Hannah Thomas28 said:Please help!
Does anyone have experience with pancreatic tumors?
My mom was diagnosed with cancer in the head of the pancreas a month ago. She was admitted to the hospital with "painless" jaundice—we honestly thought it was just gallstones. She’s had surgery, and they removed her lymph nodes just to be safe. No metastasis yet. Though, from what I’ve gathered, it doesn't even need to spread to be devastating; having it in the pancreas itself is bad enough.
The statistics are soul-crushing. They told us 2 to 6 months, even though she seems okay right now.
No chemo, no radiation...
They even told us to let her eat whatever she wants! And not to tell her! Of course we told her, but we didn't mention the timeline.
And I can't find a single person who actually recovered! Or at least survived much longer.
I'm hopeless... The Sickness is overwhelming.
Unfortunately, my dad passed away from this. It started exactly the same way—jaundice, followed by surgery, then palliative care. The prognosis was grim because he had metastasis in his liver, pelvis, and kidneys. He was discharged much like your mom; the doctors didn't even bother referring him to an oncologist. I had to take his records to a specialist myself just to get him started on treatment. Sadly, the jaundice wouldn't clear up enough, so he had to undergo radiation, which is absolutely brutal for the abdominal area. I truly believe if his liver enzymes had been better, he could have jumped straight into chemo, and maybe things would have turned out differently. For his chemo, they prescribed Gemzar, which is supposedly less punishing than other drugs.
Long story short, he endured 12 rounds of radiation—which he struggled through immensely—and died two months after the diagnosis.
I don't want to scare you—you've heard everything the doctors have to say, and this is a horrific diagnosis—but if I were in your shoes, I would fight. Go see an oncologist, look into alternative options, arm yourself with patience, and just move. Based on what you wrote, the fact that there's no metastasis is a slightly better sign, and it's worth getting a second opinion. Besides, there are different types of this nightmare; some grow rapidly while others are slower. Maybe your mom has the slower type—and to offer a shred of comfort, a friend's father lived for four years with this diagnosis without major issues.
Regarding diet, the best thing is to follow a liver-friendly regimen to get that jaundice cleared ASAP—meaning strictly white meat, no legumes, nothing cooked with onions, day-old white bread, cooked fruit, moderate salt, nothing fried, everything lean, and definitely some tea or supplements to detox the system. All dairy products must be low-fat.
You have to stay strong. Don't let your mom give up; that's the first requirement for fighting this. You simply have to maintain hope.