Bile duct cancer

Hi everyone. Firstly, sorry to you all that are having to deal cancer. My thoughts are with you all. 

My dad was initially diagnosed with cancer in January, the hospital then done a complete u turn and said it wasn’t and then on Monday, he went for results on a biopsy of his liver and he has now been told he has bile duct cancer. He was told they would not give him chemo as his liver couldn’t cope with it but they refered him to an oncologist. He saw the oncologist today and was told they can’t treat him but will help manage the symptoms. My heart is broke into a million pieces and today,  our lives have changed forever. Is anyone else having to deal with bile duct cancer and is there anything we can do? My dad is 65 years young. 

***UPDATE*** we are sadly into our last few days with dad. As horrible as it has been seeing deteriorate over such a short space of time, we are thankful that this hasn’t been a long drawn out process. He has seemed pain free for most of these last few days and for that, we are thankful. We are all going to miss him terribly and he is going to leave the biggest hole in all our lives. There is a charity called AMMF which we are donating to and will also raise money for so that they can work towards finding a cure of this rare form of cancer but most importantly, something to help with the constant itching he has had. 

For those of you who replied to this thread, please feel free to message me for any advice or what to expect with your loved ones and I will gladly help. Love to you all xx

***FURTHER UPDATE***

dad died peacefully at 14.45 today. He was surrounded by his family and friends and was listening to his favourite song. He’s at peace and as how gutted as we all are, we are relieved he isn’t suffering anymore. He got to the end without any comfort medication and he kept reassuring us he wasn’t in pain leading up to his passing. I hope that those of you who are in this situation, find a bit of comfort in my posts.

  • Welcome to Cancer Chat Kerrierobbo8 although I'm very sorry about the news your dad has been given regarding his diagnosis.

    I've had a quick look through the forum and found that [@louisell]‍ and [@Lmcauley]‍ are in similar situations with their loved ones and hopefully they will be along soon to chat about their experiences now I've mentioned them in this post.

    Our cancer nurses are available for a chat via phone on 0808 800 4040, Monday - Friday between 9a.m - 5p.m but do feel free to look through the forum for other discussions to join in on using the 'search forum' option in the blue bar above.

    Wishing you and your dad all the very best at this time.

    Kind regards, 

    Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • Hi just read your post so sorry I know it’s a devastating blow to you and your family. My husband is only 54 we have 2 children in their teens , myself and his family have been so proactive with questions and treatments that might be available. Unfortunately we have been told chemotherapy no longer an option after 4 sessions. So only thing that could be available is a clinical trial as long as he is eligible. This form of cancer is rare and if metastasis to the liver then chemotherapy no longer works. Other cancers less rare have more chemotherapy options. I’m so sorry we are continuing to fight and will do until the end. Sometimes when I talk about our situations I feel like it’s happening to someone else and then reality hits as there is something else to knock us down. God bless you look after your dad and yourselves enjoy every moment spent together x

  • Hello,

    I am sorry you are going through this, I am in the same position.

    My Dad, 67, also diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma in Jan. Deemed as unresectable and offered palliative treatments of which only one bile duct stent has been successful and currently not meeting criteria for chemo. It is heartbreaking to see those you love affected by this cancer knowing the outlook is so bleak. My Dad hasnt even seen an oncologist yet which is frustrating as its hard to plan anything not knowng whats coming next.

  • Hi my father in law was diagnosed 11th Jan took them a month to diagnose what they thought was pancreatic cancer but then a couple of weeks later said bile duct and started chemo almost straight away. I thought he would be ill off it as this cancer is meant to be aggressive so I thought the chemo would be aggressive but hes just extra tired a few days after. I'm not sure hes been given any other options of treatment but chemo is until may 2 times a month then they will be checking what stage the cancer is at i guess and if chemo is working. He has lost alot of weight and it now a type 2 diabetic. He is also 65. We all feel lost he is severely depressed most days but trying his best My mother in law said yesterday she feels like he giving up and only holding on till may when his life insurance kicks in so he knows she will be ok but I feel like hes doing ok as hes fine around everyone else plus the doctors have said they cant believe how well he is doing and therefore cant give a life expectancy. It is heart breaking but all we can do is be there to support them. 

  • Hi so sorry to hear about your loved ones as this doesn’t just affect one person it affects the whole family. My husband is in and out of hospital had pneumonia and sepsis ended up in HDU then back in again with infection and spikes in temperature with shaking just came out Tuesday was up for our daughter s 18th Birthday meal. He’s very tired and doesn’t eat much just not hungry at all while being in hospital last time they gave him 2 blood transfusions to help pick him up, they also talked about not resuscitating which broke me and his family. I’m literally on edge we have oncology app and hospice are coming to talk with us. My thoughts are with you x

  • I cant imagine how I would feel if it was my husband it's bad enough watching my husband breaking knowing hes going to lose his dad so I'm so so sorry you are going through such hell. My FIL has also had numerous infections and has been in and out of hospital every month since diagnosis. Hes heen fine for 3 weeks now touch wood he wont get another one but we just never know what's coming round the corner do we. Xx