Has there been word on how Andy's surgery went? nt

[benburch]

[brainshrub]

1. Good question.

I would like to know as well.

[babylonsister]

2. There was a thread yesterday; he's not

scheduled for it til 26 May, I think, unless an opening becomes available sooner.

[LittleClarkie]

3. What agony

All because somebody couldn't be bothered to check the mailroom. Bastards.

[benburch]

6. Damn.

Cancer doesn't wait around. :(

[amazona]

21. pancreatitis is not cancer

It is not a party either but unless I missed it we do not have a confirmed cancer diagnosis, correct? Been out of town so forgive me if new information has come up. Last I saw was the lab report Andy posted Wednesday or Thursday and it was still possible the masses could be benign.

Let's think positive.

[benburch]

24. Sorry, Thought it was a confirmed diagnosis.

So much noise and so little signal here.

[REP]

27. I've Known Several People Who Died from Pancreatic Cancer

and from the reports we're getting about Andy, he's either an extremely atypical pancreatic cancer patient or his masses have another etiology. Pancreatic cancer is usually a swift killer and the decline is quick and marked.

[benburch]

28. Right.

That's what I was appalled at the delay!

[meganmonkey]

52. It is cancer

That was confirmed weeks ago. The report he posted was not diagnostic.

(on edit: I don't mean to say that pancreatitis = cancer. I mean Andy has cancer, not pancreatitis)

[liberalnurse]

4. He has not had it yet.

I understand he will have it soon, next week. He is in good spirits and has been encouraged to get lots of rest. The mind-fuck of being rescheduled on the heels of a hateful freeper's abuse can take a toll on one's psyche...

[bettyellen]

5. link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3658627

[s-cubed]

7. I spoke to him this evening: he sounded in good spirits.

But Termite has to go back to Seattle until next week, so Andy won't have as much support. It's possible the surgery may happen this week, if there is an opening, but it is definitely scheduled for the 26th.

::bounce:

:loveya: to Andy and Termite

[benburch]

8. You realize that he is likely not to come off the table alive, right?

I checked on this sort of surgery. It is dangerous in the extreme.

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. The disease itself is dangerous in the extreme. I watched my MIL

die from it, and I think that Andy should take his chances.

(Not trying to be mean to you or anything here. Just that this disease is a hard one for me to talk about, for obvious reasons)

[BeHereNow]

10. If Andy can survive the torment of XXX, the sociopath

He will CERTAINLY survive this surgery.
Nothing a surgeon's knife could do could
even come close to what Andy has already
endured, courtesy of a certain meglomaniacal
former DUer.
BHN

[expatriate]

11. It is indeed dangerous surgery

But without it, Andy has no chance of survival at all. And death from pancreatic cancer is horrendous.

Edited to add this information regarding the Whipple Procedure:

Over the last 15 years major pancreatic centers in the United States have developed excellent results for the Whipple surgery. In almost all the major centers the death rate from this surgery is now less than 5%.

Recent studies from Johns Hopkins and Memorial Sloan Kettering have shown that outcome from surgery for a Whipple operation is dependent on the experience of the hospital and the surgeon performing the surgical operation. In those that hospitals that perform high volume of these procedures the death rate from the Whipple operation is now less than 5%. In hospitals that infrequently perform the Whipple operation a much higher complication rate and the death rate from the surgery often greater than 15 to 20% has been reported in surgical literature.

The American Cancer Society recommends that the Whipple operation should be performed in a center that is experienced and does high volume of these complex surgical procedures to ensure the best outcome.

The overall survival after the whipple operation for pancreatic adenocarcinoma is about 20% at five years after surgery. Patients without spread of cancer into their lymph nodes may have up to a 40% survival. The actuarial survival is less than 5% at five years for patients patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who are treated with chemotherapy alone.

The operation is usually curative in patients with benign or low grade cancers of the pancreas.

[benburch]

12. I'm just trying to prepare people.

This is a "Hail Mary" pass with two seconds on the clock.

[Catshrink]

13. I had no idea....

Thanks for the warning.

Now we all need to redouble our positive vibes toward Andy.

[expatriate]

14. I understand, I'm not trying to fuss at you!

Sorry if I seemed to be.

It is indeed a grave situation, any way you look at it.

[Missy Vixen]

16. Ben, he's in the best of hands

I'm hoping that he has John Hopkins' best surgeon, the best support team, and the best postop nursing. Andy needs to come off that table fighting for voter verified paper ballots, and I believe that he will.

I also wish the best to any other DU'er (or one of their loved ones,) facing a health issue. They are no less important.

Sending healing thoughts,
Julie

[LeahD]

26. One word: Tact

Get some, please.

[benburch]

31. I got plenty.

As somebody who almost died a couple of times now, I cannot see the point in sugar coating anything.

[tavalon]

49. Actually, that is a good point

those of us who have kissed death tend to be more blunt. That said, I think we all know (especially Andy) what he's up against. But he's a fighter and he has thousands of guardian angels right here on DU so if anybody's got a fighting chance, he sure does.

[tavalon]

48. Please be aware

that Andy also has internet access and is likely still hanging out around these parts. I don't think he'd want to read about the premature reports of his death which are likely highly overblown. ;)

[JetJaguar]

20. Better than 99% @ JH

http://pathology2.jhu.edu/pancreas/surgicaltx.cfm

A recent analysis performed at The Johns Hopkins Hospital has determined the factors which favor long-term survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy. Between April 1970 and April 1994, 208 patients underwent a standard pancreaticoduodenectomy for adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The preference of surgeons at Johns Hopkins is to perform partial pancreatectomy whenever possible, leaving the pancreatic body and tail in place. Distal gastrectomy is typically reserved for tumor involvement of the distal stomach or first portion of the duodenum. Multiple factors were analyzed including patient demographics, intraoperative factors, tumor characteristics, and post-operative use of adjuvant therapy. The primary outcome variable analyzed was survival. The results of this review, which is the largest single institution experience reported to date, allowed assessment of 201 of the 208 patients. Seven patients had incomplete outcome data and were excluded. For the group of 201 patients comprising the study population, the overall postoperative in-hospital mortality rate was low, with the current figure being 0.7% (for the last 149 patients). This means that survival data for patients treated at Johns Hopkins reflect an operative mortality rate of less than 1%. The mean age of the patients was 63 years, with a slight male predominance (108 men and 93 women). There were no differences in survival based on age, gender, or race. The actuarial one, three and five-year survival rates for all 201 patients were 57%, 26%, and 21% respectively, with a median survival of 15.5 months. There were 11 five-year survivors, 7 six-year survivors, and one fifteen-year survivor. By univariate statistical analysis, a significant improvement in survival has been observed from the decade of the 1970s, through the decade of the 1980s, to the decade of the 1990s. Patients resected in the 1970s had a median survival of 7.5 months and a three-year survival of only 14%, while patients undergoing resection in the 1990s had a median survival of 17.5 months and a three-year survival of 36%.

[benburch]

22. Really!

Obviously not the same surgery I was reading about.

[Nothing Without Hope]

25. Here's the line I'm hoping will apply to our Andy:

The operation is usually curative in patients with benign or low grade cancers of the pancreas.

Earlier there was a comment that the tumor appeared to be encapsulated. That's a very good sign.

Thanks for this informative post.

And more good vibes and general cherishing for Andy:
:loveya: :grouphug:

And for Termite, who is enduring the suffering of someone he loves:
:hug:

[bettyellen]

17. i guess you didn't read the link where JH says the prognosis is great!

but it might have ben wise to instead of posting stuff like that.

[Lindacooks]

18. Yep, the tumor is encapsulated.

And he does have a very good prognosis. That's what to focus on.

[benburch]

29. Is he in a lot of pain? I hope not.

I've read that this can be a bloody painful condition.

If so are they giving him something for it?

I hate how doctors fear addiction to pain meds more than they fear patient pain.

I'd MUCH rather have a Demerol monkey than disabling chronic pain!!!

[bettyellen]

30. yes, pain, and no i don't think he's on any meds. and that's it for now.

i'm sorry, when i was with him, we really tried to focus on other things. again as i said, he reads these things, and i think this really is not helping him right now. since most of the correct info was searchable. and it's just getting intrusive and worse, tactless. the negative stuff here is hurtful and inaccurate and worse, always spreads likfe fire. i'll suggest you do a search and try to get up to speed before posting a brand new thread. and keep in mind he reads this. fyi: it is a tumour on the duct, not the pancreas themselves. it looks to not have spread at all. it is not pancreatic cancer as others have posted, but if it was not caught early enough, it would have certainly spread there. so you can do some searches on that, keeping in mind, he has the best surgeon at JH.
:hi:

[benburch]

32. I know *you* have a clear picture of this situation.

Please have some patience with somebody who was trying to figure it out from postings on this forum, which have said everything from "He's got wildfire cancer and will die in days" to the dastardly untrue allegations that he isn't really sick.

I know and believe he is sick, and I also know and believe that he raised the money he said he did and is now awaiting surgery.

But until I posted this thread I still thought it was a confirmed diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, and that is not a happy diagnosis.

I am glad to hear that it is a duct tumor, and that it has a good prognosis.

Now, if people will stop sending me threatening emails, we can close this thread.

[bettyellen]

33. i'm glad i could clear that up for you.

i tried to last night. i guess i wasn't making myself clear enough.
it's been truly hard to see whose really concerned and who's screwing with him just for the opportunity to post things that are incredibly hurtful. i sent you a link last night and suggested you re edit your post to be more accurate and less negative. i hope you aren't offended. but honestly what you posted was totally tactless. i still gave you the benefit of the doubt.

[benburch]

35. Well, you sent me a link about a particular condition...

that was not the condition I had previously understood that he had.

I'm glad things are as you describe them, but honestly, could anybody have figured this out from what has been posted here in the past? I don't have the patience of Job to read 10,000 messages and figure out;

- Who is a troll
- Who is helpful but misinformed
- Who is helpful but informed

My best understanding was as I said, Pancreatic Cancer, and surgery for that often kills the patient. Five year survival rates for Pancreatic Cancer are like 5%!

Now that I know that the condition is quite different from that, my concerns about the delay and his survival are quite different.

And do note that I happily donated to Andy, and would do so again.

[bettyellen]

34. you can ask the mods to lock it so it'll drop.

if you feel that it's just going to stick around to irritate people, including yourself.

[tavalon]

51. The medical community overall

is getting so much better about that. Pain is considered the fifth vital sign nowadays and people get better so much quicker when their pain is managed well so that has been a big impetus too.

We aren't perfect on that or any medical thing but we seem to be coming out of the dark ages with respect to pain management.

[bettyellen]

19. at JH it's 99%, so you got that wrong.......

but that's why he wanted to go to JH, the best in the country.

http://www.hopkinskimmelcancercenter.org/cancertypes/pancreatic-cancer.cfm?cancerid=130

[benburch]

23. I hope you are right. nt

[Occulus]

43. My father had the Whipple procedure.

He didn't get it done at JH.

I think I read that's the same Andy is having done? If yes, well... Andy may need to.... eat. A Lot.

My father was placed on a diet that had an extremely high fat and calorie content. This was primarily because he was a victim of FAP (familial adenomatous polyposis). I'm fairly sure this is not what Andy is suffering through, so I'll only say that, in addition to the Whipple (which was developed only near the end of his life, so I'm not so sure what benefit he may have had from it, all other things being equal), my father had had surgeries over and over again for his condition. From what I've read, Andy's is nowhere near as severe as what my father dealt with.

My father would likely still be alive, were it not for all the surgeries he had had throughout his life for his condition. He had the same procedure, right at the end, but I'm certain the circumstances were somewhat more severe than what Andy faces today. MY dad had his first surgery at, like, ten or twelve years old.

My fanther's was an extreme case brought on by a vicious hereditary disease that runs through all the men in his family, so much so that the University of Kentucky performed a medical study on FAP using his family tree as the subject (and thank God I'm adopted!). The good news is that my father dealt with this for decades, and that was before the Whipple was developed. Everything I've read here bodes well for Andy vs. what my father had to face- and I generally use my father's case as a benchmark for such ailments, simply because his was so brutal and he lived for so very very long with it.

Get well, Andy, and stay positive about all this. IF my dad could do it, you can too. :) :hug:

[tavalon]

44. but he is in the best place to have the surgery

They have the best success rate.

[salvorhardin]

46. It's really great that we were able to get Andy into JH

and now that we know he doesn't have pancreatic cancer we can be assured he'll be around for many years to come fighting the good fight!

[tavalon]

54. Yeah, that's the best thing to focus on

the groundswell of love that happened around his situation is amazing. No, beyond amazing. What DU can do when the collective mind is working together and from a place of caring is just breathtaking.

[EFerrari]

45. Hi there, the doc he's going to has a 90+% survival rate.

That's why we fought so hard to get him in. :)

[MadisonProgressive]

50. Thanks!

That should bolster Andy's spirits! :mad:

[lonestarnot]

15. Andy if you're reading tonight....I'm still praying hard and fast! You

hang in there. Fight like you've never fought and we all know you know how to do that! :grouphug: WE LOVE YOU!

[benburch]

36. I have asked mods to lock. nt

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

37. Ben, I'm glad you asked

As a well-connected activist who helped spread the word that Andy needed help, you do not deserve threatening emails in response to your questions.

And since you did so much to help, it makes sense that you want to know just what you helped with. I too have lost track of the actual diagnosis because there have been many conflicting posts regarding it.

And you could not have figured it out from reading all the other posts, because this is the first time on DU that duct tumor has been indicated as the diagnosis.

A duct tumor is good news compared to pancreatic cancer. And it's a good thing to spread good news. Thanks for asking. :hi:

[benburch]

38. Thanks for the kind words...

I'm feeling sort of ganged up upon at present.

And I wish nothing but the best for Andy.

[benburch]

39. I've asked for this thread to be deleted.

No good can come of this. :(

[qanda]

42. Yes, they should close this thread

Then someone should start a new one giving DU the information that it deserves about Andy's diagnosis. This is the FIRST time I have ever heard that Andy doesn't have pancreatic cancer.

[Goldmund]

47. Me too.

Everyone thought that, obviously.

[mogster]

53. FYI:

From post up above by bettyellen:

"fyi: it is a tumour on the duct, not the pancreas themselves. it looks to not have spread at all. it is not pancreatic cancer as others have posted, but if it was not caught early enough, it would have certainly spread there"

Just to emphasize the diagnosis ;-)

[salvorhardin]

40. I agree with SheWhoMustBeObeyed

Thanks for asking. I've been working away from my computer for the past couple of days so I haven't really been around to follow this saga.

I am *so* glad Andy doesn't have pancreatic cancer. Do they still have to do a Whipple now or can Andy get away with much less aggressive surgery?

[Generic Guy]

41. I must be living under a rock

This is the first I have seen about this. I hope he is allright.