New Medicine?

Dear Andrew,
I am so sorry to hear about your father-in-law. The Dr. Rosato that did my surgery is the chief surgeon of gastro at the University of Penn and is also a teaching professor. He is very well known and is very good at what he does. I highly recommend him. I don't know if he is the same doctor.

Yes it is possible that the tumor is not cancerous, but I am not an expert. Since pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadliest of all cancers...I would not wait!!!

Please keep me up to date...and please tell your wife that her father is in my prayers. What is his name?

Best regards...Russ

Hi Russ,

I'm Andrew's wife. My father's name is Tom. My father is doing very well now. He just had Whipple surgery on Wednesday and he pulled through the operation fantastically. Luckily, the surgeon was able to remove all of the tumor and it did not metastasize. (Thank God!) We have not gotten the lab reports back, but the doctor believes that it was cancer. We are very lucky that he had turned yellow from jaundice. It was a lifesaver. I know we are not out of the woods yet, but his prognosis is good.

My father's surgeon, Dr. Rosato is the nephew of the surgeon who operated on you. They are a very talented family. Take care of yourself and thank you for your prayers.

Jennifer

Dear Jennifer,
I just told my wife that I was going to check my email messages again tonight because my cousin's eldest daughter, (Jennifer also), was having her first cat scan after having cervical cancer. She had surgery this summer, and has been going through aggressive treatments. She was so afraid of the results of her cat scan this week. Well there were two messages on my computer...one from my cousin and one from you. And both messages were of great news!!!

I am so glad for your father that they were able to catch this early. Yes it was a good thing that he turned yellow. Unfortunately for me I had a pain under my left rib cage for two years before they found out what it was. I am so glad that they sent me to the Univ of Penn and Dr. Rosato. Your father went through a very difficult and evasive surgery.

Will your father have chemo and radiation treatments? Will they be at the Univ of Penn? I still go there to see Dr. Haller every 90 days for blood work, and cat scans every six months. If your dad goes there for treatments, maybe our paths will cross some day. My next appointment is March 17th.

Tell your dad that I continue to pray for him. I would love to hear from him and how he is doing. If you or anyone in your family have any questions about anything please do not hesitate to contact me. Ever since my cancer I feel compelled to reach out to others with this horrible disease.

Thank you for keeping me up to date on his progress. Take care and please keep in touch.
Best Regards, Russ

Dear Russ,

I am happy to hear that your cousin's daughter got great news! It makes you feel so good. My father is coming along. It's a long, rough road as you know and this is just the beginning. We have gotten the lab reports back from his biopsy and the tumor was cancerous but his lymph nodes are clear and the margins are also clear. My father has been in the hospital for over a week. We are trying to keep his spirits up, but he is getting very depressed. He is 72 years old and by no means is he an average 72-year-old. He is very active and independent and this is very hard for him. People who meet him cannot believe how old he is.

We are not sure if my father will have chemo or radiation treatments. We are still waiting to consult with the oncologist. My personal opinion is that I think it is a very good idea and my mother and the rest of my family think so too. My father did not have his surgery at U of P. He had his surgery at Thomas Jefferson Hospital so I am assuming that is where he will receive treatments.

I guess this is a question really for his doctor but since they caught it so soon and they were able to remove it, I'm wondering if there could be a reoccurrence?

This has been such a traumatic and shocking experience for my father as well as for me and my family. I just want to say that I am so grateful for people like you who give comfort and solace. I wish you continued good health and my prayers are with you.

Jennifer

Dear Jennifer,
It sounds very encouraging that they caught the cancer early. Mine was at stage III, and I had very aggressive treatments. I strongly believe that is why I am here today...along with all the prayers from so many people. I am so sorry to hear that your father is feeling depressed, but I remember when I was going for radiation treatments. You go the same time every day so you get to see the same people who are there for the same thing as you...only they have different types of cancer. Well one day a new person joined our group...a young lady with breast cancer. She said...hello how are you doing? One guy leaned over to the guy sitting next to him and said...that should be on the top ten list of things that you don't ask a cancer patient. Then he said...how do you think I am doing? I thought to myself what a shame that this guy has to be so bitter. But then I realized that it's okay. If you are mad about having cancer... that's okay then be mad. If you are sad about it...that's okay then cry and be sad. What ever your feelings are...get them out now; because eventually you will realize that it is time to spend all of this energy on your recovery process. None of us can ever deny ourselves these fears, and emotions, but we cannot allow ourselves to dwell on them either. There is no doubt that this horrible disease effects the whole family, and it would be very easy for any of us to sit in a corner, and talk ourselves into a state of depression...BUT WE MUST REFUSE TO DO SO! I will continue to pray for your father and the family as well. Please keep me up to date on his progress.
Best Regards, Russ

Dear Jennifer,
I don't remember if I told you about an organization called PanCan, (Pancreactic Cancer Action Network). They can be reached at www.pancan.org. They are a great organization that lobbies for awareness and research of the most deadiest of all cancers...pancreatic cancer. They have made November Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month and are trying to get Washington to declare the same. Check out their website and see if there is something that may help your father, you, and/or the family. Take care...Russ

Dear Russ: After reading the messages posted and especially after reading your message of hope for everyone, I decided to write to you to let you know that like you, I have been surviving pancreatic cancer going on 5 years (I was first diagnosed in April of 2000). After having the Whipple procedure and undergoing the 5FU chemo and radiation, I stopped as the cancer didn't seem to be doing anything (remission I guess) in 2002 my CA19 started moving up the charts again in the thousands. I received gemzar treatments for two years. My CA19 went down to 33. I had to stop because my bone marrow was saturated and basically, it wasn't doing anything anymore. Within the last couple of months (probably starting in late October early November), the cancer has spread to my liver, lungs and ribs. I started out and got my surgery at University of Penn. Great hospital. My treatments had taken place at Riddle Hospital in Media. They have a pretty great staff there. It is pretty much unheard of for people to survive the first 6 months after learning they have P.C. let alone 4 or 5 years. I have to say congradulations to you! I am going to see a doctor at Fox Chase on the 11th to find out what else I can do. My diet has been changed, I take many vitamins, not to mention the countless medications needed. (They removed pretty much everything on the inside, I only have 1/2 what everyone else has. I'm 55 years old and not ready to give up. Since you have survived this long, are there any suggestions you might have as to what else might be out there to take care of these "secondary" cancers? The bone cancer in my ribs is spreading faster and I'm looking into anything that may be helpful. If you have any other suggestions, I would really appreciate it! My prayers will be with you and your family! Thank you for your time. May God bless you and yours! Marsha

Dear Russ, I forgot to mention that I also had stage III pancreatic cancer when it was first caught. Now, I believe I'm in Stage IV...final stage. I'm not ready for "final" yet. As stated before, any help you could offer would be appreciated. God bless. Marsha

Dear Jennifer: I have pancreatic cancer and also had the whipple procedure in 2000. I had stage III. you asked Russ about chemo. I was first treated with 5FU and radiation. I do not recommend radiation for anyone. I had a terrible reaction and was very sick with this first chemo. I would suggest gemzar as a chemo treatment. It was not as harsh, I was not as ill (just a little tired for a day or two) and it helped. When i first started gemzar, my CA19 (tumor marker) was in the high 1000's. After all the treatments i received, my count was down to 33. I felt great during my treatments, but because after two years of this chemo, and my bone marrow being saturated, I had to stop. Now, i have tumors in my liver, lung and bones. the tumors in my lung and bones happen to be in the same place i received the radiation treatments. Everyone handles things differently, but i really feel that the gemzar would be beneficial for your father. Good luck and my prayers will be with your entire family. God bless. Marsha

A friend was just dx with pancreatic cancer...I don't have all the details, just that they removed the gallbladder and said the tumor was inoperable. She is in Stage 1. I had read about Norman Arnold who was dx in 1982 with inoperable pancreatic cancer and was given 6 months to live. He tried chemo even though it wasn't advised by his drs and gave up after 5 sessions because he felt it destroyed his quality of life. He then used imagery and went on a macrobiotic diet. All this is well documented. His tumor disappeared in (I believe) it was 6-8 months and he is alive today from what I understand. He apparently is very important and very wealthy and a big philantropist....so he has made his story well known and I believe there is even a book about his recovery and experiences. When they returned to the doctor who had said that it was inoperable, that he had 6 months max, and there was absolutely nothing to be done, and the doctor saw he was cured, he refused to believe it was from the diet and said it must have been an 'instantaneous remission'. His wife said 'you never told us that that option was available to us, you told us we had NO options'. It is amazing that even when the drs can do nothing for their patients, they don't advise them to seek out alternative methods that have proven to be helpful in many cases. I have informed my friend about this, and also about the flaxseed oil/cottage cheese mix of Dra. Johanna Budwig. I believe there are options available....