Is there hope??

mom2mande · Regular Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 12

From reading statistics it doesn't look like it. My grandpa had been having stomach issues since last summer and the dr.'s put him on a heavy duty antibiotic thinking it was some kind of stomach infection. Off and on he had still been having issues but the dr.'s blew it off so I think he kind of did. Beginning of Dec 2007 he noticed a lump in his breast so he had it removed and it came back has cancer. The dr ordered a ct scan to see if there was cancer anywhere else. On Dec 26 2007 we found out there were spots on his pancreas, liver and lungs but his cancer dr said to order a pet scan to see if those spots were cancer because they might not be. After fighting with the insurance company he finally got the pet scan done on Jan 18 and yesterday we heard the news.....advanced pancreatic cancer. I am so so distraught and can't even think straight. He is doing chemo, 1 day a week for 3 weeks then 1 week off and then again 1 day a week for 3 weeks and then they will check to see if it has shrank at all. He started the chemo today. I brought some meals over to my grandma last week and my grandpa just looks like he is going downhill so fast. I am trying to not lose hope and as my 6 year old son told me yesterday that we just need to pray all day and night for a miracle because God is more powerful than anything. I just wish sometimes I had faith like a child. I am just angry and I don't even know who to blame.

brainman · Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:21 pm Post subject: Re: Is there hope??

Hi mom2mande. I am very sorry about your grandfather's cancer. Pancreatic Cancer is one of the worst cancers possible but there is always hope. He needs to be getting aggressive therapy... surgery of possible. However, since it has already metastasized, chemotherapy will be his first and primary line of attack.

You and your grandfather are in my thoughts and prayers.
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mom2mande · Regular Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 12

Thought I would reply to my original very first post.
My grandpa who was more my daddy passed away Dec 17, 2008 at 2:45am.
He fought the fight hard and didn't give up. Dec 4, 2008 his cancer dr told him that it was time for hospice. Dec 6, meeting with hospice and they assured us he looked so well and was doing so well he would be here definitely through the holidays. Dec 13 started getting more and more pain. Dec 14 pain was getting more intense and he had no control over body functions on both ends which showed he was bleeding internally by the color. He was very clueless and we thank the Lord that he had no idea what was going on. Monday afternoon my grandmother moved him into a hospice hospital. My grandpa's wishes were to not die at home. Monday afternoon after getting the diarrhea under control and getting better pain control he was tired but totally with it. Able to talk to us, knew who we all were and we all joked and had some nice times going down memory lane. Tuesday Dec 16 I went up bright and early and he was not as responsive, he knew who I was but I don't think he really knew who my 4 children were. Took the kids home for a bit and came back. He was completly out of it by then and not responsive at all. The nurse told us we were looking at hours and by sun up the next morning she was sure he would be gone. His stomach looked like he was pregnant with triplets, the fluid on his chest was all the way up to his neck and you could feel it. He passed away peacefully at 2:45am and I do say peacefully because I truly believe he was in peace. There was not anything that made me think that he was in pain. We are still quite numb from it all and it still feels like it's not real. I praise God for the many good months he had and I mean many good months of pain free living. Never had trouble with the chemo, always felt great. He started to take a turn over Labor Day when his kidneys could no longer handle the chemo so right before Labor Day chemo was stopped. But even then up until really the last 2-3 weeks of him passing away he was relatively pain free(without pain meds), just felt more tired. It really is all so unreal just seems like everything happened so fast but according to the dr.'s he lived many more months than he was "supposed" to, but we would have rather had years with him and not just months .

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