My brother has stage 4 pancreatic cancer

[Sub Atomic]

Mods, I'm not a donor so I'm not allowed to post this in the cancer support group forum. Can you please move this there for me?



My brother has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

April 30th he had major surgery and had his spleen, 1/2 his pancreas, 98% of his stomach, his left pituitary gland, 8" of small intestine and 3" of colon removed. His surgeons were hopeful that they got the tumor and the surrounding organs were all OK. Unfortunately, the cancer had spread into his diaphragm.

They're hoping to discharge him to come home tomorrow. There's a new experimental pancreatic cancer treatment that's going to start at UPMC in a few weeks but his surgeon isn't sure of the requirements and doesn't know if Dave will qualify.

The plan is to get him healed over the next 3 weeks and get his strength up and hope we get him into this study and if he doesn't then start massive chemo and radiation treatments.

It's really not good. Statistically, he has less than an 8% chance of surviving 5 years.

Fuck.

[Liberal_in_LA]

1. sorry to hear that

:-(

[BrklynLiberal]

2. I am so very sorry about this....

Sending white light and positive energy...and hopes that this will turn out as well as possible...
:pals: :grouphug:

[Ishoutandscream2]

3. I am so sorry. Wishing you and your brother the very, very best

[madmax]

4. Very sorry for you and your brother

HOPE it's a sign on the wall in my oncologist's office. :hug:

[handmade34]

5. gentle thoughts for you and your bro

[gateley]

6. I'm so sorry. I hope he qualifies for the study. nt

[Kadie]

7. So very sorry.

Our thoughts, prayers, and positive vibes are with your brother, you, and your entire family.

:hug:

[Kookaburra]

8. My prayers and hopes for a cure

Sending healing light to your brother and your entire family.

[Peacetrain]

9. My best wishes for your brother

I am so sorry you are going through this.. The whole family goes through the ordeal..I will keep you and your family in my prayers..

[malaise]

10. Wow that's rough

I'm sending good vibes :grouphug:

[panader0]

11. So sorry

[NC_Nurse]

12. I'm so sorry to hear this. Pancreatic cancer is a tough disease to treat and his

sounds very advanced. I hope that he can get whatever treatment will give him the best chance. I also send my support and love to you both and the rest of your family. :hug:

[KT2000]

13. I am so sorry about this

it seems like every day I hear about another person with pancreatic cancer.
Sending good thoughts your way.

[foxfeet]

14. Sad news.

I wish the best for him and for all who love him.

[tavalon]

15. I'm so sorry for him and your family

I do hope he recovers. That said, please say, with kindness, gentleness and love, everything you might have put off saying to him. Especially, those things you love about him. If he doesn't have much time left here, you will both benefit from that.

Damn, that really, really sucks.

Edited to add: Your post actually belongs here, in my opinion, where more DUers will see it. That said, you may need the extra support of the other group, so now you can post there (or at least you can when they put your star up, usually it's instantaneous but not today).

[bigwillq]

16. What terrible news.

I am sorry this is happening to him. I hope he beats the odds. :hug:

[lunatica]

17. I wish your brother all the best of health

You and he seem to be real fighters. You have my best wishes.

[truedelphi]

18. UCSF has a fabulous pancreatic cancer program.

Don't know if you are near the West Coast or not.

Univ. of California's SF Hospital is supposedly even better than Johns Hopkins when it comes to pancreatic cancer.

Anyway, I am sorry for everything that is happening to your brother, and will add him to my prayer list.

Wishing you and your family the grace, the time and ability to help him with everything that needs help.

Don't forget that there are local hospice programs everywhere in the nation now. And being put on their list, for instance the week he is first out of treatments and on his own, is a good thing. Nurses can come in and visit, volunteers can help with laundry and light errands, and they can oversee care givers if he needs that as well. In some Counties in California, the programs even help people fight out the insurance battles.

The fact that hospice comes in and helps doesn't mean that you are offering up your brother as a fatal case.

We just got rid of hospice for my Mom in law - they were sorry to go, but she has fully recovered from pneumonia and might outlive us all.

[Hawkeye-X]

22. We should have sent Andy there instead of going cross country to Baltimore

for treatment.

But you know Elizabeth knew a doctor there so she got it rolling, I think.

Hawkeye-X

[EFerrari]

39. Andy chose the program at Hopkins. nt

[Hawkeye-X]

53. Thanks for the clarification

I still think about him everyday.

[EFerrari]

58. I do, too. I wish he had gone to UCSF. Then I wouldn't have been

miles and miles away when the freeps hit the fan.

[truedelphi]

70. I heard about how good UCSF was exactly one yr to the day

That Andy passed.

So it never figured in any of my talks with him. He was really really jazzed about how many at DU helped him - and he was very pleased with going into Johns Hopkins. (I mean, as pleased as anyone can be about having to have major surgery and all that.)

And there are not enough words in the Universe to express how much wonderful good E.F. did for Andy with all her hard work.

Often when I think the world is too hard and too mean, I remember her greatness in figuring out everything she had to do, and dealing with the nasty people at PayPal and all the rest of it.

[blueamy66]

19. My Mom had stomach cancer.

I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.

[Hawkeye-X]

20. The word "pancreatic cancer" scares the hell out of me.

My friend, Andy S. (who many people know here in DU as God_Bush_n_Cheney) passed away almost 6 years ago from this - complications of the surgery, I believe, plus the stress that the right-wing gave him for delaying his surgery and $$$ that we raised for him! - a lot of DU'ers has helped out because he had no insurance (thanks to the Bev Harris royal screwing) so we got $25,000 in like, a week!)

Also, my RL friend, and my son's godfather, had pancreatic cancer, had the Whipple procedure done almost two years ago, and is a survivor, so far. He's living in Las Vegas, but is returning to Denver next week to visit us and his godson.

Hawkeye-X

[Hawkeye-X]

21. BTW, since my dad is a cancer survivor - I have seen the support group

for guidance and love.

I hope someone will give you access to the support group.

By request, I reposted the entire thread there. I hope it will help.

Hawkeye-X

[villager]

23. All wishes and blessings to you & yours, Sub Atomic...

Take care, and may there be swift healing for your brother...

[Dappleganger]

24. So sorry to hear this.

My prayers are with you.

[MindandSoul]

25. I am so sorry to hear that! A good friend and neighbor went through this

for the last 2 years. She fought valiantly.
Unfortunately. . .she didn't make it.
I hope your brother has a chance. And I hope that, either way, he can find serenity!

[AlinPA]

26. Sorry for your brother and family, but UPMC cancer center is probably one of the best in the world.

[Beacool]

27. I'm terribly sorry.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your brother during this difficult time.

:hug:

[glinda]

28. My heart is going out to you and your beloved brother tonight. I hope the best...

[applegrove]

29. vibes.

[AwakeAtLast]

30. My wishes to him for his strength and healing

:hug: :hug:

And to you as you support him! :hug:

[JI7]

31. i'm sorry

[donheld]

32. So Sorry

:hug:

[CoffeeCat]

33. I'm so sorry...

You are a good brother for sharing his story. I'm sure this
is very difficult and I hope that your brother is in that 8 percent.
Someone has to be, so why not your brother?

Hugs to you...

[Maat]

34. I'm so sorry to hear this.

Sending healing consciousness and prayers his way (and your way).

[tango-tee]

35. Sending my best wishes to your brother

and the entire family. I know from experience what a rough time you are going through. Please accept a heartfelt hug!

[Juche]

36. Try to enjoy the time you have with him

It is trite, but things like this do wake you up to how important the things that really matter in life are. And its easy to fall back into obsessing over BS. But an event like this can help you prioritize things and really get some meaning out of the time he has left.

[juajen]

37. I am so sorry. I hope a miracle happens and I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers. NT

[emilyg]

38. So very sorry to hear this.

[calimary]

40. Damn. Our prayers are with you and him andall your family.

So sorry to hear this. I hope he qualifies for that study!

:hug: :grouphug:

[Berry Cool]

41. I am really sorry about this

and wish your brother and you all the best.

[csziggy]

42. Sending good thoughts to your BIL and family

Damn those words bring back a nightmare - I lost a BIL to pancreatic cancer three years ago.

:hug: and I hope you can find a miracle for him.

[area51]

43. I'm sorry,

I hope he can pull through. :hug:

[annabanana]

44. You can cross post this now (someone gave you a star). . n/t

[tomm2thumbs]

50. +1 someone has heart, and then some

[Beacool]

62. The Lord works in mysterious ways.......

;)

[BlueIris]

45. Awful. All best to you and your family. nt

[Dorian Gray]

46. I am so very sorry

for your family and your brother. I truly hope that he can recover fro this. I know pancreatic cancer is a real terrible illness, and my thoughts are with your family.

[JCMach1]

47. So sorry...

:(

[mogster]

48. Best of luck to you and your brother

((((Sending good vibes))))

[tomm2thumbs]

49. sending all good energies your way towards the best of outcomes nt

[nyc 4 Biden]

51. ...

:hug:

[jgraz]

52. So sorry to hear that. Just went through stage 4 glioblastoma with a close friend.

I can't understand why we're not dumping money on medical research instead of defense. Won't the same rich people end up with it in the end?

[RT Atlanta]

54. Sending positive vibrations to Dave & your family!

:grouphug:

[mstinamotorcity]

55. I hope that your brother

has all the good from his treatments. I hope remission is in his future.Remember keep your head up don't give up hope. And don't forget to listen to your brother. When he is tired of the treatments and has made his decision for no more,respect it. Make sure he is comfortable and in no pain.And enjoy the times you have left together,because its really not the way you leave this earth,but the way you lived on this earth.My best wishes to your brother and you.Love Ms.TinamotorcityO8) O8) O8)

[madokie]

56. I wish him well and send all the good vibes I can muster up his way

For you too, btw. :hug:

[knitter4democracy]

57. My dad just died of that this last Saturday.

I am so sorry. It's a bad one. The big thing is to make sure his pain is controlled--it's a horrifically painful cancer, especially now that he's recovering from such a big surgery.

I'll be thinking of you. :hug: Hopefully, your brother will have a different story than my dad did.

[maddezmom]

59. Sorry to hear about your dad

:hug:

[livetohike]

68. My sympathy on the loss of your Dad

:hug: I lost my Dad in Nov. 2004 to this disease.

[maddezmom]

60. My thoughts are with you and your family

:hug:

[Swede]

61. That's a tough hand you guys have been dealt.

Mom died 4 years ago from pancreatic cancer. I am hoping and praying for you and your bro.

[AnArmyVeteran]

63. I'll be sending healing thoughts your brother's way...

I wish you both well.

[d_b]

64. sorry

My mother is battling stage 4 colon cancer. Fuck cancer.

I hope your brother kicks its ass.

[grantcart]

65. keep fighting and never good luck

[LeftishBrit]

66. I am very sorry. Very best wishes for him to beat the odds.

All best thoughts to him and to all the family.

[proudohioan]

67. I'm so sorry. My prayers are with you and your family. n/t

[livetohike]

69. My thoughts and prayers are with you, your brother and family

:hug: I hope your brother will be accepted into the study. He's a fighter - he made it through the surgery. Stay strong.

[florida08]

71. shit

:cry:

[Odin2005]

72. Oh god, I'm so sorry!

:(

[noiretextatique]

73. so very sorry about your brother

:hug: i will see you in the cancer forum. let me know if you need help posting.

[yellerpup]

74. Such hard news to hear.

My best thoughts for courage and strength are with you and your family in this difficult time. I hope Dave surprises everyone and sets a record beating that 8% figure.

[barbtries]

75. so sorry to hear it

healing vibes to you :hug:

[badgerpup]

76. Wishing him (and your family) strength...

...and that even if that 8% doesn't come through, the days you have will be GOOD ones. :hug:

[sixstrings75]

77. My Dad is dying of this right now.

Only a few days left.

Have to go to the funeral home tomorrow and make 'arrangements'.

He had a similar operation as your brother.

If you ever want to know anything, or have any questions - just ask. I've become an expert on what you can expect. I purposely won't tell you how long ago he had the operation - any measurement of time is irrelevant.

Take care of yourself as well.

[florida08]

79. when are we going to find a cure for this monster

my heart goes out to you.

[CLANG]

78. Hey, man, that's very sad. Try to make sure he is as comfortable as possible.