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Props to Wbcincy

dailybuck777

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Jan 2, 2018
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It took a lot of courage for wbcincy to post about his father's pancreatic cancer. I am sure some of the insight from people on the board here helped and comforted him. On my end, some small pancreatic non-cancerous cysts on my pancreas were accidentally discovered on a ct scan that was taken for a different purpose. Having followed wbcincy's posts I had a jump on dealing with my (so far) harmless cysts. On the other hand, when you become familiar with pancreatic cancer, you realize is is a real motherf and not to be messed with. Best of wishes to wbcincy's father and to him.
 
Amazing now reaching out for help helped so many others. Took courage to discuss that in such detail. And his knowledge of complicated health issues was impressive.

Everyone needs to be in charge of their own health care. Have several family members that didn’t ask any questions, did know what their medicines were for, payed no attention to diet and it’s effects on critical health issues.

Medicinis complicated. But so are xo liters, or finance, or many other things in life. Take your time, study, ask questions, do some research and you can understand the issues. Never rely solely on a doctor as they are over worked, don’t have enough time, are biased in their own specialties, and often out dated.

Hat tip to @wbcincy and his father for these lessons.
 
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Hey @dailybuck777 , just saw this, thank you for the kind words. My father is still around and doing well considering. It’s now been over two years since this began, and that’s more than most who get pancreatic cancer are ever able to say. The oncologists estimate he has about a year left. We keep open to any trials that may be options, but so far he hasn’t qualified for any (within reasonable distance). Other than that there isn’t much left to do but try to savor and appreciate the time that’s left. I find that easier said than done. While obviously I do appreciate it, and it will shatter me when he’s gone, I also can’t deny that I’ve already been mourning his passing for two years now, and there’s a shadow that’s cast over any time we have together. It’s always there, always part of any experience or discussion, even if it’s not explicitly stated. We still laugh as hard as we do with anyone else and have a ton of fun together, but it’s always there, hanging over every moment.

Im glad to hear about your cysts being benign. I’m certainly no doctor so take this with a grain of salt, but if I ever have an issue with pancreas, I’ll be asking for semi-annual CA19-9 checks. It’s a $75 test that measures tumor markers related to pancreatic cancer (and other types). It’s usefulness has its limits, as 10% of the population simply doesn’t secrete this marker even if their body were filled with cancer, and because there are benign issues that can cause it to be elevated (pancreatitis for example). So it’s not a great test for the asymptomatic public at large, but it is a meaningful data point if you already have pancreatic concerns. It could at least give you a warning to look closer, and when early detection is the hope with this particular cancer, that’s worth a $75 test occasionally to me.
 
Hey @dailybuck777 , just saw this, thank you for the kind words. My father is still around and doing well considering. It’s now been over two years since this began, and that’s more than most who get pancreatic cancer are ever able to say. The oncologists estimate he has about a year left. We keep open to any trials that may be options, but so far he hasn’t qualified for any (within reasonable distance). Other than that there isn’t much left to do but try to savor and appreciate the time that’s left. I find that easier said than done. While obviously I do appreciate it, and it will shatter me when he’s gone, I also can’t deny that I’ve already been mourning his passing for two years now, and there’s a shadow that’s cast over any time we have together. It’s always there, always part of any experience or discussion, even if it’s not explicitly stated. We still laugh as hard as we do with anyone else and have a ton of fun together, but it’s always there, hanging over every moment.

Im glad to hear about your cysts being benign. I’m certainly no doctor so take this with a grain of salt, but if I ever have an issue with pancreas, I’ll be asking for semi-annual CA19-9 checks. It’s a $75 test that measures tumor markers related to pancreatic cancer (and other types). It’s usefulness has its limits, as 10% of the population simply doesn’t secrete this marker even if their body were filled with cancer, and because there are benign issues that can cause it to be elevated (pancreatitis for example). So it’s not a great test for the asymptomatic public at large, but it is a meaningful data point if you already have pancreatic concerns. It could at least give you a warning to look closer, and when early detection is the hope with this particular cancer, that’s worth a $75 test occasionally to me.
Thanks for the heads up about CA19-9. I will look into it. My docs have set me up for yearly CT scans to deal with the cysts. (they are small and located in the best place, if you have cysts).

Hope you don't mind me asking an unrelated question. Putting aside the unrelenting OSU stuff that goes on in Columbus, between Columbus and Cincinnati which city do you prefer?
 
Just saw this thanks dailybuck and it while depressing was very nice and now I want to go cry.

Thoughts and prayers MC bro!
 
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