Pancreatic Cancer Care - Medical dilemma or the norm?

[justbeatit]

Hello, my father was diagnosed with pancratic cancer on 18 March this year, his symptoms were indigestion, jaundice  and clay stools. Within a couple of days of those symptoms, he self admitted into emergency and then he was admitted into the hospital. Within 2 weeks a stent was put in and a biopsy confirmed the cancer. We found out he is stage 2 to 3 and one lymph node near the pancreas, otherwise all else find. He is also type 2 diabetes and has a healthy eating lifestyle.

Since the stent and biopsy everything has slowed down. He is fortunate to have a spot on a clinical trial - he is schedued for the chemo portal to be inserted in 4 days time and then chemo starts next week. Four days ago he had a PET scan which highlighted a gall bladder abnormality. Doctors ASSUME it is an infection but want a biopsy to be sure. If it is an infection, they won't do chemo until the infection clears due to the risks of chmo treatment with infection. 

All of a sudden, doctors have gone quiet and we are linking communication between doctors, they aren't functioning as a medical team, appointments aren't communicated to us and the foresight that was hopeful from doctors seems to have disappeared. Lately it feels like doctors have started to close doors. With nearly 2 months since diagnosis and no clarity of when treatment will begin as planned because of the infection, we have no idea what's next.

Is this experience isolated to us? Are there worse experiences? Are there better experiences? I will be relieved to find out what other have experienced and learn how else this can be handled. Does anyone have a learning to share? L

[Katekat]

Hi @justbeatit and welcome to the Online Community,

Sorry to hear of your Dad's diagnosis 

Can I ask what hospital your Dad is being treated at?

I just had a chat to my 13 11 20  brainstrust, they have advised you need to get the contact details for the Care Coordinator at your treating hospital and have a chat to them. Also you should try to get an appointment with your oncologist/treating doctor and try to find out what's going on, failing that, ask to speak to the registrar at the hospital.

Let me know how you get on 

-Kate

Cancer Council Online Community Manager

[looker_labs]

Yeah its a dillemma.

Sounds like this patient needs a couple of specialist surgeons

an endocronologist to handle a radical pancreatectomy

as well as a lymph node specialist.

neither is a kake procedure

my personal experience is with liver nodes, sarcomas etc

for a patient with this level of seriousness (I would consider stage IV)

a operation or series of operations are architectured to redisign

this part of the chest area.

I would also recommend a regimine of taxol or other strong chemo.

this will of course cause hair loss and

type one diabetes.

pancreatic cancer is grouped as a very agressive cancer

and should be considered that the surgeries be completed within 6mos of diagnosis.

Sorry for the news.