u/Alternative-Try-9312

Thank you all for being so supportive in this group. Unfortunately, similar to everyone else in this group, by dad only lasted a year. He was doing so well in the beginning on chemo, but that did not last long enough. I wanted to share some things we wish we did earlier to give him more time. My dad mid Feb started experiencing pain in his spleen. the doctor at the time told him it was hematoma.. well we believe that was the start of the new progression. April is when he got his catscan. And he was able to do one round of the new chemo, but it was too late. This cancer is far too aggressive and you need to make sure you or your caregiver advocates for you. My dad died last Friday, and it was something I never wish I had to witness, but me, my sister, mom, and brother were all by his side. He loved food so much and it killed us to see at the end he couldn’t enjoy it all. He is in a much better place now. My sister is having her second baby next week. I am getting married in October. Although, it’s never a good time to die, I know he is watching over us. If anyone has questions or going through something similar please feel free to reach out. Thank you.

Hi everyone.

I don’t even really know how to write this, but I’m trying to hold onto some hope and would really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through something similar.

My dad has stage IV pancreatic cancer. He had actually been doing really well on chemo for a while his scans were improving, his labs were stable, and things felt somewhat under control.
Recently, everything has gotten harder very quickly.

His bilirubin has risen to around 4.8
He has ascites and has needed multiple fluid drains. He’s weak, not eating much, and gets short of breath

Doctors said there’s no clear blockage, so the bilirubin might be from liver involvement/inflammation rather than something they can stent.

Right now, the biggest issue is that he can’t get chemo unless his bilirubin drops to under 3, and chemo is what was working. He just stared Gem x A early April, and then that week everything started to collapse. I think what’s scaring me the most is how fast things changed. Just weeks ago he seemed okay, and now we’re here.

I’m trying to understand:
Has anyone seen bilirubin come back down in a situation like this (without a stent)?

Can liver function improve enough to restart chemo?

Has anyone had a loved one “turn a corner” after ascites and rising labs like this?

What actually helped eating more, steroids, time, anything?

I know every case is different, and I’m not looking for false reassurance. I just want to know if there are real stories where things stabilized or improved, even temporarily.

I’m also trying to balance being realistic while not giving up hope too soon.
Thank you so much for reading 🤍

Hi everyone 🤍

I’m hoping to hear some positive experiences from anyone who has gone through something similar. My dad was doing well on chemo at first, but unfortunately his cancer started to progress, and he recently developed ascites.

They were able to drain the fluid today, which we’re really grateful for, and we’re hopeful this will help him start feeling better and regain some strength. His doctors also just switched him to a new chemo, and we’re really hoping he’ll be able to get back on treatment once he’s stronger.

If anyone has experienced improvement after drainage or has seen their loved one bounce back and continue treatment, I would truly appreciate you sharing 💜 please no negative comments.

Thank you so much in advance.