Pancreatic Cancer Prayer

"You turn men back to dust,

saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men."

The length of our days is seventy years-

or eighty, if we have the strength;

yet their span is but trouble and sorrow,

for they quickly pass, and we fly away."

Psalm 90: 3, 10.

I have not been writing and for that I apologize.  My thoughts have been focused on everything except writing.  My emotions have not allowed me to have the clarity of thought needed to think and to write clearly.  I have been wanting to write this post since last week, but I needed to allow my mother time to share her news personally with her friends.

What is the news?

Last Monday, we received the news that my mother has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.  I had feared for this diagnosis since October when she first showed weird symptoms.  I am writing today to ask for prayer for her, for her husband and friends, and for us.

Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of any cancer.  It is particularly important that they find it and treat it early.  All too often, this is not the case because pancreatic cancer hides.  It looks like so many other diseases and problems.  I heard yesterday that the average diagnosis for pancreatic cancer is 5 months.  My mother was 7 or 8 months from symptoms to diagnosis.  They think she had it for at least a year.  I write the following so others can know what to look for.  Maybe it will be helpful to someone.

My mother was a healthy 70 year old (She would hate for me to confess her actual age.  She claimed to be 39 until I turned 39).  Then she had developed a bad backache that radiated up her spine in late July when she came out to visit us.  She thought it was pulled muscles from weeding the day before she flew out to visit.  Yet, nothing made it better.  Then she about a month later she developed severe nausea and intestinal issues that she could not shake.

In the midst of this time, she had to change doctors because her original doctor thought she had a bladder infection.  Really?  Her long-time doctor had retired and her new doctor was simply not very good.  After a month or so of not getting the doctor to take her issues seriously, my mother began the process of finding another doctor.  I am sure this factor aided in the delay in getting a good diagnosis because she had no one overseeing all the specialists.

That began several rounds of testing.  Everything was a bit weird.  They did an MRI and they found blood clots in her ovaries.  Mom's original doctor put her on a blood thinner, but no one could place why she had this blood clot. The doctor also did not want to follow up to figure out the cause.  This was when I began to fear a pancreatic problem.  

Mom's new doctors began to look for answers.  The mysterious blood clot was not really seen as important. Instead, they found a simple fix to her symptoms.  It ends up her gall bladder was not working properly.  This is the most common surgery in America.  They took it out without complication.  This should have fixed the problem as it does for many.  The problem was that her symptoms did not change at all.  In fact, she kept losing weight and she retained her back pain.

Now began the CT scan and MRI phase.  Nothing is found except more blood clots.  This should not happen since she was still on blood thinner.  What is going on?

Blood clots are a symptom of several rather nefarious forms of cancer including some types of ovarian and pancreatic cancers.  Perhaps there were other causes?  She began to see specialists.  She had an endoscopy and colonoscopy.  They found stomach ulcers.  They treated the ulcers.  They looked into her ovary issues and found her cancer numbers were very high for ovarian cancer.  When investigated, no cancer was found in her ovaries.  Yet, in the biopsies some strange numbers were found that could be related to the pancreas.  She was referred to a pancreatic specialist.

Finally in January she got into the pancreatic specialist.  She was told that these numbers did not mean anything and that she did not have pancreatic cancer.  

What did she have?  Still no answers.  Continued symptoms.  Continued weight loss.  Growing fatigue.

Finally, in the beginning of March they did some exploratory surgery to look around and take some biopsies.  The pancreatic doctor shared with my mother's husband that he was sure there was cancer somewhere but he could not prove it.

The results of the biopsies confirmed pancreatic cancer.  It has left the pancreas and ran alongside the pancreas to the liver.  It was thought to be in the bile ducts and the liver.  There were blood clots throughout her mid-section.  She was told she has 6-12 months to live if she does chemo and less without.

This was the news of last Monday.  Perhaps anticipated, but not welcomed.  Honestly, my wife and I just don't know what to do with ourselves.  We are so far away we can't just drive over and give her a hug.  We have had to process through what we felt and thought.  The plan is for me to fly to Ohio to visit next week. 

This week she began chemo and  she plans on going to the Cleveland clinic for a second opinion and further treatment options.  Since last fall she has lost 45 or 50 pounds.  

As a praise, since the exploratory look she has had no more back pain. She remains fatigued with one good day and one bad day.  She still has all the severe intestinal issues and she has no appetite.

All of the symptoms I have listed can be symptoms of pancreatic cancer.  As I read through people's accounts of the disease, I find many similarities.  Unfortunately, these same symptoms can also be symptoms of many other medical issues!

If you have them, get it checked out.

Please join me in praying for my mother and for all involved.  Pray for wisdom for the doctors and for proper processing for everyone involved.  Thanks!