my husband has cancer

 

On 4/5/2008 daycaremom wrote:

My husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer  on march 18,2008 it is said to be around 3 centimeters is also in his bile tube.put in a stent to release bile out as his skin was turning jaundice ..this has helped the jaundice. also found out he has sugar diabetes same day he found out about the cancer...this week started the chemo gemzar .i sure hope this works..if anyone has any ideas to share with me i would really appreceiate this i am really scared here..my husband of 35 1/2 years is 57 years old..when he started the chemo doctor was worried about his liver..please give me some ideas here..thanks..shirley

My thoughts and prayers are with you both...my 41 yr old brother wasn't diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but liver cancer. He also had stent placed to release bile. He was very jaundice. He originally went to his doctor regarding stomach discomfort, they did alot of testing only to find out he had a large tumor which originally was 5 cm (7/07) grew to 7cm by 10/07. He was originally told his low grade cancer was isolated to his liver, but did go into bile system as well........he was also told it wasn't resectable because of the way it wrapped around his portal veins and many other smaller veins surrounding the liver and bile system, but later told they could remove 85% of his liver since liver regenerates it's self he would be fine within 8-12 weeks. He went in for operation on 11/28/07 he passed away on 1/23/08. The cancer turned extremely aggressive as soon as they opened him up. They saw 5 smaller tumors on the right side of liver they weren't aware of....larger tumor on left side didn't permit them to see the small ones on other side. Scans didn't pick it up, told this isn't uncommon...once they had him open they saw this....nothing was removed, they simply closed him back up. I don't seem to be a downer, only wish to stress ask lot's of questions, make sure they do extensive testing of liver, bile system, all surrounding organs to ensure the cancer hasn't spread to other areas....the air when the person is opened up only causes cancer to run like wild fire.........we regret so much having the operation, he could of survived months longer & free from such pain, had better quality of the remainder of his life if hadn't operated. He was only 41 yrs old with three small children, youngest 11 months old at the time of diagnosis........Make sure to inquire about shrinking options, this wasn't an option for us due to the tumor being over 5 cm, good for smaller tumors...........good-luck & God Bless You Both

 

On 4/7/2008 AngelBaby wrote:

 

On 4/7/2008 hiswayc wrote:

 

On 4/5/2008 AngelBaby wrote:

 

On 4/5/2008 daycaremom wrote:

My husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer  on march 18,2008 it is said to be around 3 centimeters is also in his bile tube.put in a stent to release bile out as his skin was turning jaundice ..this has helped the jaundice. also found out he has sugar diabetes same day he found out about the cancer...this week started the chemo gemzar .i sure hope this works..if anyone has any ideas to share with me i would really appreceiate this i am really scared here..my husband of 35 1/2 years is 57 years old..when he started the chemo doctor was worried about his liver..please give me some ideas here..thanks..shirley

Hi, I went though that with my uncle. Now my father in law has pancreatic cancer. I thought it was so rare. Anyway pancreatic cancer causes diabetes. The pancrease breaks down the sugar in your body so when the pancrease is not working you automatically get diabetes. They will need to get a home test and check his blood sugar daily. You can buy them at any drug store. Until it becomes in control. I would suggest you google pancreatic cancer or look into the american cancer socitey to see what chemo to use and the side affect before you start. 

Does diabetes apply to all PC  or just the ones that have had whipple surgery? My husbands dr has not mentioned this. He did not qualify for surgery since it had spread the the lymph glands before it was discovered.

Jan

 

 

 

On 4/5/2008 daycaremom wrote:

My husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer  on march 18,2008 it is said to be around 3 centimeters is also in his bile tube.put in a stent to release bile out as his skin was turning jaundice ..this has helped the jaundice. also found out he has sugar diabetes same day he found out about the cancer...this week started the chemo gemzar .i sure hope this works..if anyone has any ideas to share with me i would really appreceiate this i am really scared here..my husband of 35 1/2 years is 57 years old..when he started the chemo doctor was worried about his liver..please give me some ideas here..thanks..shirley

Hi I was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cance 4 week befoe my 60th birthday. I had the whipple procedure done on August 9th, 2006. Had 6 weeks of radiation and have been on chemo (5fu nad gemzar) since October of 2006. I just started on 2 cycles of Xeloda which is oral and goes through your liver and turns into 5fu and attacks just cancer cells.

I lost 35 pounds in the beggining and have gained only 15 back. I can't take most of the protein products as they run right through me, even with enzymes. But that's ok, I eat almost everything I want. Surgeon told me to stay away from sugar as I may contract diabetes... So far so good, knock on wood. I binge once a month on sugar to keep my cravings at bay....

 Good luck to your husband, it's a long road, but well worth the travel...... God bless you and your husband............

Everyone thanks for all the replies.can anyone tell me what whipple surgery is?also i had heard of natural vitamins that can help this cancer does anyone know what this can be.i need all the help and information i can get now..thanks again

                          shirley

 

On 4/7/2008 hiswayc wrote:

 

On 4/5/2008 AngelBaby wrote:

 

On 4/5/2008 daycaremom wrote:

My husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer  on march 18,2008 it is said to be around 3 centimeters is also in his bile tube.put in a stent to release bile out as his skin was turning jaundice ..this has helped the jaundice. also found out he has sugar diabetes same day he found out about the cancer...this week started the chemo gemzar .i sure hope this works..if anyone has any ideas to share with me i would really appreceiate this i am really scared here..my husband of 35 1/2 years is 57 years old..when he started the chemo doctor was worried about his liver..please give me some ideas here..thanks..shirley

Hi, I went though that with my uncle. Now my father in law has pancreatic cancer. I thought it was so rare. Anyway pancreatic cancer causes diabetes. The pancrease breaks down the sugar in your body so when the pancrease is not working you automatically get diabetes. They will need to get a home test and check his blood sugar daily. You can buy them at any drug store. Until it becomes in control. I would suggest you google pancreatic cancer or look into the american cancer socitey to see what chemo to use and the side affect before you start. 

Does diabetes apply to all PC  or just the ones that have had whipple surgery? My husbands dr has not mentioned this. He did not qualify for surgery since it had spread the the lymph glands before it was discovered.

Jan

Jan what treatment is your husband receiving, my husband was diagnosed the same way.

 

like you i have been married for 35 yrs, my husband was diagnosed in oct 06 with stage  4 PC and liver mets, no operation due to site of tumor, he started gem/cap and had 16wks treatment, then on to 5FU which we had to stop at  7wks as it was making him very ill, we have not had chemo since,disease on last scan was stable....we have opted for no scans last few months, he is reasonably well, walks daily with his dogs. my advice to you is to watch the weightloss, get calories in to him any way you can,it can be a hard battle sometimes, en-shake is excellent made with fresh milk as a top up on poor eating days, mars bars too. try to go on as you did before diagnosis, this is hard to imagine at the start, but easier as time goes on, we live each day as it comes, spend time doing what we like and try to forget the cancer....miracles do happen, we are 18months down the road and though there is no cure we still have life to live and make the most of...weekends by the sea and trips and meals out have replaced holidays abroad, but we live and enjoy each day...dont forget to pray...you will somtimes feel very low, at this time i am so thankfull for what i still have and ask for help to understand and simply be strong for his sake...within a shortwhile i find i do feel much better.....my love to you both

 

On 4/17/2008 leoal wrote:

like you i have been married for 35 yrs, my husband was diagnosed in oct 06 with stage  4 PC and liver mets, no operation due to site of tumor, he started gem/cap and had 16wks treatment, then on to 5FU which we had to stop at  7wks as it was making him very ill, we have not had chemo since,disease on last scan was stable....we have opted for no scans last few months, he is reasonably well, walks daily with his dogs. my advice to you is to watch the weightloss, get calories in to him any way you can,it can be a hard battle sometimes, en-shake is excellent made with fresh milk as a top up on poor eating days, mars bars too. try to go on as you did before diagnosis, this is hard to imagine at the start, but easier as time goes on, we live each day as it comes, spend time doing what we like and try to forget the cancer....miracles do happen, we are 18months down the road and though there is no cure we still have life to live and make the most of...weekends by the sea and trips and meals out have replaced holidays abroad, but we live and enjoy each day...dont forget to pray...you will somtimes feel very low, at this time i am so thankfull for what i still have and ask for help to understand and simply be strong for his sake...within a shortwhile i find i do feel much better.....my love to you both

My husband was back in hospital for 6 days.is back home again now.the stint came loose in the bile duct and because of this he had an infection his fever was up to 106.almost lost him before they figured out it was because of the stint.had to have a new stint put in.did your husband have to have a stint put in bile ducts too?what can we expect with this also last night he had no fever but he did get sick and threw up ..is this normal??..i am just so scared here any responses i would appreciate ..thanks alot and good luck and best wishes to you too..thanks again..shirley