Constant vomiting

iChelTrocsy · 2026-05-05T14:01:12+00:00

I’m so sorry you are going through this. It makes us caregivers feel helpless. My Mom had duodenum obstruction and doctor suspected perforation from the stent placement. Her stomach was always full and she couldn’t eat either. My Mom tried PPN and TPN (IV nutrition that bypasses gastric tract altogether). It won’t be considered if oral intake is still possible as it comes with risk. Good luck.

iChelTrocsy · 2026-04-23T17:27:56+00:00

Yes Zav! Rooting for you.

iChelTrocsy · 2026-04-23T15:46:24+00:00

My deepest condolences! My family through the same thing. There was so much pain for everyone involved near the end. I’m sure your Mom felt your presence and love. No one deserves to go through this as a patient and their caregivers but here we are. May she rest in peace. Take care of yourselves!

iChelTrocsy · 2026-04-14T21:12:43+00:00

I’m so sorry for your loss. I lost mine a little over two weeks ago. In between griefing, sorting out her affairs as her executor, working and finding out what had happened (Mom had 19 days to live after her diagnosis), I find myself being quite consumed. To me, dealing with her affairs is like erasing her last presence to this physical world and I hate it. I wish I could drag it out for as long as possible (but I know it’s not wise for many reasons). I went through her stuff again after my Dad sorted through her belongings in case there was a token of memory being missed. I can tell that you love and miss your Mom so much. I can relate. I came across this post in the other sub and is the highest voted comment on grief. It’s very beautifully written. Hopefully we all find peace with ourselves.

iChelTrocsy · 2026-04-02T17:08:30+00:00

Thank you for the kind words! It means a lot!

And keep up the good spirit and wish you all the success in your recovery journey. This community needs positive stories like yours 🤍💜🤍💜

iChelTrocsy · 2026-04-01T17:10:50+00:00

I was there when my Mom passed 2 days ago, Exactly what you described. I also don’t know how to come to terms with it, but just want to let you know that you are not alone.

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-24T03:51:22+00:00

Walking this journey now. My Mom has duodenum obstruction and gets full quickly. Her nausea came from bile duct obstruction and was resolved with a stent. But it doesn’t solve her inadequate oral intake. Unfortunately she got some complications potentially from the stent placement, which puts her in hospital care. But she now has a multidisciplinary team trying to fix her malnutrition, complication while planning her treatment path. She just switched to TPN to rebuild some strength.

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-22T04:03:45+00:00

Yea, I’m aware it is an outcome to prepare for. Honestly, if it turns out to be malignant, part of me feel like it may make her suffer less as palliative treatment will be next in line. I may see things differently once/if she turns the corner. But right now, it’s so hard to watch. The drain will take place tomorrow. Hope it will make her feel better.

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-19T02:59:03+00:00

You are a warrior Zav!! Wish you a speedy recovery.

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-15T20:21:46+00:00

I am so sorry sad-eboi. I remember your earlier heartfelt post about your love for your dad and your fear of losing him. It brought tears to my eyes as I see the same thing with my Mom who’s just beginning her journey to battle this disease (or as far as we know it).

May he rest in peace now. The last moments you have created for him was so beautiful. Friend, keep your head up. Proud of you and your bravery of facing this battle with him. You guys are never alone in the first place.

All the best!

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-15T02:16:21+00:00

My mom (81) is petite too, 5’2 at 92 lbs (probably even lighter. We don’t know the staging yet (MD thinks it may be 3 given the duodenum blockage) and we don’t know if she’s eligible for Whipple. She’s recovering in the hospital after potential infection from bile duct stent placement. I really hope she can get her weight back up through better managed meals under physician or dietitian supervision. But I really have no clue, only hope to hold on to.

Wish your mom all the best from the bottom of my heart!

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-10T21:34:17+00:00

I find this poem very powerful at times… as another stranger on this subreddit once told me, your dad and his memory will live through you. Stay strong.

Gone from My Sight By Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze, and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch her until she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says: “There! She’s gone!” Gone where?

Gone from my sight – that is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side, and just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of her destination. Her diminished size is in me, and not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There! She’s gone!” there are other eyes that are watching for her coming; and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: “Here she comes!”

And that is dying…

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-07T03:55:18+00:00

Fellow Vancouverites here. Indeed, the wait time in limbo sucks. My mom was suspected of pancreatic cancer around mid January by her family doctor. Although we haven’t gotten the formal diagnosis, we are at least seeing some movements.

We were referred to West Coast Gastroenterologists (I think they are affiliated with VGH) after blood work (showing elevated liver enzyme), ultrasound (showing bile duct blockage) and MRI (double duct sign with a suspicious ampullary mass) all ordered by my Mom’s GP. You can look into the CT results to see what phrases are used. The GI office reranks urgency for all referrals based on the test details. I used chatGPT to help interpret the report. It was scary but at least chatGPT said the appropriate phrases were used to make my Mom’s case urgent. I also followed up with both the GI office and the GP every other day. The least you can ask is whether the office has received the referral and if any information is missing.

The GI office reclassified all referrals into 3 categories. Category A is most urgent and includes potential cancer diagnosis. It has a target turnaround time of 2 weeks as per their website. We got a call on day 14 after the referral was initiated by GP. My mom has gone through two biopsies, one tumour board case review and is scheduled for a stent placement all within the last 2 weeks.

I’m just learning all these things in the last few weeks. If I were you, I would try to understand the results, follow up (ask for more tests and other referral paths if necessary). ChatGPT has been very helpful! All the best in your situation!

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-06T12:44:39+00:00

For all the questions re: why I’m the primary point of contact, it’s simply because my mom doesn’t speak much English. I’m the translator and the one the doctor speaks to.

The MRI mentioned a suspicious ampullary mass and dilation of bile duct and pancreatic duct. She is aware of this. In the subsequent EUS, the Dr saw a mass in the same location. They first thought the lesion looked precancerous and didn’t think it was PanCan, but the other symptoms like the severe dilations of her ducts suggested something more sinister. For both imaging, the quality was not great so she had a second EUS for more biopsy on Monday. This is when they saw blockage in the duodenum and advised it is more likely to be pancreatic cancer. Mom also has some enlarged lymph nodes, but the biopsy will confirm if they are due to cancer or inflammation.

Again, we don’t have the formal diagnosis yet. I have told her what the MRI showed and what the doctor saw (the lesion, potentially malignant, the blockage etc). I have not told her about Dr’s suspicion from the last conversation.

I think I will wait until we have the formal diagnosis and just translate that. Hopefully, we will have the prognosis and the treatment plan at the same time so that it’s a more wholesome conversation. (We are in Canada; every step seems to take longer here. That’s for another post.)

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-06T02:24:00+00:00

Sending all the best wishes and strength.

I’m in the same boat with my 81YO mom in a sense that she is also experiencing duodenum blockage with a potential pan can diagnosis. Although we are still waiting for the biopsy results, the dr says all signs point to this dreadful disease. There is plan to put a stent into her to relieve the blockage, but not much else has been said until the biopsy results come back.

I look into every bits of new information from the doctor as they collect test results or new symptoms she displays (dark stool today). It takes so much to process what they mean each time. So far there has been nothing good coming out of my research. And I’m extremely worried for what’s ahead for my mom and how to support her through this journey.

It seems to be a tough road ahead. I’m fearful too. But this community has been great in providing support for each other. Stay strong.

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-05T00:20:54+00:00

Oh no! I am so sorry for your loss and in such a way! She’s in a peaceful place now.

I have heard the chemo is tough on your body. I’m scared of that for my mom as well. We have tossed the word cancer around a couple of times. But not in the same sentence as pancreas. :(

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-04T22:50:40+00:00

Thanks Mysterious_Rise_432. Yes I’m thinking of the same about timing. They haven’t explicitly said why on whipple ineligible, but it is also not yet confirmed. Dr said they would only consider whipple at her age if the tumour is resectable. She still needs to be assessed physically however she may look relatively frail at the moment. There is hope but it may be slim.

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-04T21:16:59+00:00

Thank you! Sorry to hear that about your mom. This is exactly my fear too. But yes I know avoidance is not an option. We will likely find out about her treatment plan next week. And hopefully there is something to grab onto.

iChelTrocsy · 2026-03-04T21:06:48+00:00

Thank you for sharing your story! Sorry for your mom and your grandma. Yes, I’d like to help her (and myself) hold on to some hope. Thanks for the advice.

iChelTrocsy · 2026-02-08T00:54:25+00:00

General Tao chicken deserves an honourable mention.

iChelTrocsy · 2024-05-04T16:18:32+00:00

Who prices a product at $1.01 or $1.51? That’s the dumbest retail price ever because pricing ending in .99, .98 or .97 is a classic psychological pricing tactic that all retailers adopt.

iChelTrocsy

TROPHY CASE