Pancreatic Cancer

Janj13

My husband has just been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. Its now a week since the diagnosis and we have not had any plan or blood results yet. He had a CT Scan and his notes were sent to the Pancreatic team at another hospital.

The tumour was blocking his bile duct which caused him to be sick and jaundice. He had an infection in his blood and as yet we dont know if it has cleared up. He has had a stent put in to move the blockage away from his bile duct, for the first few days after he seemed to be ok, but last night it was as if it was 2 steps forward and 1 step back. He is being sick again and is very irratable. His anger was directed at me and although im trying very very hard to be strong and not show how I feel in front of him for fear of upseting him, I broke down last night at the hospital. It felt as if he is pushing me away. He hasnt eaten for over 2 weeks and has just had his drip taken out. Im trying to encourage him to eat by taking in his favourite foods but he wont eat it. Ive tried to explain that if he doesnt eat then he wont be strong enough for the treatment he has to have and if they dont start it soon, the cancer could spread to his liver. Its at the head of the pancrease covering the main blood vessel that takes blood back and forward to the stomach it is also attaching itself to the lymph glands around it. Im so worried that he has given up already and am at my wits end. If I suggest anything to him then Im nagging. I hate seeing him like this. Its breaking my heart, I dont know what to do.

Tim_PM

In a similar boat, but with a different attitude.
Jan,
I responded to a similar post from you in another of these bulletin boards, but had to leave for Chemo treatment. Here are some more thoughts, hopefully constructive. When you said your husband is being sick again, is that nausea only, or include vomiting. There is a prescription for this called Compazine. It is available in pill form, and also, if keeping things down is a problem, it is available as a suppository. There are also generics at least for the pill form if prescription costs are an issue. Also, you didn't mention your husbands age, or general health. I am just turned 62 (happy birthday, you have cancer of the pancreas), and although I have had chronic pancreatitis for several years, I feel like I am (was?) in good health. Now I know I am not in great health, but I still feel okay. This chemo has been a walk in the park for me so far, but I expect some of that to change in the next couple of weeks. The Chemo is really taking hold, doing its thing, and taking its tole on my blood counts (many counts were below the desired range a little bit two weeks ago, but last week, those numbers almost all were cut in half, and the ones that were high grew higher. The one very good thing about this is that it shows that the chemo is working. Of course, much of this is in the future for your husband. To look at one thing I can think of, is whether the stent placement has given him a case of pancreatitis. That could explain some of the things he is experiencing, but my pancreatitis was diagnosed from a blood test, I think it was amylase that was very high, and I believe lipase counts were also high. I spent 13 days in the hospital when I had my first bout of pancreatitis, and had nothing but crushed ice flakes, and IV saline for 5 days, and of course, a morphine drip for the pain. Is your husband in a lot of pain, or is he being treated for it? If he has pain, that is another indication that he might have developed a case of pancreatitis. They finally installed a PIC line in the hospital, and began tube feeding me for about the last 8 days. That is one way to get a lot of sustenance without having to eat real food.
That is all I can think of right now. I really do feel for you, I know I didn't begin to appreciate the time my wife spent with me. I do now. Perhaps your husband will look back on this and see that you were always working in his best interests. Best wishes, again. Any I send you both my prayers, and share with you the ones I am getting from myriad friends.
Tim_PM

Janj13

Tim_PM said:

In a similar boat, but with a different attitude.
Jan,
I responded to a similar post from you in another of these bulletin boards, but had to leave for Chemo treatment. Here are some more thoughts, hopefully constructive. When you said your husband is being sick again, is that nausea only, or include vomiting. There is a prescription for this called Compazine. It is available in pill form, and also, if keeping things down is a problem, it is available as a suppository. There are also generics at least for the pill form if prescription costs are an issue. Also, you didn't mention your husbands age, or general health. I am just turned 62 (happy birthday, you have cancer of the pancreas), and although I have had chronic pancreatitis for several years, I feel like I am (was?) in good health. Now I know I am not in great health, but I still feel okay. This chemo has been a walk in the park for me so far, but I expect some of that to change in the next couple of weeks. The Chemo is really taking hold, doing its thing, and taking its tole on my blood counts (many counts were below the desired range a little bit two weeks ago, but last week, those numbers almost all were cut in half, and the ones that were high grew higher. The one very good thing about this is that it shows that the chemo is working. Of course, much of this is in the future for your husband. To look at one thing I can think of, is whether the stent placement has given him a case of pancreatitis. That could explain some of the things he is experiencing, but my pancreatitis was diagnosed from a blood test, I think it was amylase that was very high, and I believe lipase counts were also high. I spent 13 days in the hospital when I had my first bout of pancreatitis, and had nothing but crushed ice flakes, and IV saline for 5 days, and of course, a morphine drip for the pain. Is your husband in a lot of pain, or is he being treated for it? If he has pain, that is another indication that he might have developed a case of pancreatitis. They finally installed a PIC line in the hospital, and began tube feeding me for about the last 8 days. That is one way to get a lot of sustenance without having to eat real food.
That is all I can think of right now. I really do feel for you, I know I didn't begin to appreciate the time my wife spent with me. I do now. Perhaps your husband will look back on this and see that you were always working in his best interests. Best wishes, again. Any I send you both my prayers, and share with you the ones I am getting from myriad friends.
Tim_PM

Thank you for your valued
Thank you for your valued comments, unfortunately Mike passed away on 25th September, having read your reply it would appear that the hospital did absolutly nothing for him even though things could have been done. He had a blood infection after the stent was put in and that made him really poorly for a few days. I did ask about feeding him through a tube but was told they didnt do that any more, I have later found out that it was possible and a neighbour of mine had was fed this way a few days after (he had cancer in the mouth). As you can imaging having been told that there was no chance of treatment my husband practically gave up, The hospital he was in didnt even recognise the fact that the antibiotics had given him thrush in the mouth, this alone would have prevented him from eating properly. I had him moved to a hospice for pain management and sympton control and then arranged for him to come home. On the Monday before he passed away, we had an olive branch chucked at us, we were told that they had reviewed the scan again and they decided that it may not have been pancreatic cancer but a mass on the gland behind it and if that was the case then treatment could be given. He was admitted into hospital the same day put on a drip. The next evening the consultant came round and told him that they had made an error and that it wasnt possible for a biopsy to be done. I watched his face, he just gave up, and i do believe that he died that evening. I bought him home again the next afternoon, and he died in his sleep in my arms early friday morning. I can never forgive the NHS for the way he was treated. He was only 67.

Summerb

On the same recovery road
My aunt had pancreatic cancer sadly she lost her fight. The hospital she went to also gave her an infection which made her ill andshe culdnt stat her chemo till shegot rid of the infection. But she was one of those aunts that were cool and didnt tell stuff you told them so we were really close. But she would do the same things as your husband, she wouldnt eat and would get distressed if we tried to force her to do something. I felt that she had also gave up but ithink they just get tired and agravated with the whole thing. It would seem like somedays she was doing great and some she just couldnt get out of the bed. But they caught her cancer in the very last stage, she was diagnosed in december and past away in january. I know the pain that you feel when cancer takes someone you love it just happens so fast and you dont know what to do. I believe that pancreatic cancer is one of the fastest cancers that claim a life. More stuff should be done about it. if you need anything like to talk to someone i will because it seems easier to talk to people who have lost someone to cancer then people who havent. I tell like my boyfriend about it but i dont think he really gets the impact it has had on my life and how it has changed my life. My aunt left behind two little girls they are 6 and 9. Its just hard to know that they have to grow up without their mother. but if you need to talk im here and im deeply sorry for your loss.

Unknown

This comment has been removed by the Moderator

Janj13

Summerb said:

On the same recovery road
My aunt had pancreatic cancer sadly she lost her fight. The hospital she went to also gave her an infection which made her ill andshe culdnt stat her chemo till shegot rid of the infection. But she was one of those aunts that were cool and didnt tell stuff you told them so we were really close. But she would do the same things as your husband, she wouldnt eat and would get distressed if we tried to force her to do something. I felt that she had also gave up but ithink they just get tired and agravated with the whole thing. It would seem like somedays she was doing great and some she just couldnt get out of the bed. But they caught her cancer in the very last stage, she was diagnosed in december and past away in january. I know the pain that you feel when cancer takes someone you love it just happens so fast and you dont know what to do. I believe that pancreatic cancer is one of the fastest cancers that claim a life. More stuff should be done about it. if you need anything like to talk to someone i will because it seems easier to talk to people who have lost someone to cancer then people who havent. I tell like my boyfriend about it but i dont think he really gets the impact it has had on my life and how it has changed my life. My aunt left behind two little girls they are 6 and 9. Its just hard to know that they have to grow up without their mother. but if you need to talk im here and im deeply sorry for your loss.

Dear Summerb
Thank you for
Dear Summerb

Thank you for your kind thoughts, my heart goes out to you and your nieces, I cant imagine what they are feeling like. I lost my mother 4 years ago with a heart attack but I did have 54 wonderful years of her love, knowledge and wisdon oh and good advice (which I didnt take at the time :-) ).

It would be nice to keep in touch, as you said there are a lot of people who dont understand what your going through and those that do dont always want to listen as it bring back sad memories.

With regards to my husbands cancer, I do feel very angry at the british NHS service, they did absolutly nothing for him. When they diagnosed his cancer they should have moved him to a specialist cancer hospital, there is one in sheffield, but instead he was kept on a surgical ward with 5 other men (a lot older then him), he wasnt one to stand up and be counted so because he didnt make a noise, they left him alone. As I said before the anitbiotics they gave him had given him thrush in the mouth and throat and although he did say that his mouth, food and drink tasted like iron, they didnt check it out. Had they of done and treated the thrust then maybe, just maybe he would have started to eat again. That we will never know. Im also angry that the Oncologist made her decision for no treatment purly on the paperwork in front of her. I have a meeting with her in NOvember and hopefully I will get answers as to why she made the decision and also why during his final week they decided they will do a biospy. Too little too late. I know that what ever answers I do get will not bring Mike back but hopefully it will give me some closure and also prevent this from happening to anyone else.

Hope to talk soon x

Janj13

Summerb said:

On the same recovery road
My aunt had pancreatic cancer sadly she lost her fight. The hospital she went to also gave her an infection which made her ill andshe culdnt stat her chemo till shegot rid of the infection. But she was one of those aunts that were cool and didnt tell stuff you told them so we were really close. But she would do the same things as your husband, she wouldnt eat and would get distressed if we tried to force her to do something. I felt that she had also gave up but ithink they just get tired and agravated with the whole thing. It would seem like somedays she was doing great and some she just couldnt get out of the bed. But they caught her cancer in the very last stage, she was diagnosed in december and past away in january. I know the pain that you feel when cancer takes someone you love it just happens so fast and you dont know what to do. I believe that pancreatic cancer is one of the fastest cancers that claim a life. More stuff should be done about it. if you need anything like to talk to someone i will because it seems easier to talk to people who have lost someone to cancer then people who havent. I tell like my boyfriend about it but i dont think he really gets the impact it has had on my life and how it has changed my life. My aunt left behind two little girls they are 6 and 9. Its just hard to know that they have to grow up without their mother. but if you need to talk im here and im deeply sorry for your loss.

Dear Summerb
Thank you for
Dear Summerb

Thank you for your kind thoughts, my heart goes out to you and your nieces, I cant imagine what they are feeling like. I lost my mother 4 years ago with a heart attack but I did have 54 wonderful years of her love, knowledge and wisdon oh and good advice (which I didnt take at the time :-) ).

It would be nice to keep in touch, as you said there are a lot of people who dont understand what your going through and those that do dont always want to listen as it bring back sad memories.

With regards to my husbands cancer, I do feel very angry at the british NHS service, they did absolutly nothing for him. When they diagnosed his cancer they should have moved him to a specialist cancer hospital, there is one in sheffield, but instead he was kept on a surgical ward with 5 other men (a lot older then him), he wasnt one to stand up and be counted so because he didnt make a noise, they left him alone. As I said before the anitbiotics they gave him had given him thrush in the mouth and throat and although he did say that his mouth, food and drink tasted like iron, they didnt check it out. Had they of done and treated the thrust then maybe, just maybe he would have started to eat again. That we will never know. Im also angry that the Oncologist made her decision for no treatment purly on the paperwork in front of her. I have a meeting with her in NOvember and hopefully I will get answers as to why she made the decision and also why during his final week they decided they will do a biospy. Too little too late. I know that what ever answers I do get will not bring Mike back but hopefully it will give me some closure and also prevent this from happening to anyone else.

Hope to talk soon x