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Widowed by Pancreatic Cancer
My beloved went from diagnosis to crossing over in 22 days. Pancreatic cancer runs in his family. I worry about the 3 kids. Anyone else dealing with this as a nemesis? Anyone involved with activism due to their encounter with this disease?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Paula on -
I think we have connected before, my husband Bill died 7 weeks after diagnoses a year ago this month. He looked perfectly healthly. He was having back pains about 3 hours after he ate. His doctor was convinced he had gallstones. By the time he started chemo it had completed destroyed his GI track. We had no idea. The surgeon who did surgery to try to at least give him some time, is very well known in this state. Really considered one of the best. He shared with me , that his father had died of Pancreatic cancer during the summer. Here was a fantastic surgeon who could not even help his own father. Horrible form of cancer. We are having a fund raising golf tournement in his name in May here in CT.
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Permalink Reply by pegster999 on -
Mike was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Sept 2010, passed in November of that year just under 2 months from diagnosis. He went to the doctor with pain about a couple months before this at least, he was blown off as a non compliant diabetic (he was), and being a medicaid patient didn't help. Not that doctors look for pancreatic cancer in a 35 year old man anyhow. His legs and his belly were so swollen for most of the summer. He had no energy, at all. I thought a lot of it was psychological, or maybe that he was in kidney failure from the uncontrolled diabetes. He finally went to the hospital Labor Day weekend and that is when we finally discovered the beast. He tried chemo but it did nothing, and it was the strongest stuff used for this nowadays. The cancer spread too much for treatment to be effective even if his health and finances allowed travel to other hospitals. I think what ultimately took him was a blood clot. He just passed out on the porch and never came to again. Probably the most merciful way for this to happen, although he went through plenty. I saw a Caringbridge site and a blog both for men younger than what we would expect to have pancreatic cancer. One has passed, the other still in treatment. It really scares me this cancer is striking younger people more and more. Mike was the only one in his family that I know had this cancer. I am concerned about my sons too. I would hate to lose someone else to this!
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Permalink Reply by cindy292 on -
Don was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in July of 2006. He was given 3-6 months to live after a Whipple surgery was aborted due to spread of the cancer . He had lost over 30 lbs and had constant diarrhea which was misdiagnosed over and over for four months. We were in the process of moving south and still did that and he survived for 18 months in all before having a final heart attack and dying in his own bed. He was 71 but it has been shocking to see how many younger people have died from this cancer. I wondered if a pulmonary embolism was what finally took Don too since I have them myself but mine arrived after he died and I would not have recognized the symptoms then.
It's such a hideous cancer and so much more research needed. A horrible way to lose our husbands. My best friend is gone and life has lost the joy but I'm still hanging on here.
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Permalink Reply by Davina on -
It's a terrible killer of a disease and I too lost my husband this May to pancreatic cancer. I have never hated anything in my life but I hate pancreatic cancer and I hate bring wihout him. My husband was young too and lasted five months from diagnosis. The chemo Was powerless against this aggressive cancer. I worked out that if he had not got diagnosed in Dec 2009. Everything would have gone to plan, we'd be having our first child next month.
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Permalink Reply by Paula on
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This is the flyer for the fundraiser we are having in my husbands memory
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GOLF-FLYER.pdf, 211 KB
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Permalink Reply by Lisa2012 on -
My husband was diagnosed last March 12th with Pancreatic Cancer. He passed away at home April 15th. The disease spread so fast I still can't believe it. He was exhusted and had back and abdominal pain. Once diagnosed it had already spread to the Liver. At one point the Doc just said he should go home there wasn't anything they could do. He only had 1 round of Chemo but his liver numbers would not stabalize. Such a horrible disease. I have 2 kids and they miss him everyday.
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Permalink Reply by danny's girl on
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My husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on November 15, 2010 and passed on December 18, 2010.
Danny had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes 10 years earlier and took incredible care of himself after the diabetes diag. He tested his blood sugar numerous times a day, watched his diet and was walking anywhere from 3- 6 miles 5 days a week.On Thursday November 11th he called his PCP from work to say he had a pain in his stomach and felt bloated. His PCP told him to stop by after work to be examined and have some blood work. He was admitted to the hospital, had some tests and recieved his diagnosis of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer on Monday morning. What a SHOCK!
We were able to get an appt for December 6th at the Dana Farber Cancer Institue in Boston. We were told at this world renowned hospital and a leader in cancer research that they could provider him with nothing but palliative care....neither surgery or chemo were options because the cancer had already spread to the intestinal wall. He was gone 12 days following that appt. He was 53 years young and the picture of health.
He had no family history of pancreatic cancer.
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Permalink Reply by Paula on
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ah Danny's girl, this sounds so much like my story. Except for the type 2 diabetes my husband Bill was considered to be in perfect health. Ate well, exercised, good weight. I hear this illness can be there for 10 years before it shows up and then it's too late.
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Permalink Reply by Alive & Mortal on -
Paula is mentioning about the current thinking that pancreatic cancer in latent for about 18 years... see the article HERE.
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Permalink Reply by Sparky on -
My husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when he was 28 ( our oldest daughter was 5 months at the time) in Feb 2007. He went through surgery, chemo and radiation and actually was doing well for awhile. Then it came back December 2008. He had more chemo and more chemo and eventually died April 10, 2010 just 11 days before his 32 birthday. Our kids are now 4 and a half and 2. Ryan actually had some genetic testing done to see if there was anything to be found. He had no known family history but doesn't know anything about his father's side of the family. They couldn't find anything but we did "bank" some of his blood in case new tests come out in the future that may be helpful for our daughters. His age when he was diagnosed definitely makes me nervous about our daughters getting it too. That would be my worst nigthmare. I made it through treatment, hospital trips and hopsice with him but I don't think I could do it with them. It would break me.
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Permalink Reply by Alive & Mortal on
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Sparky -
I understand.
Pancreatic cancer did run in Brian's family. Several family members in recent history succumbed to it, all older than Brian - most in their 60s and older. Even his mother thought she had it, it was pancreatitis.
Brian was young to have it, statistically. Your husband, even more unusual.
I worry over Brian's children. We, as a family, do what we can for PANCAN. The kids even ran in a 5K to raise money for PANCAN.
Your loss is recent, but in time you might find it deeply meaningful to help and do what you can to forward pancreatic cancer research and solutions. Doing something (whatever you chose) may help you feel like you are a part of making a difference. I know that it means a lot to me to think that even if his children had it that they might have a different outcome.
We are here and care. Is it not a grace in the shit storm that we have each other?
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Permalink Reply by pegster999 on
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Sparky, if you don't mind me asking was this adenocarcinoma or islet cell pancreatic cancer? Either way I'm sorry to see you lost your husband, and at such a young age! Mike was 35. We had 3 sons together. I am concerned about them. Although there was no history of pancreatic cancer in his family, there was a lot of diabetes, heart problems, autoimmune disorders and other cancers. I am going to be bringing all my boys to a geneticist next month because all have developmental delays and 2 are autistic. Its something I am thinking about asking but not sure I want to go there, or whether they can anyhow.
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