TEENY
My dad (64 yrs old)was dx with pancreatic cancer last August after feeling
unwell since last May. The GI referred us to a surgeon who could do the
whipple (he'd done a couple of them in addition to the other GI surgeries and
cosmetic surgeries he's done -- yikes). The surgeon said he'd do the whipple
but because my dad was so old, there wouldn't be any need for any chemo or
radiation. Talk about a death sentence. After some research, we had the
Whipple done in Cincinnati in Sept. They removed the tumor and he had clear
margins and one involved lymph node. He recovered well from surgery and
started a chemo/radiation trial in Cincinnati using gemcitabine and a drug
called Iressa. In Feb. at the end of treatment CT scans showed no cancer and
we celebrated.
Dad started feeling bad again mid April and at his May 2 checkup was informed
his cancer was back. It has been downhill since then. Because he was very
jaundiced, they put in a stent and biliary drain. It has already been
replaced twice and he is still VERY yellow. Constant vomitting, no appetite,
difficulty with BM, dehydrated and very weak. What a change in the past
month.
I am his oldest daughter and struggling to help him and take care of my four
young children (3mo to 7 years).
Posted 06/01/2005 10:38 am by Teeny
E-mail Address: cmkohio@sbcglobal.net
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