lepetite

Hi,

If you have any questions let me know. I am not sure if there was surgery involved in your case. It can be hard to navigate through it.

Hi lepetite: I'm over here in East Cobb and have the same diagnosis! Who is your doc? Are you seeing a specialist? I've just returned from Moffitt Cancer Ctr in Tampa. Thankfully... My MRI showed no significant change, for me that's great news! I've been on the shots since May 2012. No shrinkage- but no real growth either! TG. Glad you are hanging in there!

I have Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor or Islet Cell tumor. It is a "relatively" slower growing cancer and I've been living with it for 5 years despite being stage 4 at the time of diagnosis. I have taken the shots to control symptoms, but have also had 5 surgeries - three liver resections where the cancer had metastasized there, a Whipple to remove the tumors from the head of the pancreas, and a liver surgery to biopsy suspicious spots. I ALWAYS think multiple views are important. I interviewed doctors who had seen 10's of cases, and then went to University of CO hospital where they see 100's of cases. Message me if you want more info. I feel like the care I've received has been top notch, and always feel like we are on the cutting edge of what the latest of treatments are.

Good morning lepetite... I am wondering how you are doing?? Have you found good medical care here in Atlanta? If yes... I'd love to know who, which practice, etc! Are you having treatments? Surgery? Whatever the case... Hope it's going well for you!

Is there anyone local who has pancreatic cancer. I am only 49 yrs old and barely sleep anymore .I have been getting chemo since Jan25;2013 and doc says cells are shrinking

Hello and welcome, we are glad you found us. Please feel free to join in the conversations. Here is a link to our cancer dx page for your type of cancer. Take a look at it to get you started on some information. You will notice at the bottom of that page 4 of our active users who have had that journey already, you may wish to contact them for their experience and wisdom. Also, I encourage you to go to the questions page now by clicking on the questions tab at the top of the page and post what is the most pressing issue you have right now. This will introduce you to the community and get you started on the help you need right now.

https://www.whatnext.com/conditions/cancer/pancreatic-cancer

There are also subtypes listed on this page to narrow down the type of cancer to match your dx.

You may also find our "Beginner's Guide To Cancer" page helpful Click Here for that=> http://bit.ly/10BQKCi

Also, if you can take a few minutes and fill in some details of your journey so far, it will help others as they try to answer questions for you, it also helps others as they search through the data base to find someone like themselves. Confirming your email will allow you to receive updates and notices from the site when someone answers your questions or writes on your wall.

Thanks for being with us and let me know if I can help you find any information on the site. After you have an opportunity to look the site over and see what great things there are here, we encourage you to invite your friends, family or anyone you know that may be helped by the connections on WhatNext to join the site also. Just click this link to invite them to join. http://www.whatnext.com/recruit-a-friend

Greg P
3x Survivor
Team WhatNext
Community Mgr.

Dear lepetite - I can only provide information based on what's happened in my own case and what I've learned based on research and questions to doctors. But, for tumors that have already spread beyond the pancreas, my understanding is that it's not unusual for the doctors to try chemo first to reduce the size and expansion of the tumor(s) and evaluate how effective that strategy is for your specific case. Surgery may not be an option in cases where the cancer has already spread from the pancreas to other organs.
All of this said, it's still not a bad idea at all to seek a second opinion. I certainly did when my cancer began to spread - I went back to Johns Hopkins to consult with their pancreatic cancer specialists and am glad I did. Their information wasn't substantially different from that provided by the local oncology doctors, but it made me feel better, and also, I was able to learn about some clinical trials that I might be able to join at some point. Good luck! and please let me know if I might provide further information. JMS

Welcome to whatnext.com and best wishes to you and your friend. I have 11 months of experience in looking into pancreatic cancer as a caregiver for my dad if I can point you to any information.

Welcome to the WhatNext family! The WhatNext family is made up of people like you who are looking for help or looking to help others. To help you along your journey the WhatNext family has put together a Beginner's Guide to Cancer that I highly recommend you check-out here: http://bit.ly/10BQKCi. Also, please do not hesitate to reach out to others or ask for help.

Wishing you the best.

David
Founder, WhatNexter