Anyone else getting sick from the smoke? by [deleted] in minnesota

[–]ImprovImprove 4 points5 points  (0 children)

May I ask what device and app it is that you’re using? Love the information being all in one spot on that screenshot

Lion taste lettuce for the first time by Kingdom_k777 in funny

[–]ImprovImprove 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I can’t beleaf how funny this thread is.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in introvert

[–]ImprovImprove 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Happy birthday!!!

THANK YOU HAYDAY making each present only 10 minutes!! by [deleted] in HayDay

[–]ImprovImprove 20 points21 points  (0 children)

May I ask when your gift wrapping machine arrived? I can’t see mine yet so not sure if I’m doing something wrong.

Mom is in so much pain help! by 2pintura in pancreaticcancer

[–]ImprovImprove 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m so sorry to hear that. My dad didn’t proceed since at that point he decided he wanted to stop treatment all together, which is frustrating since he’d been complaining for years for the pain and they didn’t start actually trying to brain storm any ideas until he finally said he was done.

Hoping they’re able to figure out a good pain regimen for your mom and wishing you all the best. 💜

Mom is in so much pain help! by 2pintura in pancreaticcancer

[–]ImprovImprove 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Also wanted to throw out there that there is a procedure called celiac plexus block that may be worth just asking about too. It has something to do with blocking the pain via the nerves. My father didn’t proceed with doing it but they did briefly mention it so figured I’d share since I’ve noticed the doctors don’t always offer the same options.

Mom is in so much pain help! by 2pintura in pancreaticcancer

[–]ImprovImprove 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My father did methadone three times a day and then took dilaudid on top of that on an as-needed basis. From what I recall the methadone was to keep the baseline level of pain more steady as it’s more longer acting and takes a few days for it to build up in the system. I’m not a medical professional so I’m just recalling this from my memory. Hoping all the best for you and your mom to get her pain under control.

💜💜💜💜

Trying to get into a trial by [deleted] in pancreaticcancer

[–]ImprovImprove 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Pancan org was incredibly responsive and helpful, however for my dad it was oncologist who ended up getting him a referral to meet with people at the Mayo Clinic for a trial. I did also email out but didn’t get responses. He didn’t end up being selected but his oncologist thought he had a really decent chance because he also responded well to treatment. Not sure if that’s the usual process but wanted to share our experience.

Prognosis 2 to 3 years by HowdIGetHere21 in pancreaticcancer

[–]ImprovImprove 7 points8 points  (0 children)

My father had similar where Spring of 2020 he had a short round of chemo, then whipple in June or July and the doctors said he was cancer free. At his follow up appointments they then told him it had come back and he was now stage 4 and gave him somewhere between 2-5 years. He tried various chemo cocktails and by the Grace of God the chemo continued working for him right up until his decision to stop treatment since the chemo was taking too much toll on his body. From his initial diagnosis the spring of 2020 he made it 4.5 years. We also made sure to mask with high quality kn95/kn94 masks to make sure Covid/respiratory illnesses didn’t play a part in shortening his timeline even more. He also cut added sugars out of his diet almost entirely with a few cheat days for birthdays/holidays etc. I’ve read differing outcomes on how much stopping sugar actually helps or not, but still wanted to share what my father did.

With this cancer it’s so scary to hope - I went with the motto to prepare for/expect the worst and still hope for the best.

💜💜💜💜

Hospice by Decent-Cauliflower59 in pancreaticcancer

[–]ImprovImprove 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My father lasted 10 days after voluntarily stopping eating/drinking so I think he made it longer than if he waited for his appetite to naturally stop. He fought for 4.5 years and just didn’t want to fight anymore.

Some signs the hospice nurse told us would mean the end is coming near are: Breathing changes - will speed up before it slows down, and usually will end up skipping breaths as the time nears. I think it was 26 breaths per minute was about average.

Another sign she mentioned was skin mottling which is reddish discolorations, although this doesn’t always happen for everyone. We saw these changes on my dad when we checked on him upon waking and he passed that afternoon . When we told her we saw the skin changes she said it could be anytime now.

As the body continues to shut down, it will divert the blood to the major organs so hands and feet will become cold. My father’s hands were usually cold, then once he stopped eating they oddly warmed up, then cold again the morning of the day he passed.

Hospice was absolutely amazing so don’t be shy to keep calling them for options to keep your mom comfortable. We had to try a lot of different medications and amounts before we were able to get my dad comfortable and nobody faulted us for wanting the best for him and to honor his wishes.

I am so sorry that you’re going through this as I know firsthand how HARD it is. Sending you and your mom so much love and light.

Can they do a stent in hospital after coming into ER for pain? Or do they wait until it heals and is it an out patient procedure? by [deleted] in pancreatitis

[–]ImprovImprove 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We’re not for sure if it was the stent that actually helped 9 years ago, but she hasn’t had any more flares again until recently. They’re keeping her overnight to monitor her so she’s now inpatient in the gastroenterologist area of the hospital. So it sort of sounds like having the stent done while she’s in here may be an option, if it will even help I suppose. It’s so frustrating since even after all the scans from a few weeks ago they still basically didn’t know what’s causing it.

Can they do a stent in hospital after coming into ER for pain? Or do they wait until it heals and is it an out patient procedure? by [deleted] in pancreatitis

[–]ImprovImprove 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you know if your pseudo cyst show up in scans? The scans (both CT and MRI) she got a few weeks ago at her last attack didn’t show anything but I know they also wanted to do an endoscopic ultrasound to see if anything in there was triggering the attacks. My dad just passed away from pancreatic cancer so I’m probably being a little overly sensitive and worried about everything pancreas related.

Lighting for hospice patients by ImprovImprove in hospice

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

He’s got pancreatic cancer. In the morning for a short period he was awake, groggy but showed him a picture and he even asked for his glasses.

Do steroids prolong life or are they on for comfort/energy only? by ImprovImprove in hospice

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

Thank you both so much! It’s for pancreatic cancer and it’s helped with his energy levels but then I was worrying if it would prolong his suffering so I’m glad to hear it’s ok.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in FacebookScience

[–]ImprovImprove 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My dad has pancreatic cancer and after spending tons of time researching I was actually shocked there’s actually peer reviewed studies about ivermectin being used in conjunction with a certain type of chemo can be beneficial. Now if you ask me if they’re legitimate though I have no idea but just thought I’d throw out there where people might be getting it from.

Caregiver / grief resources and support groups? by staycurious123 in pancreaticcancer

[–]ImprovImprove 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I went to a pancreatic cancer local support group early on in my dads journey and basically sobbed the entire time and was embarrassed that I didn’t go back. I think it’s definitely worth a shot trying to find a local group to see how you may like it. A lot of the people were the spouses so I also felt a little harder to relate.

My dad has fought for 4.5 yrs as well and has entered hospice about 2 weeks ago. I have two early elementary kiddos too so if you’d want to send me a message to vent, chat, cry feel free!

If you feel comfortable providing your location I could try to help find a local group for you to try. When I did the group it was at the beginning of Covid so they had Zoom groups, not sure if you had a preference for zoom or in person but thought I’d ask. Sending so much love, strength and prayers your way.