My Mom has pancreatic cancer
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My Mom has pancreatic cancer
| Tue, 06-26-2007 - 4:53pm |
My mom just got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer almost 2 weeks ago. She's having surgery next Friday to remove the tumor. It's a very long surgery, we've been told it will take around 8 hours to complete. I have so many emotions right now. We are extremely close, we talk several times a day every day. I am trying to be so strong for her and my father. I have broke down a couple of times but never in front of her or my father. I am usually fine during the day, my 4 kids keep me pretty busy but at night when everyone's asleep is the hardest. I don't sleep much anymore because I have horrible dreams when I do sleep. I keep telling my mother to be postive and not to give up hope that the surgery will be successful and then when she starts chemo and radiation after the surgery that It will be hard but she can do it. That she's a fighter and that we won't give up. I feel so helpless and I want to help her so much. But I don't know what to do. Any advice what be greatly appreciated.

Hello
I am so sorry your family has to go through this.
Your Mom's situation sounds scary. But it sounds like she's in good hands.
You don't sound so hot! Please visit your doctor & tell him/her what's going on in your life. Getting a good nights sleep is so important & you're being robbed of that right now... You've got to take care of yourself if you're going to be able to provide support for your Mom and keep up with your kids. A Rx for sleeping medication & an anti-depressant could make a world of difference... You might also want to find out what counseling resources are available to you. Depending on where you live, there are alot of community resources that are very low cost.
I'll look forward to hearing that your Mom's surgery was a great success & that you're
standing on solid ground.
My Mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 12/04. After a million tests and many months she had a Whipple done in 5/05. She never recovered; it was a leap that she wanted to take. She was in and out of hospitals with a variety of infections for over a year/ The biggest problem we encountered was a lack of participation on Mom's part. She was very old fashioned and didn't believe therapies physical, medical, social or psychiatric were real medical practices. She passed 9/23/06 but had not been "home" since April. This disease requires full time nursing care at home or in a hospital...prone to infections...cdiff, staph, ecoli..etc....need for feeding pegs, colostomy bags is part and parcel.
It was horrible...I cannot tell you how painful it was to bear-but I did. Pancreatic cancer is a lethal cancer that destroys the mind along with the body. It also takes care givers to hell and back. I truly understand your pain and can be there for you. Contact me via email and I will give you my phone #s
s.dimonaco@gmail.com
Please, don't hesitate.. the least I am an ear who has survived this awfulness at best I can help you cope.
Dear Mrs,I can feel and relate to what your going thru i feel something is wrong and has been with my mother after Gallbladder removal due to stones my mother looses alot of weight and several months later Doctor tells me she has Celaic Disease.I am totally devasted that only one person plus her primary want to advise her besides us her realtives.My mother is taking Glyconutrients and she feeling better weekly.I still have to make sure she see a gastro Doctor for her Celiac disease,that she never had before surgery.Let me know if you would like your Mother to try Glyconutrients it is totally
natural and good for you.I saw the show 20/20 where aldy had a head tumor the size of a golf ball and after taking Glyconutrients no tumors reappeared.You can email me at ruthq9@yahoo.com please feel free to ask me questions i am sure Glyconutrients can help your mother too and any other relative who is health challenged.
Sincerely,Ruth Quinones
Hi there,
My name is Jacqueline, I was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer when I was 19 (I am currently 23). I had a 5cm tumor on the head of my pancreas. It had been there for 3 years before it was found. I really never had any symptoms until October of 2002. I used to get real painful stomach aches after every meal, to the point that even one bite of anything was enough to cause me pain. I was very healthy until then, I remember that day I literally called my doctor crying in pain for her to see me right away. At first she thought it could be an ulcer, but I never gave up, I had her run test after test after test. I wanted an answer. I had a couple MRI's done, then an ultrasound. It was the ultrasound that revelead a large mass on my pancreas. From there my doctor decided for me to get a CAT scan. I still remember that day, something like that you can never forget... Her exact words were, "Unfortunately you have a tumor and there's no way for us to know if it's benign of not unless we go in." I was very naive, she said it needed to be done ASAP, but I worried about my work. I worked in accounts payable departmenlt for The Leona Group, they run charter schools throughout AZ, MI, IN, and Ohio. I was handling 11 of the AZ schools at the time, and didn't want to leave them without someone covering for me. What I didn't realize is that all this waiting was only making things worst for me. Plus I told my surgeon I wanted to wait until after the holidays, I wish I would have known more about it. I asked my surgeon how long would recovery be, he said 6-9 days. Boy I wish I would have done some research. Turns out I had a Whipple procedure, was in the hospital for 30 days, and still went home with a feeding tube and a catheder for 3 more months. It's a tough recovery. I'm sorry I'm going into so many details, but feel free to reply if you have any questions. But 4 years after surgery i still have many complications, I cannot digest any fat whatsoever, my body doesn't absorb any nutrients or vitamins, so I get vitamin shots twice a month. All this and the medications have brought me more side effects to the point that as much as I want to work, my doctor will not let me, since recently I have been passing out for no reason. I'm not even allowed to drive my car. I wish your mom the best, and please tell her to follow all her doctor's orders, and notify them of anything she feels is not normal, wouldn't want her to end up in my situation for being stubborn. Please give her a lot of support, it's so hard to change your way of living after living your life a certain way. I went through 3 years of depression, but family and friends support always made me feel better. My family has adjusted their way of eating just to not make me feel left out, and it's healthier for them to. Tell your mom I wish her the best, not to worry because everything will get better soon, and I will keep her in my prayers. Good Luck!
Jacqueline
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