I am also a 9 month survivor. I have my story posted under "45 year old female . . ." on this website. What stage cancer do you have? I have stage IIA. My doctors have told me that I have a 50-60% chance of beating this but with my perineural invasion, lymph node involvement, etc., I have read on the internet my chances could be as low as 30%. My philosophy is that someone survives - so why can't it be me?
Although no one has given me diet advice, I figure that diet is a factor in many other cancers so why not this one? I have cut sugars and fats down and am trying to figure out ways to cut even further. I have increased my vegetables making sure that I get one serving of cruciferous vegetables a day. My goal is to load up on antioxidants. Does that work? Who knows but I know two people with different types of cancer who should both be dead now but aren't and they both used very similar diets.
Like you, I have been searching for long term survivors of this cancer. Especially ones who have gone through chemo and radiation. I took 5FU chemo with five weeks of radiation and now am doing gemzar. I have had no side effects with any of it. Which I think I deserve after the hell I went through after Whipple surgery. I thank God that I am even here after that.
Hopefully you will have some long term survivors respond to your posting. I have tried to find them through PANCAN and the Bloch Foundation pal programs where they hook you up with a cancer survivor. They don't have anyone who has volunteered with ampullary cancer. My goal is to survive this and volunteer to do this for PANCAN and Bloch.
Ellen