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Amanda Anderson87 said:Brenda Mendoza3, don't let yourself go there—don't think like that! Try reading through this thread (and some of the older ones too). You'll find that everyone else's experiences and advice can really help.
As for how I process all those experiences... I just take it one day at a time. And I have to push that last sentence of yours out of my head. It’s already happened.
Thank you, Carl Kern66. Since his first hospital visit, I have been trying my hardest to maintain a positive outlook. But sometimes, it is difficult to keep my head above water. I have to be there for him, for my mother, for my brothers, and for my daughters—one of whom is especially close to him since she grew up alongside him and is old enough now to realize something is wrong. I know I need to stay positive because, in these family situations, I am usually the one expected to spread optimism, even when it starts to consume me from the inside.
We are doing everything we can to provide him with both alternative treatments and standard medical care. But occasionally, we hit a wall that simply cannot be breached.
Regardless, thank you for the support.
They placed his drain back in March, yet the fluid continues to leak. It subsides just enough for his legs to swell, then once they drain that, the drainage increases again and we're right back where we started...
My mother says he’ll be staying in the hospital longer; apparently, he spoke with a physician who needs to evaluate the swelling in his legs.
I am doing my absolute best to remain strong, because I know how much he relies on me—and how hard he tries to shield me from the truth. They wouldn't even give me the full details about his condition until a month or two ago, when I was busy carrying his medical records around just to justify extending his disability leave. Only then did they admit it was cancer. Though... deep down, I think I knew what it was from the very beginning, even if I kept trying to convince myself otherwise.
From what I understand, he has received six or eight doses of albumin during these five days in the hospital. We are currently waiting on another set of test results and the fluid analysis they performed here at the facility.
Thank you all for the support, regardless.
In my "real" life, I know I have to maintain a brave face. I have an older daughter who is incredibly close to her grandfather and can sense that something is wrong, and then there is my youngest, who thankfully doesn't understand anything yet. On top of that, I feel a responsibility toward my mother to be the optimist who keeps her spirits up. But lately... I feel myself reaching a breaking point. 🙂
I honestly thought I would never be the type of person to post on a thread like this in my entire life.
But unfortunately, here I am. 😢
It is incredibly difficult to stomach the reality that my father has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and that he might be gone by tomorrow... 😢
Thanks, Angela Wright. Honestly, I’d pay any amount if they would just give me an update on what's actually happening or at least tell me how much time he has left. But these people stay silent. They are being completely inhuman.
Ever since his diabetes diagnosis, he’s been diligent about every ultrasound, blood vessel scan, and checkup they recommended. He even went in for a follow-up ultrasound just a few days before he decided to see a specialist at a private clinic.
When that specialist looked him over, he didn't even hesitate—he asked him why he wasn't already admitted to the hospital.
Processing all of this is incredibly difficult because he has always been my greatest pillar of strength, and it's even harder watching my mother cling to the hope that everything will somehow turn out okay...
I’ve done my own research online, and I am painfully aware that in almost every scenario, pancreatic cancer is a death sentence.
To whom it may concern,
I am seeking a recommendation for an oncologist, either here in the States or perhaps abroad, who could provide a second opinion on my father's medical records.
About three or four years ago, he was diagnosed with diabetes. He attended all his checkups and managed his insulin regularly, until last year when my mother noticed he had turned quite yellow. An ultrasound performed at a private clinic revealed that something was wrong with his pancreas. Naturally, our local primary care doctors at the community health center insisted everything was perfectly fine with his stomach.
Last August, my father underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer (he kept the true nature of the operation from me, only revealing it a few months ago when I read the reports myself 🙂). He completed one cycle of a rather experimental chemotherapy regimen. He tolerated it well; the surgery was successful, and even reached a point where he began gaining weight. However, this past March, fluid began to build up—his legs swelled terribly, and his abdomen became distended like a balloon. A doctor saw him and immediately ordered a drain to be placed because his abdominal cavity was filled with fluid. They analyzed the fluid and found no tumor cells. In the first 24 hours, I believe he drained over 15 liters from his abdomen. It hasn't stopped; since the drain was inserted around March 10th, he is still losing a liter or two of fluid, and his legs remain severely swollen. He was also prescribed albumin, which we actually had to purchase ourselves before he was admitted to the hospital to receive further doses. He is being discharged today, yet no one has bothered to explain the "what" or the "why" regarding his condition.
As far as I am aware, the CT scan results were normal.
🤷He has not had an MRI yet.
Essentially... on the day they admitted him, they told him he was a "medical phenomenon," and then everything just ground to a halt for them. 🙂
He was admitted using the test results from his local clinic, yet they only ran blood work yesterday, despite him being in the hospital for nearly seven days.
It seems they simply do not know, or perhaps they refuse to know. The doctor hasn't even made a proper attempt to visit him.
I am well aware that mortality rates for pancreatic cancer are devastatingly high, but I am still holding onto the hope that this was caught in time.
I would very much like to seek a second opinion outside of the specialists in Chicago, who seemingly care more about collecting academic titles and credentials than actual patient care.
On top of everything else we are facing as a family—dealing with a man who was perfectly healthy until last year—I find myself forced to fight for every single test result and every word of explanation from doctors that might help us understand what is happening.
Perhaps this is a bit long-winded. But please, if you know of an oncologist to whom I could email scans or mail physical copies of his records for review, I would be deeply grateful for the recommendation. Thank you.
Regards from Chicago.