It was all going well and then BANG it changed dramatically

[Maccaman]

I was told I was lucky 9 months ago as after having my throat cancer cured they did a scan and found that I had early onset pancreatic cancer apparently that was classed as lucky as this horrible disease isn’t normally found till it’s too late.

I had 12 rounds of folfirinox and all the scans were indicating that it was reducing the tumour so they said I would be able to have the whipple operation.

then I had 15 rounds of radiotherapy with oral chemo tablets.

I then had a scan and this is where the BANG happened I saw the surgeon last Friday a week after my scan and he said that between stopping the chemo and having the radiotherapy the tumour has spread on to the SMV vein and he is not able to perform the whipple so I would just be referred back to my oncologist and I would hear from him in the next 2 to 3 weeks.

I asked for a prognosis and he said I have a maximum of 12 to 18 months if I’m lucky.

I just feel like as they can’t do the surgery I have been hung out to die I haven’t been able to sleep I don’t feel like eating and every time I look at my beautiful wife I just break down I feel so hopeless and just don’t know what to do.

im sorry for the story of self pity but it just isn’t easy to talk to anyone in my family about this and how I feel.

[Maccaman]

Hi Lee

Thankyou for your response, I am so sorry to hear about the situation you find yourself in and I hope you get to spend many more good times with your wife which is what I intend to do but it’s so hard at the moment with only just being told my bad news.I am 53 years old and have been married to my beautiful wife Jo for 31 years we have 4 children and 10 grandchildren.

when they first discovered that I had this awful disease they said they would have performed the surgery first but there was already some of the tumour on the smv vein so they wanted to give me the chemo and radiotherapy to hopefully get rid of that bit of it and the chemo did actually reduce the tumour but not quite enough so they believed that some radiotherapy and chemo tablets would do the trick but unfortunately it didn’t which is why I now find myself in this situation.

I have a appointment with my oncologist next Tuesday to hopefully discuss what happens next I’m not sure if I want to go down the chemo route again but if it will give me even one more day with my family I am prepared to try it.

I have booked for my wife and I To go away for 2 weeks on the 11th September and we fully intend to have the best time of our lives before we have to come back and face up to this nightmare again.

once again Thankyou for replying to me I’m just finding it so hard to discuss things with my wife and family as I just breakdown all the time.

kind Regards

 

[Maccaman]

Hi Lee the oncologist to,d me to go away and enjoy our holiday and then I will have a scan when I get back to see where we are at I didn’t know about SABR but will certainly ask questions about it when we get back as I am obviously willing to try anything it just seems like once you are told you can’t have the surgery to save your life the attitude of the hospital seems to change.