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Tony, I know you love your dad but this is his decision to make. You can tell him how much you love him and want him to fight, but please don't put a whole lot of pressure on him. He feels bad enough as it is.
I know. It is just hard to see him go through this. Before this cancer, he was really spunky and loved his job. He never smoked or drank. I have no friggin clue how he got this cancer. It isn't right at all. There needs to be a cure for this disease.
Tony, I know you love your dad but this is his decision to make. You can tell him how much you love him and want him to fight, but please don't put a whole lot of pressure on him. He feels bad enough as it is.
This right here.
If I was in his shoes and someone told me I *had* to keep taking treatment I'd tell them to get bent.
Tony, the best thing you can do for your dad is support him as best you can. You can advocate for him. It is ultimately his decision when it comes to treatment. It is a decision you have to respect.
You can advocate for a cure and improvements in treatment. There are several groups working on research.
Cancer is never fair. We know risk factors and some causes but it is so complex that there is a lot more a lot, lot more to learn.
I know. It is just hard to see him go through this. Before this cancer, he was really spunky and loved his job. He never smoked or drank. I have no friggin clue how he got this cancer. It isn't right at all. There needs to be a cure for this disease.
I am very sorry to hear of the set back. There are so many set back with pancreatic cancer. One week you think there is progress and the next week brings set backs. There are few victories for pc patients. It's a one-two punch kind of cancer b/c it's almost always diagnosed too late, and the pancreas being where it is in the human body, it spreads to other vital organs. I mentioned to you earlier than my dad's pc spread to his lungs after 8 years. In another 2 years, (admist constant chemo and then cyber knife treatments), it spread to his brain. And he was lucky because he lived that long. We all have different standards of quality of life. My dad chose to take all of the pain with trying to stay alive.
It is almost criminal how pc is so deadly and unstoppable yet it has been vastly underfunded for many years. I remember 20 years ago Jimmy Carter did tv commercials about pancreatic cancer as it killed most of his siblings (as I recall) and yet it got virtually no funding. And here we are in 2012 with some progress, but frankly not much. Not enough. Not nearly enough. Not even close.
It breaks my heart that your dad has to go through this and that you have to watch him go through it. Friends and family of cancer patients don't have a walk in the park just because they don't have cancer. I don't blame you for wanting your dad to dig in his heals and fight. Don't feel guilty for wanting to fight. It's natural for you to want to have your dad around as long as possible. No doubt your dad understands your feelings, too. Please don't feel guilty for wanting to fight.
I wish there was a better way of saying this, but, your dad's set back will be one of many. PC is brutal. Treatment for a majority is palliative. The doctors may give your dad an estimate on how much longer his has. They gave my dad a year at most (once they found it had spread to his lung), and he made it two years. But it was tough. So that's where your dad gets to make his decision about how to accept treatment, or not. If the doctors say it is purely palliative, then your dad might not want to go through the pain.
You seem to have made yourself very knowledgible about pc. Please continue to research, but also make sure you take care of your mental and physical health the best way you can. Cancer is traumatic for more than just the patient. Take care.
Despite that the tumor grew, his tumor markers went down from the last update. My dad met up with his doctor yesterday. He wasn't sure if he was going to get chemo because of his platelets. His blood work came back fine. His white blood cells, red blood cells and liver function was good. His platelets went from 20,000 to 97,000. He will be getting another shot today and he will then give the shot to himself over the weekend to boost it up e ven more. He finally received chemo yesterday. Only 30 mins of gemzar. He is taking Xeloda at home again. He is also running fevers, due to the neumega. He is also 208 now from 204 because he is retaining a little water. This is normal due to the shot.
Despite that the tumor grew, his tumor markers went down from the last update. My dad met up with his doctor yesterday. He wasn't sure if he was going to get chemo because of his platelets. His blood work came back fine. His white blood cells, red blood cells and liver function was good. His platelets went from 20,000 to 97,000. He will be getting another shot today and he will then give the shot to himself over the weekend to boost it up e ven more. He finally received chemo yesterday. Only 30 mins of gemzar. He is taking Xeloda at home again. He is also running fevers, due to the neumega. He is also 208 now from 204 because he is retaining a little water. This is normal due to the shot.
My dad had a shot called neulasta & I remember he was so swollen. He also broke out pretty bad. It will break your heart seeing how weak they are; try to remember that if he is one of the lucky ones; this will be temporary. The chemo my dad had; killed his heart & lung function but he was probably older then your dad plus diabetic.
As far as your dad wanting to stop; you know your dad & what you need to say to him to keep him going. My hub wanted to give up so many times & he's glad he did not. He doesn't even remember it; but they have different cancers; my hub had a really good chance of beating his. Have you asked your dads Drs what the prognosis is now? Do they feel he is responding well & what is his outlook? If the outcome will be the same; then you talk about quality over quantity & let your dad make a decision. My dad even though he did not have a good prognosis; wanted to keep going. He did not want to die; even as his body shut down ~Hugs
My dad had a shot called neulasta & I remember he was so swollen. He also broke out pretty bad. It will break your heart seeing how weak they are; try to remember that if he is one of the lucky ones; this will be temporary. The chemo my dad had; killed his heart & lung function but he was probably older then your dad plus diabetic.
As far as your dad wanting to stop; you know your dad & what you need to say to him to keep him going. My hub wanted to give up so many times & he's glad he did not. He doesn't even remember it; but they have different cancers; my hub had a really good chance of beating his. Have you asked your dads Drs what the prognosis is now? Do they feel he is responding well & what is his outlook? If the outcome will be the same; then you talk about quality over quantity & let your dad make a decision. My dad even though he did not have a good prognosis; wanted to keep going. He did not want to die; even as his body shut down ~Hugs
The doctor really wants to treat and beat this cancer. He always tells my dad that everything is going to be alright. The chemo is responding really well.
The doctor really wants to treat and beat this cancer. He always tells my dad that everything is going to be alright. The chemo is responding really well.
thanks for taking the time to provide updates,Tony. Your dad has a lot of us here pulling for him!!
Last edited by PippySkiddles; 03-24-2012 at 11:45 PM..
Reason: spelling
The treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma depends on the extent of the disease. The extent of cancer can be divided into the following 3 categories:
[LIST][*]Localized: The cancer is completely confined within the pancreas.[*][*]Locally advanced: The cancer has extended from the pancreas to involve nearby blood vessels or organs.[*][*]Metastatic: The cancer has spread outside the pancreas to other parts of the body.[/LIST]
My dad has mets to his liver and some to his lungs ( small nodules )
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Treatment of pancreatic cancer
