tell me about pancreatic cancer stage 4.

[jasper12]

Cancer is probably one of the greatest moral and ethical issues a person will ever face. And there are values, core beliefs that one has an opportunity to examine, probably as one has never done previously.

There is no "date stamp" on your foot when you are diagnosed with cancer, some people live longer than others. Some go fairly rapidly.

I have worked with cancer patients, and their families. Cancer acceptance, and treatment options run on the contiuum, some people want the latest treatments, others want to sign up for hospice, and go the route of pallative care.

The important thing is to manage your health care, and have a voice in your care. I have found paitients to start becoming more in tune with their spiritual beliefs, and thinking more about prayer, and God.

Wish you the best.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by lubby

I don't understnd how some people who have this type of cancer live longer.

I'm sorry about your dad. The best I can figure is that treatment works sometimes (if it can be tolerated at all) ... and sometimes it doesn't.

My husband died in October of pancreatic cancer; he lived two years and one week after diagnosis, with a year of remission in between treatments. The chemo and radiation killed the cells on my husband's pancreas, but the cancer popped up again on his liver. His oncologist threw two different chemo cocktails at it, but nothing stopped it.

It's a crap shoot. You can do everything right, and still have it come back. It sucks, but that's the way it is right now.

[lubby]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

I'm sorry about your dad. The best I can figure is that treatment works sometimes (if it can be tolerated at all) ... and sometimes it doesn't.

My husband died in October of pancreatic cancer; he lived two years and one week after diagnosis, with a year of remission in between treatments. The chemo and radiation killed the cells on my husband's pancreas, but the cancer popped up again on his liver. His oncologist threw two different chemo cocktails at it, but nothing stopped it.

It's a crap shoot. You can do everything right, and still have it come back. It sucks, but that's the way it is right now.

sorry about your husband. How old was he when he died? If my dad had opted for treatment things might have been different. The oncologist told him treatment was not an option at that point but had my father gotten a 2nd opinion who knows. He just wanted to be left alone, made comfortable and to die at home. That's just what he did. He did not even want a wake or funeral mass. Just to be cremated. But on his death bed he told my mom she could have a wake for 1 day and a funeral mass the next and then he would be cremated. She said he decided at the last minute because he knew the surviving family needed it.