What to expect with Pancreatic Cancer?

My friend was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about 1 1/2 years ago. He had a stent put in so the bile could enter the intestines. Then he had the whipple surgery. The doctor told him to go home and enjoy his life and that nothing else could be done.  About 9 months after the surgery which by the way took him about 7 or 8 months to recooperate from, he became very, very confused and disoriented.  The doctor put him in the hospital where he received a blood transfusion.  He became a New man.  That was in Sept.  He has been slowly declining in health but was still able to take care of himself (he lives with my family). Then on Monday he took a turn for the worst. He basically slept all day. He could not stay awake. Then on Tuesday he became totally confused and disoriented. He began talking to himself, not making any sense, walking around but doing nothing. I called the doctor who took us right in. The doctor signed him in to the hospital. They found he was a little dehydrated and began giving him fluids. They did a brain scan and some other tests but we have not gotten the results.  I have been told now that he can not stay at home alone. I must find someone to be with him while I work. He does not have a lot of money. He  doesn't want to go to a nursing home.  He is now depressed as the doctor said he can no longer drive.

My real question....and I want the truth. He doesn't want any typed of treatment (chemo or radiation)(he went thru all that with rectal cancer).  I want to keep him home and let him die in peace. What should I expect? I need to know the truth...I need to prepare myself for the time. Someone said the cancer might have spread to his brain and that he is near the end.  

Please help me. I need to know.

Thanks.

JR 

 Please respect the patients wishes, Take him home, make him comfortable, spend time with him. Keep him dry and warm. soft music, soft talking, touching is important. We the living are the ones not ready, believe me most dyning people are ready to go, they are holding on for you the living.  Put yourself in his place..Ugh! been there.  Not nice.

So do not agonize he has made the choice and one should respect it. After all it is his life. 

On 4/27/2007 Jan76 wrote:

My friend was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about 1 1/2 years ago. He had a stent put in so the bile could enter the intestines. Then he had the whipple surgery. The doctor told him to go home and enjoy his life and that nothing else could be done.  About 9 months after the surgery which by the way took him about 7 or 8 months to recooperate from, he became very, very confused and disoriented.  The doctor put him in the hospital where he received a blood transfusion.  He became a New man.  That was in Sept.  He has been slowly declining in health but was still able to take care of himself (he lives with my family). Then on Monday he took a turn for the worst. He basically slept all day. He could not stay awake. Then on Tuesday he became totally confused and disoriented. He began talking to himself, not making any sense, walking around but doing nothing. I called the doctor who took us right in. The doctor signed him in to the hospital. They found he was a little dehydrated and began giving him fluids. They did a brain scan and some other tests but we have not gotten the results.  I have been told now that he can not stay at home alone. I must find someone to be with him while I work. He does not have a lot of money. He  doesn't want to go to a nursing home.  He is now depressed as the doctor said he can no longer drive.

My real question....and I want the truth. He doesn't want any typed of treatment (chemo or radiation)(he went thru all that with rectal cancer).  I want to keep him home and let him die in peace. What should I expect? I need to know the truth...I need to prepare myself for the time. Someone said the cancer might have spread to his brain and that he is near the end.  

Please help me. I need to know.

Thanks.

JR 

 

 

 

On 4/27/2007 Jan76 wrote:

My friend was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about 1 1/2 years ago. He had a stent put in so the bile could enter the intestines. Then he had the whipple surgery. The doctor told him to go home and enjoy his life and that nothing else could be done.  About 9 months after the surgery which by the way took him about 7 or 8 months to recooperate from, he became very, very confused and disoriented.  The doctor put him in the hospital where he received a blood transfusion.  He became a New man.  That was in Sept.  He has been slowly declining in health but was still able to take care of himself (he lives with my family). Then on Monday he took a turn for the worst. He basically slept all day. He could not stay awake. Then on Tuesday he became totally confused and disoriented. He began talking to himself, not making any sense, walking around but doing nothing. I called the doctor who took us right in. The doctor signed him in to the hospital. They found he was a little dehydrated and began giving him fluids. They did a brain scan and some other tests but we have not gotten the results.  I have been told now that he can not stay at home alone. I must find someone to be with him while I work. He does not have a lot of money. He  doesn't want to go to a nursing home.  He is now depressed as the doctor said he can no longer drive.

My real question....and I want the truth. He doesn't want any typed of treatment (chemo or radiation)(he went thru all that with rectal cancer).  I want to keep him home and let him die in peace. What should I expect? I need to know the truth...I need to prepare myself for the time. Someone said the cancer might have spread to his brain and that he is near the end.  

Please help me. I need to know.

Thanks.

JR 

 

 

 

My aunt recently passed away from pancreatic cancer.  She was diagnosed in Sept. 2006 and survived until April 2007.  The symptoms you described sound so similiar to her state when they decided they had to put her in the nursing home because she was unable to care for herself and needed someone there round the clock.  She was only in the nursing home for one full day.Her wish was to stay at home until the last possible moment.  We wondered if the cancer had spread to her brain during the last week or two of her life.  The hospice nurse had told her daughters that it would be very fast once the progression of the disease started.  It has not made it any easier.  

Sorry if I'm just rambling, I am still in the beginning  stages of grief. 

I can not thank you enough....my friend has gotten better again...as better as can be. He is thin and weak but sometimes I think he will make it.  He has survived so much including rectal cancer over 5 years ago.  But, then again, I know he will be leaving us and going to a much better place. Right now he is not in pain.  I am so glad about that. That is what I worry about...him being in pain. I will be off of work for the summer and plan on spending as much time with him as possible. We will be starting hospice soon.  I just don't want him to suffer. I know it will be us living that will suffer especially my 11 year old son who was raised by him.

Thanks for listening to me ramble...I just wanted to be prepared ...to know what to expect.

Thanks,

Jan 

I have all plans on respecting his wishes. He went thru chemo and radiation 5 years ago for rectal cancer. He did not want any type of treatment and I will respect that.  I just want to know what to expect...how will I know when the end is near....he keeps bouncing back which is wonderful...sometimes it feels like he doesn't have cancer other than he is really thin and weak. He is not in any pain at all! I pray that if and when he goes he is not in pain.

Thanks.

Jan