sm0lts

sm0lts's Recent CancerCompass Activity

• sm0lts has replied to a post on the message board

  Hi Jim, I was stage III. The tumor had wrapped around the celiac artery and was therefore inoperable. The good thing was that it had not spread, and has not, as far as I know right now. I had the standard vanilla treatment: Gemzar and radiation, followed by a metronomic (repeated, low-dose) series of infisions of 5FU and oxaliplatin. The 5FU + Oxaliplatin was stopped when I had a mild heart attack, likely triggered...

  April 01 at 6:19 PM view post

• sm0lts has replied to a post on the message board

  Dear Chiefdixie, My results with chemo were very good; I'm, still very much alive three years after diagnosis and the side effects were quite manageable. I did, however, have a number of episodes of very low platelet counts, which can be troublesome in surprising ways. A naturopathic doctor told me a great remedy for low platelets: cold pressed sesame oil. If you drink a tablespoon or two daily, and rub the oil over...

  April 01 at 2:59 PM view post

• sm0lts has replied to a post on the message board

  I could not agree with you more. The only real problem I have now is this: how can I be sure I'm making the most of the moment? That's my goal now. What a waste for me to waste time...   Good luck to you both. B

  March 22 at 1:01 AM view post

• sm0lts has replied to a post on the message board

  Hi, I can't answer your question, but I would also like to know the answer to it. I'm in a similar situation, except I've gone 3 years with stage III inoperable PC. It seems that the longer we go, the better the odds must be. But it would be very interesting to find out for sure. Even though knowing won't change things.   Bruce

  March 21 at 6:01 PM view post

• sm0lts has replied to a post on the message board

  I'm all ears. What do you know of beyond the Gonzalez thing that seems promising fr PC? At 3-4% for the conventional route, there's not much to lose trying something else.

  February 08 at 8:43 PM view post

• sm0lts has replied to a post on the message board

  Dear WS, You are certianly all too right about the grim statistics of pancreatic cancer (PC); only 3-4% of PC patients survive 5 years after diagnosis.  Yet there are some who do survive that long or even longer.  I personally do not belive there is a conspiracy to suppress non-conventional treatment of PC.  I base that on a great deal of reading and discussions with doctors and some researchers.&nbs...

  February 06 at 10:04 PM view post

• sm0lts has replied to a post on the message board

  Hi folks, I have written to this message thread several times before. I want to continue to do so if only to let others know there ARE people who survive PC for a good long time. I'm on my third year now and, except for some damage to the pancreas associated with very aggressive radiation, I'm fine.  I haven't had any chemo of any kind for two years.  And though my tumor is inoperable and still sits there ...

  January 27 at 8:32 PM view post

• sm0lts has replied to a post on the message board

  First, what should we call each other, those of us who have PC but somehow continue to live?  The "fortunate?"  Because we well know just how fortunate we are to celebrate the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year post-diagnosis. I know of nothing actually on the shelf beyond Gemzar+radiation and metronomic Taxol/5FU/oxaliplatin.  I continue to hear tantalizing tidbits about vaccines against kRas (sp?) signalling pro...

  November 16 at 5:03 PM view post

• sm0lts has replied to a post on the message board

  Hi Russ,   We haven't spoken yet, but we are to some degree in the same boat.  Next April it will be 3 years since my diagnosis with PC.  Sometimes I feel like a survivor and sometimes I think I'm just whistling in the dark.  But there is not doubt about the remission: PC19-9 markers ranging from 1.4 to 4. PET score of 1.0, no mets anywhere.  And this is with an inoperable tumor wrapped aro...

  November 02 at 6:54 PM view post

• sm0lts has commented on a news story

  Bum Makes me want to take a stiff belt.

  October 19 at 8:28 PM view news story