MIL just been diagnosed - devastated

[BonBailey123]

I’m really close to DMIL.

Shes been unwell for some months with nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite that’s gotten worse. After many tests over the past few months we got a diagnosis - bile duct cancer.

They have said with treatment it’ll be about a year - it would be less without. She’s keeping in good spirits but we’re beside ourselves. I’m pregnant and we have 2 young children so have to stay strong for them, she’s only in her 50s.

Chemo is going to start soon and I think it’s just a case of trying to manage her symptoms.

has anyone any experience with this type of cancer? are those timeframes just averages?

Yes. DH was initially told he had pancreatic cancer but after surgery he was told it was bile duct cancer. He was on Gem/Cis chemo for a while and we asked for a second opinion from a specialist (John Bridgewater at UCLH) with regards to his treatment and the possibilities open to him. There is a charity AMMF that has links to specialists and helplines.

It's a bastard cancer. I am so sorry. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat/ask questions

Sorry to hear your awful news. The timelines are based on statistics as far as I’m aware. It could be longer or shorter.

DH was in his 50s too when diagnosed. There are new treatments out there that are looking good but yes, that was the time frame he was given too. The specialists had treatments that our local hospitals didn't.

@Seawolves Thank you. I’m sorry to hear about your DH. I will PM you if that’s ok x

Please do, it's a lonely cancer because it's quite rare.

I’m so sorry.

I think there was a lady on here that posted on here a lot about her bike duct cancer- I’m sorry I can’t recall her name tag. She had a few threads though.

I'm so sorry Op, thats awful news. My FIL had bile duct cancer in 2004. He was diagnosed in the March and died in August, but I think he had had it a while, they just didn't diagnose it. He was sent to the London Hospital in Whitechapel who are apparently experts in this field, but by the time our local got their act together it was too late. I expect treatment for bile duct cancer has come a long way since 2004 as when my FIL was diagnosed it was a very rare cancer which our oncologist said did not respond to chemo. She said it was on the rise though, so hopefully more research has been done since we went through this. Shitty bloody cancer.

Pamela? I remember reading her initial threads and hoping against hope it wasn't what it sounded like but sadly it was

My mum has just been diagnosed with this in the last few weeks, she’s had ERCP and two CTs which showed a small ‘shadow’ where two ducts meet but Dr told me on phone it is bile duct cancer. Hers came on very suddenly, she became jaundiced overnight, while doing the ERCP they put in a stent to keep bile flowing and reduce the jaundice. Meeting doctors on Monday.