My friend has been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer

[Bonnie Blue]

Two weeks ago
he is 45 years old has been unwell with stomach problems for about a year
He told me two weeks ago that he had a 7cm tumour on his pancreas and he was due to have a biopsy

The Doctors have never mentioned the cancer word to him although a nurse told me it was a definite diagnosis so he still seemed hopeful until a couple of days ago
His biosy was delayed by a week because they "fed him" that morning and he eventually had it done on Wed this week with a two seek wait for the result

he has been having significant pain at home usually at night and about 10 days ago i persuaded him to call an ambulance and get himself admitted for pain management which he did and spent 8 days in hospital Still no one has discussed the condition with him
Last sunday he was due to have lunch with us (gesture for easter because he hasn't been eating) but he was very sick and didnt stay verylong at all
he was sick all night and washed out the following day

has eaten very little since and after his biopsy he was so ill I phoned his Mother who lives two hours away and suggested we couldnt cope with him because he was really quite ill so she decided to come and get him but he went into panic mode and the decision was delayed until today

Yesterday he needed to renew prescriptions and i took him to GP but he was terribly ill and had already been sick again
The GP said it might me coming from lower down and gave him anti sickness meds along with his morphine and other things
I left him at 6.30 and rang him again at 9,30 He had been violently sick and had a raging thirst so went round to his home to deal with that and he didnt seem too bad just flattened by it all and coming around to the fact that he needed to go home to his family
The GP said that was a very good idea earlier

At 3am this morning he called an ambulance because he was bringing up vast quantities of brown fluid which I now realise must be faeces and could no longer cope alone

To those who have experience, are these terminal signs?
he has lost 3 stones over the year and looks terrible I have noticed a day by day deterioration in his condition but he has odd good moments when he can get up and walk around and make coffee but most of this week he has been in bed desperate to sleep

My feeling is that he may not have long to live but it all seems so fast and we still dont know what the biopsy revealed

[Bonnie Blue]

Friend seems a lot better this evening but his Mother managed to find a Junior Doctor who couldnt tell her very much but did say they won't discharge him unless there is someone to look after him

[Bonnie Blue]

Saw friend this morning and he looks like a different person!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Has been on a drip and no longer looks haggard and ill
The hospital said they wouldnt let him go anyway because of his kidneys
and he is convinced he doesn't have cancer
His Consultant told GP in letter that his Ca199 was rising at 117
Does that mean anything to anyone?
I know what Ca199 means but don't know how significant the level is
Im glad he's happy this morning because results of Tumour may be here by Tuesday Wednsday this week if they can get hold of them

[Bonnie Blue]

Just spoken to freinds Mother again and she has copies of investigations made June 2007 which said the stomach was fine and the head and tail ofr the pancreas but the body was "unwell"
What is that supposed to mean

[Support Team]

So sorry to hear about your friend

I have replied more fully by email.

Normal levels of CA19-9 are about 1-12 and it can be raised due to pancreatic cancer (but not in all patients), pancreatitis and if the bile duct is blocked (and possibly from other causes)

Is there an Upper GI specialist nurse that you can talk to?

have they mentioned the possibility of a duodenal blockage and ways to deal with that?

The term "unwell" seems a strange one to use.

[Bonnie Blue]

Good Morning
Sue thankyou for your E-mail I tried to reply but my server is playing up and rejecting replies so will try later
Friend very tired after yesterday and slept from 5pm until this morning
They took his morphine away from him for no apparent reason and said he was off it but he managed to get more last night after actually going home and getting his discharge notes from the previous week
It's all a bit of a shambles for him
I have been a patient with both the hospitals involved and had excellent care but in a different area Perhaps one just has to ask the right questions

[Bonnie Blue]

Just an update on my friend

his biopsy did not reveal cancer but he is so ill that his family have taken him back down to Surrey where he has been admitted to hospital twice and last week he was in intensive care for a week
He has been vomiting copiously and bringing up matter from lower down the digestive tract
last week he spent a day on kidney dialysis and his abdomen was grossly distended

They haven't even got to the stage of treating him for his pancreatic problem yet

I don't think I have ever seen anyone be so ill