Just wanted to let you know that I was also a 47 year old female with ampullary cancer. I found out last July 5th. (I just turned 48 now). Boy cancer will sure flip your world upside down. I have 3 kids ages 7-16. And life stopped for us as we went through the Whipple recovery and then all the Xeloda and Oxaliplatin treatments. I fly to MD Anderson in Houston for treatments. I am now finished with chemo and my CT scan last week came back all clear. For now we are living life and not cancer and thanking God for each day we have as a family. The Whipple recovery was the toughest part for me and I was healthy before all this started. My eyes turned yellow and that was the tip off something was wrong. 3 biopsies said no cancer and bloodwork too. The chemo had minor side effects for me-some stomach upset and hand and foot sensitivity. The weird thing I have now is that after I've stopped chemo 4 weeks ago, my hands and feet are peeling like crazy! I have to keep creams, etc on them all the time. They don't hurt, just an inconvenience.
I am curious if you don't mind answering-do you have diabetes and/or have you had your gallbladder removed? The other lady I have met with ampullary cancer had both and so do I. I would really like to find some correlations and tip offs for this disease as it is considered very rare. My doctor here told me it would take 30 years to find 1000 patients with ampullary cancer. They also told me that I was on the young end of the disease.
Well, just wanted to let you know that you can fight this. I'm enjoying life now. I still can cry at the drop of a hat if you get me in that mode, but my faith is helping my family and I cope with all this.
Best to you!
Mary