Pancreatic Cancer

Can you help me please? My father was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer 3 months ago. It has spread to his kidney, adrenal gland, spleen and liver. I have asked several medical professionals what we can expect to face over the next few months he has left but nobody seems to want to tell us. I keep being told that people learn to cope with what they are faced with as it happens but I would like to be prepared for what might happen. I know everyone is different and my father might not suffer from the same things as someone else but it would just be useful to know what others have faced. He already has the start of fluid and his stomach is swelling. He also feels as though he is about to faint and I think this may be the start of diabetes which we need to get checked out. His main worry is that he will be in terrible pain towards the end but I've been assured this wont happen. I hope for his sake this is true. Any advice would be very gratefully received. I just want to be able to do the best for him and to be informed.

I'm sorry to hear about your dad. The nurses were able to control the pain right until the end and they said no-one should suffer any pain as they increased my dads morphine.My dad collapsed and passed out when first diagnosed because they hadn't got the pain under control,it may take a few days when first diagnosed,he was put on a syringe driver where the medics could find the level of pain relief he needed,he also had breakthrough pain but this was controlled by a syringe of morphine which he and his family could administer for him.

Dad stopped eating and drinking a few days before he died and a couple of days before he passed slipped into a coma.We had good nurses coming in three times a day at home and some-one sitting overnight if he wanted any pain relief he only had to wave his hand where it hurt and he was given the relief.

If your dad feels nausea with the pain or pain control there are various anti sickness treatments that can be given.

my thoughts are with you at this sad time.

pam

Hi, I cant be of any real help to you as I am very new to this, my sister was only diagnosed last week she also has pancreatic cancer which has spread. I just want to say how sorry I am to hear about your Dad and to say my thoughts are with you. I'm sure you will get a lot of help and support from the people on this forum some of them Know so much about this awful illness and can give you plenty of advice and sometimes it just helps to have a rant about the unfairness of it all! With very best wishes. Marie x

Hi ilg and I'm sorry to hear about your dad.

The reason no one wants to tell you what will happen is that they don't know! My husband was given six months to live in February 2009 and thankfully he's still going strong but I've known others and heard of others on this forum and elsewhere who don't live long at all after diagnosis. There are complications which affect some people but not others and treatments which work well for some and don't work for others.

I know that you want to be prepared and perhaps one of the worst things about this illness is the uncertainty. In a strange sort of way, I've become grateful for that - I used to be one of those people who worried about the future and planned way in advance for potential problems. Over the last 20 months or so, I've had to learn to live "one day at a time" (well, not quite, but at least in the short term) and although, of course, I still worry about my husband, I know that the eventual outcome is out of my hands - there's nothing to plan for, because I can't change it. I'm not saying you shouldn't be asking those questions, but perhaps if you were to limit it to, say, "What can we expect over the next month?" the doctors would feel more comfortable in answering that.

There's no reason, or excuse, for anyone being in pain these days. We have an arsenal of painkillers available. What the doctors will be trying to do is remove/reduce the pain (at least so that it's just discomfort) whilst still giving your dad the best quality of life possible but at the end the main concern becomes removing the pain.

Do check out possible diabetes. Additionally does your dad take Creon? The pancreas supplies digestive enzymes which help to break down food and if it's not working well Creon is a substitute for those enzymes. I'm not saying that's what the problem is, but it's worth checking with the doctors.

Keep asking, keep talking and most of all don't forget we're all rooting for you and sending out thoughts for your dad.

Love

Nicki x

Hi Pamela, Ladywood and Nicki

Thank you for your advice regarding my dad. I feel far less alone now that I'm in contact with others who are going through the same thing. I will definitely ask the question about what might happen in the next month or so and find out about Creon. Will do some research straight away. It's a very difficult and exhausting situation for us all to be in and I'm grateful to you all for taking the time to help me out.

ilg