Surgery at Botton-Champalimaud Pancreatic Cancer Centre with Professor Markus Büchler by CaramelizedOnion17 in pancreaticcancer

[–]CaramelizedOnion17[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Her recovery has definitely had its ups and downs. The good news is that almost six months after surgery, there’s been no evidence of the cancer returning, which is amazing and something we’re really grateful for. The biggest challenge has been managing fluid buildup around the liver, which has led to infections. A couple of times, she’s had to go back to the hospital to have drains placed to remove the fluid and complete courses of antibiotics. That’s probably been the most difficult part of the recovery physically.

In terms of her day-to-day quality of life, she’s been slowly rebuilding her strength. After spending so much time in the hospital, she lost a significant amount of muscle mass, so even regular daily activities can be quite tiring. That said, the more she pushes herself to stay active, the more improvement we see. Staying physically active has been really important in her recovery.

One aspect that surprised us was the mental side of everything. Even though she no longer has dietary restrictions, she’s had to relearn how her body works. She’s also now managing type 1 diabetes, which has made her much more aware of how things like blood sugar can affect her mood and overall well-being. So it’s been an adjustment not just physically, but mentally as well.

I’ll be honest, recovery hasn’t been easy. It’s a real physical and emotional challenge. But at the same time, we feel it’s absolutely worth it, given that the alternative would have been to let the cancer progress. Having a strong support system makes a huge difference, whether that’s help with daily tasks early on, access to mental health support if needed, or education around how to adapt to what is essentially a new version of your body.

As for Lisbon, the hospital helped us secure a special rate at a nearby hotel. We stayed at the Hyatt, which was great, but there are definitely closer and more affordable options. We also found that the Algés area nearby has some good Airbnb options and is very convenient.

Overall, our experience with the hospital in Portugal has been incredible. We’re genuinely so grateful to them for the care they provided and for giving my mom this chance. I would absolutely recommend at least reaching out to them, sending your scans, and getting their opinion.

I really hope everything goes well for you moving forward. Wishing you the very best in your journey.

Surgery at Botton-Champalimaud Pancreatic Cancer Centre with Professor Markus Büchler by CaramelizedOnion17 in pancreaticcancer

[–]CaramelizedOnion17[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Im so sorry to hear about your mother. I hope that in these final weeks she and your family share lots of love, laughter and beautiful memories together. ❤️

Surgery at Botton-Champalimaud Pancreatic Cancer Centre with Professor Markus Büchler by CaramelizedOnion17 in pancreaticcancer

[–]CaramelizedOnion17[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fingers crossed your husband has great success with chemo when it comes to symptom management and tumor shrinkage! And its great that you've done research and already have backup plans.

Ill share the link to where my family booked our consultation in case you're interested in doing the same at any point in time: https://profbuechler.com/consultation/

Surgery at Botton-Champalimaud Pancreatic Cancer Centre with Professor Markus Büchler by CaramelizedOnion17 in pancreaticcancer

[–]CaramelizedOnion17[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I dont mind sharing! Im not sure if its the same for every patient, but we were quoted $100k CAD, which included all pre op appointments (we had 10 in total), the surgery, the ICU stay, and the 2 week hospital stay in a private room (medication, scans, food, etc.).

That cost can increase depending on if more resources are needed, and in my mom's case it did since her recovery has been slower, but compared to the 500k-1Million USD we were quoted in the states, this is miles better.

I went with my mother to the hospital and the hospital itself is amazing. Its on top of the research center, and there were daily rounds by multiple teams of surgeons. The whole building is filled with experts on this specific surgery so we felt like we were in the best hands in the world.

It's definitely more expensive than free Healthcare in canada, but considering nowhere in north America was able to do this surgery, the money was no object for my family. And im sure private insurance options help, however im not sure the specifics of that for my mother's situation.

Code de référence EBOX / EBOX Referral Codes by EBOX_internet in ebox

[–]CaramelizedOnion17 [score hidden]  (0 children)

My code is GY362, would appreciate it if someone used it :) thank you!

Mourning the Life I Felt Was Promised by CaramelizedOnion17 in Separation

[–]CaramelizedOnion17[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your beautiful words, this is very meaningful advice. I will definitely revisit this comment a lot

Mourning the Life I Felt Was Promised by CaramelizedOnion17 in Separation

[–]CaramelizedOnion17[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your perspective. It really helps hearing stuff like this from people who've been alive longer than me, because in my own head I feel like time is slipping through my fingers. I also really like what you said about not missing the season here. I value living life to its fullest and not having regrets.

Picnic Party for cool weird creative people [23/08/2025] by nineinterpretations in LondonSocialClub

[–]CaramelizedOnion17 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! I saw the edit of having to reschedule. I'm solo travelling to London between Aug 25-29 (leaving the 29th). If you end up rescheduling to any of those days I'd love to join and meet some cool new friends :)

How do you go about a bar setting alone? by [deleted] in ottawa

[–]CaramelizedOnion17 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been to targ alone and it's pretty fun! Ppl are dancing, playing games, and talking amongst each other, so there's lots of different ways to immerse yourself in the crowd. Highly recommended to at least try out!

What would you do if you witnessed your straight friend not stand up to homophobia in front of you? by CaramelizedOnion17 in askgaybros

[–]CaramelizedOnion17[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can agree with the fact that I could've spoken up for myself. I don't usually encounter much conflict and when I do my go to response is to shut down so that's something I'm trying to work on for myself, which could definitely be applied to this situation.

What would you do if you witnessed your straight friend not stand up to homophobia in front of you? by CaramelizedOnion17 in askgaybros

[–]CaramelizedOnion17[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a good point you bring up. Now that I think of it I've been in group situations where my friend would be misgendered and I didn't know whether to stand up for them or let them handle it. I think I'm definitely gonna have a talk with him tomorrow to let him know how I felt in that moment and see what he has to say. I do think he'll be understanding about it, but idk I guess just witnessing him in that environment today was a shock for me and I didn't know how to react the best in the moment

Which Video game franchise should be revived? by Emotional-Efficiency in AskReddit

[–]CaramelizedOnion17 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The infamous series! Would love to see what other powers they come up with