 @cyrus73, Apr 18 12:20pm

My PC Update
I just had my 2nd post Whipple chemo after returning home. FYI my Medicare approved Rehab facility was the WORSE - night nurses were out of a horror movie, kitchen and nutritional nurse could never get on the same page, solid food served when liquid diet requested then after solid diet requested got liquid..what a mess!
I told my Oncologist that the numbness in my feet has steadily worsen since my surgery 1/17/25 feels like i am walking on 4 inch padded shoes specially in my toes so she removed 1 of my chemo drugs. So now I am on
Fluorouracil and irinotecan for 6 treatment after my first 6 treatments (with the 3rd drug that causes numbness) before surgery.
My Oncologist gave me a 12/20/18 report from the New England Journal of Medicine about survival rates of 493 patients comparing FOLFIRINOX or Gemcitabine as adjuvant therapy for PC back in September when I started treatment. Today I read it again. I am not sure if I even got the FULL FOLFIRINOX treatment before and definitely not getting it now.
Now I am better informed as to which questions to ask her about what happens after my last 4 treatments.
The report said at a follow up 33.6 months later the disease FREE survival median rate was 21.6 months for FOLFIRINOX versus other at 12.8 months (some patients died before 33 months). The 3 year disease FREE survival rate was 39.7 months FOLFIRINOX versus 21.4 months Gemcitabine.
Then the report (don't understand how they arrive at these % if they only revisited the group after 33 months) states the OVERALL survival rates (meaning cancer returns and have to go back on a chemo till you die) was 54.4 months versus 35.
Funny thing is I told my Oncologist I just bought a 2025 Mazda CX 30 to replace my big F-150 I was driving back and forth to first treatment sessions (live 40 minutes away by I95 or 15 Parkway) and told her it is financed for 36 months...haha she said that's a good number!!!!
Sorry for long post...feeling now maybe if my cancer comes back sooner than later I might just say let it go and you're in Gods hand no more chemo. And I will give my new car to my daughter!

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