Son has pancreatic cancer

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MyHeartisBreaking
MyHeartisBreaking Member Posts: 1
in Caregivers #1

My son is 41 years old and has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer - non operable.  I have read all that I can find about this cancer and know that survival rate is extremely low.  He has declined chemo and radiation - he went through chemo 2 years ago for renal cancer (in remission) and does not want to go through that again.  He is currently in a Johns Hopkins clinical trial, but the 3 med cocktail seems to be affecting his personality (very angry).  He has been on Wellbutrin for a week so I am hoping this will help.  He is divorced and has 3 sons - 15, 10 and 5 months.  His partner asked him to leave 3 weeks ago, so right now is is essentially homeless.   I am in North Carolina and he is in Maryland - so I am not there for him on a daily basis.  I am very worried he will do something stupid.

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  • Hussy
    Hussy Member Posts: 29
    #2
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    I'm very sorry to read about

    I'm very sorry to read about your son.  I care for my husband, who also has pancreatic cancer.   

    I'm not a doctor so I can't say that the cocktail your son is getting is or is not the cause of his anger.  Just know that many pancreatic cancer patients experience anger, regardless of their type of treatment.  Having survived cancer once, your son has every reason to be angry that it has come back in another form.

    A couple of comments about the Wellbutrin: if your son's anger is a very recent behavioral change (i.e., since he started taking the Wellbutrin ), then he should report this to his doctor immediately.  Second, he's only been on the Wellbutrin for a week, so give it some time to see if it works.  Patients typically start out on a low dosage and the dosage is increased over the course of several weeks.  And if the Wellbutrin doesn't seem to help, that doesn't mean another antidepressant can't be tried.   

    Your son is in very good hands at Johns Hopkins.  If he hasn't already, he should be able to access other resources there such as palliative care and psychotherapy, which can improve quality of life and mental well being. 

    I can appreciate why you are so concerned for your son.  It's very frustrating when support can only be given long-distance. 

    Please keep us posted as you can.     

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