Pancreatic cancer

Hi, I do not have cancer, but I buried my best friend on Saturday April 3rd 2021,his name was David. He started getting upper tummy pains last May-June, then went to see doctor when the whites of his eyes got jaundiced.... He went and got scans and they weren't sure what it was but said they're was a growth on the head of his pancreas.... He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer July 23rd,went in for op to remove tumor, but sadly after operation they said there was nothing they could do as it had spread to his liver, he took 8-10 rounds of chemo.... And a scan revealed that the tumour on his pancreas had shrunk and his markers were away down and the speckles of tumor on his liver were not as prominent and hadnt spread or gotten worse.... We thought that was great news.... Then 3 more sessions of chemo in January and another scan apparently showed what he was told was a "significant improvement" on January 27th and they didn't give him chemo that day and said they were going to give him a break until March 27th when they would scan him again, he hadn't been feeling too well since January 15 th after getting a camera down his throat but ever since then and especially after the chemo stopped he just gradually went down hill.... Ending up in the hospice Monday march 8th and he got the phone call from the chemo people on March 27th and they were told he was in the hospice and he died 6 days later..... All I can say here is if anyone is getting chemotherapy and they say there is an improvement and they are going to give you a break.... You make damn sure they scan you weekly.... Don't let them leave you for months and if you feel unwell at all, get straight up to the hospital and demand the chemo...... 

  • I'm so sorry for your loss.

    It's never easy to lose a friend or relative, and I know that grief can be horrible. I've had my own personal loss with a relative who died of cancer. She never managed to have chemotherapy because the doctors for some reason scheduled her operation in the end of December, when she was diagnosed with cancer at the start of November. This ultimately resulted in the tumour wrapping around her artery.

    The advice you gave with chemo, I totally agree with. I think that if people are feeling unwell while having a break from chemo, they should try to stop the break and get chemo. 

    I hope that you are coping well and my condolences go to you and your friends family.


     

     

  • I totally agree with you they are too long winded and end up playing with peoples life. So sorry about your dear friend its tragic. 

    My husband had 9 chemos before he passed away and similar thing was doing well shrinking then left and it got hold and he died. So sad.

    Take care 

  • What you said about them playing with peoples lives is so true. When I lost my relative, I felt as if it could've been prevented. However, they chose to wait almost two months and kept doing biopsies. I'm also sorry for the loss of your husband. No one should ever experience cancer, it's a horrible thing.

  • Hi, I'm sorry to hear of your loss also,its very difficult, I was David's apprentice since I was 16,we worked together ever since, we went on to be close friends.... I don't think it's really sunk in that he's gone to be quite honest. He was only 68....67 when diagnosed.... Very young in my view.... And I know there are people alot younger, even children.... But you cannot measure grief.... And I understand the NHS are under pressure because this cancer disease is definitely on the increase..... And I know that obviously in the case of pancreatic cancer especially that chemotherapy is basically a life support treatment..... But at the same time what I'm saying is.... What the hell was the point of taking it and going through the sickness and agro of it for it to not work or even get you any longer? David cannot possibly be the first this is happened too.... So why was he left after the chemotherapy stopped and not even checked on..... Its as tho they knew..... Well what else could it be to be so blazay about it.... He was left so long that he would have been too sick to get more chemo treatment two weeks after the chemo stopped... Im so sorry for the loss of your husband.... If this is how I feel about my closest friend, I can't imagine how you feel losing your husband. Just take each day as it comes Alex... Take care. God bless. 

  • Hi, my condolences to you also on your relative. She was left until it wrapped around an artery? That's unforgivable..... They're so flippant about cancer treatment now its as if they're actually incompetent..... Yes I think each person must fight their own corners for themselves and their loved ones.... The days of "the doctors must know what they are doing" are long gone.

  • Thank you. I totally agree with you. It's like the doctors suddenly flipped a switch and turned a blind eye to cancer surgery/treatment. It's shocking. If the cancer rates are increasing, with even more severe types, how on earth will the NHS be able to manage it? However, I hope that you are doing well in regards to the loss of your friend.