what do you do when you just found out you have pangreatic cancer and  have less then a year to live?
80873
Continue to live the way you have been, take time to let your loved ones (friends and family) know how much you have enjoyed knowing them and that you love them. Getting hysterical will only make the situation worse, though I realize that it is easier said than done to not get a bit hysterical. Go on and enjoy the months you have left, find things to laugh about daily. I have diabetes and I live everyday like it was my last. I tell my husband and son how much I love them and friends are told how much they are cherished also.
555536
Believe it or not, the safest way to go at the moment is surgury. If you just leave them, they could become malignant, where as, if you have surgury, the risk is far less. The same thing happened to my mother, and she had surgury and turned out fine. There was a history of breast cancer in her family, as both her mother and grandmother had it. I assure you, surgery is the best way to go. (My mother is looking over my shoulder, and she agrees. Actually, you're about her age, too.)
1126747
I am sorry that your dad is diagnosed with this terrible disease.  It is so sudden and it is unfair.\n\nI always say this yet no one ever listens or takes my advise seriously. \nHope even a glimmer of it drives us.  Even in the grimmest hours, we still hope that there is a chance.  The alternatives are not great yet we still hope.  Your dad sounds pretty sick and yet he is willing to undergo chemotherapy.  The chemotherapy even if it works will only make him sicker and feel more awful.  He could enroll in a clinical trial and consensually be a guinea pig.  So for the next 3-12 months, he will be going to doctors and seeking second opinions.  He may be sick and end up in the hospital a few times.  He may even seek alternative "miracle" herbs.  Why do people want to go thru that?  Why don't people seriously consider Hospice as a legitimate option?  Why do oncologist push there clinical protocols - are they benefitting society or do they just want to publish a paper that shows that their regiment will increase survival by 3 months?  Sometimes it is okay to give up hope.  \n\nI can honestly say that if I have stage 4 stomach cancer that my goals would be 1)put my affairs together 2)keep me comfortable 3)let me spend the time I have the way I want to spend it and not in a hospital, not getting chemotherpy, not in a doctor's office 3)let me die with dignity at home and not in a hospital with tubes.
831946
all answers are get to the GP and I second that but in 4 years hasn't anyone in your family advised you to do this it is a long time to be suffering pain in an area prone to cancer I'm not being scary Vicky but you must realise the delay in getting medical attention is risky! very risky!!  good luck to you and i hope all ends well
258046
Talk to your Dr. about your prognosis. I do not know any statistics and it depends on the type of Cancer and the stage at which it was found. I will tell you this I worked for an ENT Dr. and I have seen some amazing things happen.  There are many factors involved but the most important is your attitude and how you handle the news, treatment and recovery. I have seen it more than once as a Nurse when the patient gives up, it's the end.  I have seen great prosthetics for the nose, mouth and palate. DON'T GIVE UP!!!\nAsk God to show you what you can learn from this disease, pray, and stay positive.  \n\nGood Luck and God Bless:)
48115
I am facing this too. My husband is in the last stages of cancer. I will be praying for you. They tell me it takes time to recover from grief. If you have faith that God has a plan for your life, I think it helps. There are support groups to help us-people going through the same thing.
925224
You don't say how much time has passed. If the case is urgent, what is the delay? I would want to know that information from your doctor. What are the consequences of waiting...if this is taking such a long time? If the doctor can't give you a good answer, I'd press for getting the surgery moved up. I went through something similar to what you are describing and believe me if I hadn't kept pushing for answers and action the outcome wouldn't have been as good as it eventually was.\n\nBeyond that, keep busy. Send emails to your friends and families and just ask for their thoughts and support. Sitting and worrying will only make you sick. Taking the action I described above will also help you feel more in control of the situation. Part of the depression that comes with waiting for surgery with a questionable outcome is the feeling of having no control over your life. Take it back by being proactive.\n\nGood luck.
1112910
haha... well thats simple. Live life to the fullest. You got a second chance at life so you might as well try things that you couldn't do while you were doing treatment. Like maybe sky diving, or swim somewhere exotic. Go see the 7 wonders. anything really.. just make sure youre not putting yourself in any real danger.
63197
I'm sorry about your friend.  Find some articles about success stories of people who have fought the disease!!  There are tons of stories out there from people who have been successful in chemo therapy, etc.  This might give your friend some hope!!
1113336
If you haven't had one already, ask about a PET scan. It's sorta like a CAT scan, but it's used to detect any cancer in the body. When my husband had cancer, it's what they used to see where it was, and then they used it once more after his treatment was finished to see if all of it was gone.  Also, ask about maybe getting put on a steroid. My grandfather-in-law, has some health issues, but he had gotten to where he would eat maybe once a day, if that. They put him on some sort of steroid(not sure of it's name)and now he eats like a pig.(good thing) \n  I would also consider going to a different doctor and letting them give you the once-over as well. Having a fresh set of eyes and a  mind on the case may help. I wish you the best, hope you get everything figured out and get to feeling better!
969787
I am so sorry to hear about your family friend and hope you are providing support and understandin right now....the fact that she has secondarys (the cancer has spread to  another part of the body) is , I will be honest, worrying.  I know how awful this illness can be and how devastating it can be especially when the person has been healthy....my dad got cancer...he didn;t smoke, he was active and healthy....by the time he was diagnosed he had secondarys.  The chemo might be there to ease the side effects rather than cure or extend life...she needs to know which it is in her case....my thoughts are with your friend and all who love her right now...I do wish you well and hope that any news she has is positive.  Keep us updated? and if you need to chat...feel free to mail me
638422
I also say there are people out there worse off then you. I also used to say if you have your health you'll be okay. Well in 2003 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease. I went through 12 chemo treatments and 25 radiation treatments. I have no health insurance and when everything was done I owed $260.000.00 in medical bills. I worked full time through all my treatments because my husband and I had no one to help us. We did lose everything. Our house, cars(used) and all of our household belongings, just to survive. And that we did. With only the clothes on our backs we have bounced back a little. All I'm saying is that there were many times I wanted do just GIVE UP. I did not. What I did is thank god everyday for being able to wake up. You only have one life. You make it what you want. Everyone gets scared, is lonely somewhere everyday. I don't know you but you are probably a very nice person and you need to focus on that. FOCUS on what makes you happy in life and grow with that. If you feel you have hit bottom, just remember you can only go up from there. Good luck and I will be thinking of you.
593763
Cancer survivor here.  Hang in there.\n\n1.  Don't just blindly accept whatever medical treatments the doctors throw at you.  Become a part of the process making informed choices.  Get on the internet and read and thoroughly research your options.  Get help from a friend who has some medical background if necessary, and ask them to help you understand things.\n\n2.  Take care of yourself in natural ways in addition to medical treatment.  Eliminate any foods with artificial chemicals, pesticides, and growth hormones from your diet.  Eat only fresh organic foods, including lots of healthy anti-oxident foods like berries, pomegranite, leafy greens, walnuts.  Care for your body with as much yoga and exercise as you can do during treatment, lots of massages, etc.\n\n3.  Actively manage your state of mind to keep a positive and hopeful outlook and focus your energies on healing.  I found aromatherapy relaxation techniques, pranayama and insight meditation helpful for this.\n\nBe well.
127712
Hi Patz! I have really good news today and I'm glad that your question was still open.My mother was diagnosed with cancer almost a year ago and I was devastated by this news.This past months were by far the most difficult of my whole life! I've been living whith her and we had the opportunity to talk a lot,to became even closer than we already were.Yesterday,I took her to the doctor and he told us that her body is finally free of the cancer cells.I was so happy and so relieved! We know that this can came back any time but,for now,we are celebrating life! I can't think of better news!\nMoon :)
933177
go see the doc , don't worry he sees this stuff all the time , if it's cancer - the sooner the better the worst that can happen now is you be 1 stone lighter , if you  leave it there could be really intense chemo & all that fun stuff & it could even kill you \n\nGO TO THE DOC ASAP\ncheers:\npaul  :-}
795505
I know how you feel, but there is hope if it turns out to be cnacer. \n\nI am currently in the Bahamas with my Mother who has Terminal Lung Cancer. There is a clinic here that has been in operation for over 30 years. We have been here for 4 of our 8 week stay, everyday is really neat. A lot of the patients stick around in the meeting room/ waiting room to visit, and share stories and catch up. There were 40 people all talking and laughing, talking about cancer and life, the returning patients talk about how bad their cancer was 4, 8, 10 even 18 years ago when they started coming to the clinic, the cancer that has since disappeared. There is nothing dangerous or foreign to the treatment, just building up your immune system in a very effective manner. If you want to know more contact me or go to www.immunemedicine.com I cannot tell you how impressed I am with what I have seen and how my Mother has already improved. I know one man who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he skipped all US, conventional (poisonous, dangerous) options and went to the Bahamas and is doing great now. Another man who has been coming here for 18 years that had prostate cancer. People with just about every type of cancer. But, they are honest here, you send them your medical information and they will tell you whether they believe they can help you or not, and they will send you home if they don't think you are benefiting. \n\nMy mom has shown drastic improvements and is feeling so much better. and we are in the Bahamas so we are having a good Mother-Daughter vacation.\n\nI have also done a lot of research on the Cesium Chloride/DMSO treatment and think that it has merit and you can do it at home.\n\nThe clinic here believes that a supplement/liquid called VIBE works really well in addition to other treatments, I am going to look in to that some more.\n\nUS doctors push chemo and radiation, but when you look at the statistics and side effects it is not a good option for most people. My Mom had both before we came here and now that I know more about them and have researched them I feel horrible that I let her go through them. She was lucky (so far) the only long term side effect she has shown is short term memory loss. \n\nThe stories I have heard from the other patients here about how they were treated by US medicine astound me. One lady went home to have a shunt put in her liver so she would be ok to come here, but they refused to put it in unless she agreed to do chemotherapy, is that what our country is about? Denying helpful procedures unless we agree to dangerous, toxic ones? The drug companies run US medicine at least when it comes to cancer treatment and it is sad. Most doctors will tell you not to try alternative medicine and some will refuse to even see you again if you do. To some degree they are not to blame, they have not been taught anything about it other than that it is evil and wrong and they would be rejected by their colleagues if they suggested alternatives.\n\nI would also like to tell you about another lady staying at the house we are staying at, she is 86 years old and has breast cancer. She arrived at the clinic the same day we did and is doing very well. Her immune system continues to improve and she gained 2 pounds since last week. She is absolutely thrilled with this treatment and knows that it is helping her.\n\nThere is another elderly gentleman who just finished his 8-week treatment and is feeling better as he returns home. He has cancer around his optic nerve, but also had diabeties. His daughter said that while he was here on the treatment he needed a lot less insulin than usual. I am NOT claiming that the treatment also helps with diabeties, I am just saying that is what his experience was.\n\nPlease whatever you do, research first. \n\nOne very helpful website is www.cancertutor.com\n\nGood luck!!
766653
Well, you probably should get to the doctor.  I know it's scary but the earlier you detect a cancerous growth the better -- it can be removed, you can receive treatment and you can recover faster.  But, what if you don't have cancer?  Then all of this worrying yourself and stress will be for nought.  That is why it is best for you to see a doctor.  Do you have a family doctor?  Someone you feel comfortable with?  How about starting at school and discussing these things with the school nurse?  You're old enough to have a gynecologist -- do you have one yet?  Well, before you make yourself crazy with worry... really, talk to someone and see a doctor about your symptoms.\n\nAs for your issues.  Maybe those lumps in your breast are actually breast development.  I can't remember how long the "buds" stage was supposed to last but... it sounds familiar. When you say that they feel small, sometimes larger and sometimes sore, have you noticed the soreness and size change around PMS time?  Maybe it's very normal.\n\nBlood in your #2.  Is it a lot of blood?  You may have developed an ulcer from worrying yourself so much.  Blood in the stool is often a sign of ulcers.  You may also have simply BM issues and have irritated your um, bum.  There are tests that I think you can buy from any pharmacy (I think that you have to ask the pharmacist because they keep them at the counter) -- but there is a test you can buy to test your #2.  I think that you send a sample (like a dipped sample or smear sample) to a lab on the package and they can make basic, early colon cancer determinations.  Ask your local pharmacist.  \n\nThroat cancer?  I don't know anything about this except that you should see a doctor.  I suspect that you have a touch of hypochondria going on here and that you may have psychosomatically given yourself some symptoms that are simply worry-symptoms.  For the cases of throat cancer that I've heard of, I think that the people were very heavy smokers. \n\nBecause you have had cancer in your family, it is good and prudent to be aware of the genetic odds of it traveling in your genes.  However, I caution you about getting too worried about these issues without getting professional advice.  Mind over matter -- *think* yourself healthy and your body will respond.