Anyone with experience of end stage Pancreatic Cancer about?

[PussinJimmyWhoooos]

Have posted on here about MIL lots before...terminal cancer. Primary in the bile duct, secondary to liver and now they think pancreas.

Liver is ok, bile duct seems ok as stent been fitted, sepsis has diminished.

However, the latest thing is pain all up and down the spinal cord and her glucose levels are becoming increasingly hard to manage. They keep increasing the insulin and this makes her fine for a few days and then they have to increase it again

It seems that its taking more and more insulin for less effect. Is this normal with pancreatic cancer? She was diabetic to start with anyway btw

What to expect? Coma or??

Any help appreciated. Will post in general health too

Puss, It is almost impossible for me to say.

Although your MIL has secondaries in the pancreas, dh had a primary in the pancreas, so the presentation of symptoms may be different.

I was fortunate in that the medics involved in DH's case had a very good idea of what was likely to happen at every stage. Your dh may be able to get this from the doctors involved in your MILs case, if necessary by pressing them for information which they may not, in line with local culture and tradition, give, IYSWIM.

No, this was earlier today, Puss.

Night terrors - yep both of mine had them when they were toddlers.

Anyway, sorry to hijack.

MB - Yes, that's the thing, noone is saying what is going to happen, other than that she will die at some point. However, I think its just cruel as they are all happy that she is stable and has been for a week or so. I'm outwardly happy for DH but inside am thinking...arse...calm before the storm type thing...ugh...am fed up feeling so edgy...

Giving you a big [squeeze]

Hi MB - me again! Sorry to keep asking questions. She is still stable . Did your DH have periods of being stable? Is it a normal part of the whole process? It turns out it was stage 2 in the bile duct, with nodules on the liver and now we think spread to the pancreas. Am really with the Dr that said 6 weeks as I think for stage 2, this was a stupid and upsetting prognosis!

dh responded to chemotherapy and did better for a while, but he was diagnosed when it was already at the stage 4 level. Which makes the situation different from that of your mother-in-law.

Have you thought of contacting macmillan in the UK and asking them for help? They would be able to give you advice on the treatment your MIL would get and her prognosis in the UK

Hi there, just wanted to mention a really nice book called 'singing the life' by Elizabeth Bryan. She had Pancreatic cancer and the book gives lots of useful information about the disease as well as being very moving and strangly positive too..

MB - its very hard to speak to the Mac nurses here because DH is already worrying that maybe what they are doing over there isn't enough or the right treatment and to possibly hear that from cancer experts here, knowing there is nothing he can do about it is just....its already caused an argument as I was questioning why the Dr gave such a poor prognosis for something that was stage 2 iyswim?

I said to DH, why didn't they do chemo or something as I know people with stage 4 here still have chemo but they said any form of treatment would probably kill her faster than the disease and apparently she nearly died when they put the stent in. I'm not so sure about that part as they do have a tendency to exaggerate over there. Either way, its just hard to suggest too much as they are just going down the palliative care route.

I'm the sort of person that needs to know what's going on and what's happening so I can plan (had PND after DS and I manage it by planning ahead blah blah) and the not knowing here - a month, 2 months or whatever is something I'm finding very hard...selfish of course as its that much harder for DH, but I'm talking from a family perspective and the upheaval of Dh possibly going for another month etc...although obv have not said this to DH - just offloading on here helps!

If your MIL is ill and frail, then she would find it very hard, if not impossible to cope with the chemo.

My Dh was 46 and an othewise fit and healthy man and the chemo was so hard for him to cope with.

You seem to 'need' more information....I can understand exactly where you are coming from on this. The best people to give you that information would be Macmillan. They can help you understand about your MILs disease.

Obviously they cannot comment on her exact case, and they don't have her medical notes.

I've joined the Mac online forum so maybe I'll post there...this sounds really really awful and I don't mean to upset anyone here by saying this, but I want timescales...I feel as if everything is so uncertain, we cannot plan anything and its stressing me out...is that awful of me?

Its because everything is so up in the air, that I'm finding this so hard to cope with - is she going to be ok and go for another year, if so thats great but if not...then what? Will DH be going in Jan, will we have to go with him?

Am driving myself mad and already had a panic attack last night...had just weaned myself off the antidepressants for PND when all this happened. I know this isn't about me but being strong for DH is taking its toll...thankfully I can offload on here... I feel a cow...