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Ampullary Cancer

Auntyb
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Hi. My Husband was diagnosed with Ampullary cancer last August..I would like to ask if anyone on here has or know someone who has the same and what your/their experiences are.His diagnosis came with a 6 to 12 month life expectancy. We got to the 8/9 months and it has now spread to his liver, stomach and pancreas.He only has palliative care as any operation was ruled out due to a life changing stroke in 2006.Chemo was also not an option as only a 1 in 5 chance of any major difference and would have made him very very poorly..

  • Offline in reply to Runner2

    Thankyou and I am glad that the Whipple Surgery managed to remove the tumour... Soooo good... What exactly is Creon and is it the GP who prescribes it? On Friday we were told Mum only has "days"... But today was a good day (well morning) and spontaneously decided to take her out to enjoy a blast of sunshine in her (borrowed) wheelchair... NB. Mum previously incredibly fit so this in itself v strange for her... Tonight she's had her syringe driver topped up, the dosages upped by the District Nurse and she's since been sick x2. Not much coming up as she barely eats. Trying to encourage fluid intake...

  • Offline in reply to Gutted44InShock

    Creon is a pancreatic enzyme replacement given when part of the pancreas has been removed. Yes, prescribed by the GP

    Glad your mum had a good day yesterday and got out to enjoy the sun. I hope she can be kept comfortable and pain free. Thinking of you and your family during this really hard time

  • Offline in reply to Runner2

    Great to hear! I am also back to normal following a Whipple procedure and using CREON.

    I did have lymph node involvement though. 

    I try not to worry about that though and take each day as it comes. 

    All my love to everyone in these forums. We all need it. X

  • Offline in reply to Moderator Ben

    I am posting this message in the cancer Forum which I have joined today (3rd July 2024) as I have recently been diagnosed with Cancer of the Ampulla of Vater and have been trying for some time to find other people with this same and very rare cancer? I am 80 years of age and my normal life expectancy having lived all of my life in Yorkshire, England is 79 years and 7 months. I have already turned down a Whipple procedure as I don't think I am fit enough and am shortly due to meet with a local Dr, who is a specialist in chemotherapy. Due to other recent medical problems such as Iron Deficiency, a faulty valve in my heart and a problem CT scan resulting in an Endoscopy, the chemotherapy meeting due in June has had to be postponed until late July.  My current understanding is that the ampullary cancer has been suspected for more than one year from other medical issues I have experienced but this means that it is likely I have had this cancer already for one to two years and the recent endoscopy confirms that it has not yet spread to other parts of the body? Given this background and my age, my current thinking is to have no treatment such as chemotherapy and simply to 'watch & wait' as I have done with the Prostate Cancer I have now had for 16 years and I am told that I will die with it, but not because of it? Finally, I send my kind regards and best withes to anyone out there with Cancer of the Ampulla of Vater and I would welcome any thoughts about my current plans above? Regards, NogBad (Male). 

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