Pancreatic Cancer Surgery

Question: How do i keep my mind off of not knowing the outcome of my father inlaws pancreatic cancer surgery? he doesn't go in until the 9th and i"m a bundle of nerves.

Answer: Have positive thought for your and your husbands sake. No one knows really what is going to happen and there is always hope.

Question: what complication can apear after a surgery of pancreatic cancer? My father has been detected with pancreatic cancer. he sufer a surgery and now after 10 days he feels very bad , is any chance that can be recover, or that tumour to be benign.

Answer: There are the basic complications of any surgery: bleeding and infection. Surgery on the pancreas has the extra risk of leakage of pancreatic enzymes. If a Whipple was done, then multiple things were cut and re-connected, so leakage at any of the cut sites is possible. I hope he gets better.

Question: Is there any sure shot cure for pancreatic cancer other than surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy? my mother is suffering from this disease.doctors have ruled out surgery.does anyone know about healers who heal and cure cancers by their supernatural powers?

Answer: Please don't waste your money on any of these. Stay in the accepted medical field. If you want to, you can always consult another MD for a second opinion. If any of those other people say they can cure your mother with "healers" and using supernatural methods,don't believe them. If you want to try holistic methods as a way to feel better (note I didn't say they can cure- they can't), but they might be able to comfort her. I'd advise her to also be attending a religious group of her choosing for the same reason- support, esp. emotional. Maybe they will help her find peace & acceptance. Pancreatic cancer has NO cure- I'm sorry for that fact, but fear you may listen to people who will present you with "those they healed", who are part of the scam. Two celebrity stars who had pancreatic cancer and all the money in the world, had tried in all ways possible to find a cure. Michael Landon even tried some of the non-approved treatments, even going to Mexico for "coffee enemas". They didn't help. Patrick Swayze is still fighting to complete the first season of "The Beast" on TV, and if you look at his pictures in the tabloids you can see how this disease progresses, & he has tried everything medicine has to offer.Please don't spend money on unapproved treatments for your mother. Do whatever your MD tells you to do, get the treatments he advises, and please get hospice in when you can no longer tolerate the chemo & radiation, so they can make her comfortable. Honey, I'm sorry but this is a bad cancer with no cure yet.Love & care for your Mom for she needs YOU not other healers. Your love is the medicine she needs.

Question: How is Luciano Pavarotti doing after surgery for Pancreatic cancer?

Answer: I searched and searched through a lot of articles, blogs, and other webpages, but there is basically NO info or updates on Pavarotti after the month of August 2006. Most of the info is dated July '06, which is when he had the surgery. The most recent snippet of info I could find ANYWHERE, is the link below. It's dated August 17. I'm not sure how to interpret it -- it seems sort of optimistic but also sort of depressing. What I'd REALLY like to know how he's doing now that it's already October! Normally they say "no news is good news", but I'm concerned that in Pavarotti's case, no news might be bad news. :( It seems like he and/or his publicists might be keeping things from us.

Question: stage 1 pancreatic cancer- had surgery not whipple? had surgery for stage 1 pancreatic cancer. removed 60% pan. and spleen. Was told I had maybe 2 to 3 years to live. 5 was unusual. Anyone have the same surgery and given same odds? If it came back where?

Answer: yeah, i had the whipple too,stage 4 cancer removed 60% of my pancreas, they said the same to me, that i could have 2 to 5 years. mine had metastasized to the liver and we got it with chemo. i was diagnosed in 05, It hasn't come back yet and i hope it never does! Good luck to you.

Question: is anyone taking Lyrica for back pain after Pancreatic cancer surgery and chemo?

Answer: Lyrica a is a typical medication and should be given only on Doctors advice. Hope you Doctor has advised it. Your Doctor is the best judge to give it and he may have reasons to give it I have known in some cancer surgery case this has been given. You may continue. The potential features of Lyrica is as under:- LYRICA is used to help people with nerve pain and for pain after shingles. It is also used together with other seizure medicines to help people with partial seizures. LYRICA is not for everyone. Some of the most common side effects of LYRICA are dizziness and sleepiness. Others are dry mouth, swelling of hands and feet, blurry vision, weight gain, and trouble concentrating. You may have a higher chance of swelling or gaining weight if you are taking certain diabetes medicines with LYRICA. And, if you drink alcohol or take medicines that make you sleepy, you may feel more sleepy when you start LYRICA. You should not drive a car or work with machines until you know how LYRICA affects you. . If you have had a drug problem, you may be more likely to misuse LYRICA. You should talk with your doctor before you stop taking LYRICA, or any other prescription medication.

Question: Does anyone have back pain after pancreatic cancer surgery and chemo the can not be explained by CT or MRI?

Answer: Possibly your cancer has spread to your bones, but is not showing up on your scans (this happened to me). Just to be on the safe side, keep having scans every few months and ask your doctor to do a PET scan. This is just a possibility and worth keeping your eye on.

Question: Supreme Ct Justice Ruth B. Ginsburg has been admitted to the Hospital for surgery re: PANCREATIC CANCER? How many of you are frightened that Obama will appoint a Far Left Wing Liberal to the Supreme Court?

Answer: First, I wish her good health and a fast recovery. I don't agree with her politics, but that doesn't mean I wish harm to her. You mean he might replace a far left liberal with a far left liberal? That should shake up the balance on the court about the same as Bush appoint Roberts to replace Rehnquist. Besides, she's been talking about retiring for the last few years, but didn't want Bush to appoint her successor. Now that Obama is in office, you can probably expect her retirement pretty soon.

Question: My Tio is 62 yrs old, what are his chances of surviving stage 2 pancreatic cancer after surgery..surgery? He was diagnosed about 3 weeks ago after a week of being jaundice and losing weight. A biopsy showed he has a tumor that is about 1-1.5 inches they didnt find it spreading to any other major organs yet. He might have surgery to remove part of his stomache, lower intestine, and gall bladder they did his blood work and if his counts are within range they will perform the surgery. Does anyone know the chances of surviving this particular type of cancer given his circumstances????

Answer: It is not possible to know the stage until after surgery is done. There are only two stage 2 - 2A and 2B and there is a big difference between the two. Pancreatic cancer overall has a poor prognosis with less than 20% surviving the first year. Success of surgery depends on several factors, size and location of the tumor, if it was completely removed, if it had to be dissected off any major vessels and if there are any positive nodes. If all of these things are favorable the 5-year survival rate is about 60%. This does not often happen however, as the overall 5-year survival rate is about 3%. The only long term survivors I have ever seen are those whose cancer was found incidentally. I hope your uncle is one of the lucky ones, but it won’t be easy. The surgery he needs is a long and complicated one. It’s called a Whipple if you want to look it up. Best wishes to you and your family.

Question: what are the chances of Pancreatic cancer coming back if it was stage 1 and you had surgery and chemo?

Answer: Cancer statistics are typically tabulated using data at 5 years from treatment. The 5 year survival rate for stage 1 pancreatic adenocarcinoma is thought to be about 38%. However, this is an extremely aggressive disease, and outside of centers treating a high volume of patients with this condition, the tendency is to understage it. The best survival statistics come from not just centers that operate on this cancer frequently, but those who can do the best evaluation for disease spread. If the surgeon misses lymph nodes that have cancer in them, the patient will be called "stage 1" when they're really going to behave like a "stage 3". That center is going to have poor results in terms of stage 1 survival rates because they're accidently lumping people who have more advanced disease into this group. The problem with pancreatic cancer is that it is far more likely to be stage 4 at the time of discovery than any other stage. This is an aggressive cancer that grows and invades quickly, but develops symptoms comparitively late.

Question: My Mother has Pancreatic Cancer...what now? My Mother has stage III Pancreatic Cancer. She had surgery 2 weeks ago and the Surgeon stated that the tumor could NOT be removed and that it was inoperable. We are trying to get her into The City of Hope Hospital in Duarte, CA. to gain a second opinion and treatment. In the meantime, we have a Oncologist appointment next Friday to consult us on diagnosis, treatment and next steps. Knowing this, are there any steps we can be taking NOW to slow down the growth, special nutrition/diet she should be following, steps I should be taking as her Son, multi-vitamins she could be taking, Excercise or mental strengthening she could be performing? Anything, please...I am not ready to accept this as a death sentence!!!!

Answer: Pancreatic cancer, primarily ductal adenocarcinoma, accounts for about 30,500 cases and 29,700 deaths in the US annually. Symptoms include weight loss, abdominal pain, and jaundice. Diagnosis is by CT. Treatment is surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Prognosis is poor because disease is often advanced at the time of diagnosis. For pancreatic cancer that cannot be removed completely with surgery, or cancer that has spread beyond the pancreas, cure is not currently possible and the average survival is usually less than 1 year. Such patients might consider enrollment in a clinical trial (a medical research study to determine the best treatment). Maintaining a healthy weight and exercising may be helpful. Additionally, increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains while decreasing red meat intake is recommended by the American Cancer Society. Please see the web pages for more details on Pancreatic cancer and Diet-cancer treatment.

Question: Pancreatic Cancer and Tarceva? My Grampa has Advanced Pancreatic ( I think stage 4) cancer. They just did surgery but said it had spread. They are going to be talking about treatment options and I was wondering if anyone has any personal knowlage with Tarceva? How long do you have to wait after having surgery ( he's 81 years old) to start chemo?

Answer: Cancer is caused by infections. It spreads basically due to "biofilm" production. Pancreatic cancer is one of the worst ones because we need our pancreas desperately. Chemo will basically destroy his pancreas. The only tools that the medical profession has against cancer is drugs and surgery. There are alternatives. The problems is that in this late stage of cancer, where it has spread, it means that it has probably metastasized. It is not uncommon to find between 40 and 200 biofilms in cancer patients. These are sticky, polysaccharide sacs that form a protective barrier around viruses and bacteria, allowing them to inject their DNA into the substrate they are resting on. Over time as these insidious sacs grow to about 14mm, they form new ones that travel throughout the body looking for a place to reside. Usually in areas of weakened organs, etc. To fight cancer, one has to muster up all the defenses the body can do. To let medical science go after it, is to try to destroy it, in hopes the body can survive. This is one option. The other option is to make the body healthy so it can fight the disease. Both options at this late stage is not good. To make the body healthy requires, typically, big changes in diet and the highest quality supplements that are just not available in health food stores or pharmacies. good luck to your grandpa and you.

Question: Is chemotheraphy able to kill ALL the cancer cells, such that the cancer is all gone? A relative of mine has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. surgery is not an option as the cancer has already spread to the liver.

Answer: While it can happen in some diseases, pancreatic cancer is unfortunately not one of them. Blessings to you and your relative

Question: My dad has pancreatic cancer.? My dad has pancreatic cancer. He had the whipple surgery two weeks ago. We found out when he left the hospital that his white blood cell count was low. Is that normal?

Answer: There are several causes for a low wbc count including antibiotics and other drugs. Don't focus on this, one lab value should not be enough to make you worry and if it were a huge concern, his dr.'s would address it. The best thing for you to do is pay attention to what he looks like to you, after all, you know him better than anyone at the hospital does. Also, listen to what your dad says about how he feels. A whipple is not a minor surgery & his recovery could be tough for him. You should expect him to be uncomfortable he may have symptoms like diarrhea, pain, decreased appetitie, & fatigue(it takes a lot of energy to heal from major surgery). Your best source of information and advice is his doctor so don't be afraid to ask questions if you have them. His follow up appointments are the perfect time to ask your questions and also to inform his dr. about how his progress has been going at home. Keep in mind that dr.'s are people too and they understand that cancer affects, not only the patient, but also the people that love them. The vast majority of dr.'s are very sympathetic to this and are willing to answer your questions but they are very busy people,and they are not psychic, so you have to ask when you have the opportunity. Good luck to you and your dad, I'm so sorry you all have to go through this but keep your chin up & I'll say a little prayer for you tonight.

Question: Pancreatic Cancer Support? My grandpa (who I was very close to) died from pancreatic cancer about 2 weeks ago. He was told he had cancer in February, went through surgery, and it didn't work, he died on October 6. My grandpa was a great man and I would like to honor him, or raise money for pancreatic cancer. I am only 13 though, so do you have any creative ideas? btw, the color for pancreatic cancer is purple. and this cause is really important to me! Please help... i am looking constantly and cannot find something that I can do.

Answer: I am so sorry for your loss of someone so special to you. I lost my grandfather and my cousin to pancreatic cancer as well. What a wonderful person you are to want to help others in honor of your grandfather! There is an organization that promotes awareness and research for Pancreatic cancer. They have events all around the country in which you might get involved. November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month, so there might be some wonderful opportunities for you to honor your grandfather. http://www.pancan.org/index.html will lead to a schedule of events and maybe some ideas on how you can get involved. As far as ways to raise money? For a person your age, bake sales, car washes, dog walking... there are a lot of things that you and your friends can do. And to make sure people know why, wear purple and tell them that you want to fight pancreatic cancer. I have a lot of different kinds of cancer in my family, so I always wear a bracelet of the different colored beads representing their fight. The bracelet has an angel charm for each family member I've lost. When someone asks me about it, I can tell them about cancer and how they can get involved to help find a cure. That's the way I honor my family every day. Your family should be very proud of you and I know your grandfather would be. God bless you and your efforts.

Question: Pancreatic cancer survival rate? My father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in oct 04'. He went through a procedure where they take some of his insides our and re-tie. i heard it was called the whipple procedure or something like that. They were only able to take half of the cancerous tumor out and the other half they were hoping treatments would take care of it. he is still alive and the recent news is that the treatments for the remaining cancer caused it to shrink 50%. so thats good new. the downfall is that they found a small bit in his colon, it is early that it can possibly be taken out. since it has been 2 1/2yrs fighting this, is it possible to be able to beat this? my father is very possitive, the doctors are astounded that he has survived this long. Even the doctor who did his surgery called my fathers current doctor to see when he had passed and was shocked that he was still alive. Can we beat this? thanks.

Answer: I have Pancreatic Cancer and had the Whipple over 2 years ago. I am still cancer free and am glad to report that Ampullar of Vater is the only type of PC that has any cure rate. In fact sometimes completely cureable. Go to the Cancer Survivors Network and find out more that will help you. You can contact me at golfwrench@msn.com anytime for support or conversation.