Re: Update on my dad - may have caused misunderstanding

[Guest guest]

I think I may have mislead people on my dad's condition. I having received a

lot of emails saying something about him improving. I wish that were the case.

However, the CT revealed calcium deposits and a growth inside his pancreas.

This could either be pancreatic cancer or a certain type of cyst (can't remember

the name - ps something i think). The major concern is that he has jaundice,

which is common for the cancer rather than the cyst. I said cyst in my post

this morning by assumption, or wishful thinking maybe. However, we should know

for sure on Tuesday. As of right now, he is in a lot of pain. He is having to

take Morphin and Phenagrin. My mom and I are very scared right now because the

prognosis, if it is cancer, is less than one year. I also found out today that

I may have Behcets. It is a very rare disease that my mom also has. This has

been very traumatic for me. I fear that all of this is just too much for me too

handle at one time. My test results will be

back tomorrow so I am a little more fortunate than my dad, hence I don't have

to wait until next Tuesday. I will keep you posted on both of our conditions.

Until then, any prayers or thoughts that you could send our way would just be

wonderful. It's so hard to have faith at times like these but I am trying very

hard. Any help I could get would be just astounding. Thanks so much for

everything.

With love,

Chelsey

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Chelsey,

I am so sorry! I was hoping your dad's situation was better. I also have a

psuedocyst and now they think I have an insulinoma as well. It is a tumor in

the pancreas that makes your insulin go wacko. It is very painful. So I do hope

they can help him. I am praying for no malignancy for him!

Take care and hang in there! I hope your tests come back negative.

Angie in SC

" The happiest of people don't necessarily have the

best of everything; they just make the best of everything that comes along

their way. "

[Guest guest]

Dear Chelsey,

My prayers are with your family that your father's condition will

improve, and that the signs he's showing now are only those of chronic

pancreatitis, not cancer.

Jaundice can also be just a symptom of CP. I had a problem with it

when I was first diagnosed, and I also had, (have), two pseudocysts.

Pseudocyst is the word you were looking for when trying to explain

about your dad's cyst.

When I was first diagnosed, a CT-scan also revealed heavy calcium

deposits, (calcification). They did several CT-scans and two

ultrasounds to get a better look at the masses in my abdomen, and were

finally able to determine that they were pseudocysts, and not tumors.

They also did a CT-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy, and

collected the tissue from the pseudocyst to determine whether or not

it was cancerous. My results were benign.

My GI called my condition Calcifying Chronic Pancreatitis, in other

words, as the chronic pancreatitis continued, there was more and more

calcific damage. In my case, this condition continued to the point

that my pancreas completely burned out and I became a type 1 diabetic.

Not ideal, but surely better than a prognosis of cancer.

I'll be praying that the growth they're seeing is a pseudocyst, and

nothing else. Under most circumstances, pseudocysts can be dealt

with, and don't necessarily pose a mortal threat. I can explain much

more about them to you after the doctors have had a chance to get a

closer look at your dad's pancreatic mass.

Are they doing another CT-scan to have a closer look? Have they done

any bloodwork to check? Have they talked about doing a fine needle

aspiration biopsy like that which was done to me, to check the content

of the tissue in the mass? Many patients with a cancer prognosis have

mutations in their DNA, and have either been exposed to carcinogens,

(heavy smoking) or have had a depressed immune system. Some have

inherited defects in the BRCA-2 gene, and there are tests available to

check for this. One blood test that is often done is a CA-19-9 cancer

tumor marker test. My GI does this blood test on me every 6 months,

as well as a CT-scan, to check for cancer. I've been fortunate to not

have had any evidence of it at each monitoring check.

I know you must be very frightened about your dad's situation, and

scared about your own personal issues with Behcets. It will be a long

and stressful six days until you know more about your dad, and I

wanted to let you know that my sincerest prayers will be for you, and

your parents, that all tests are negative for the conditions you fear.

Please keep us updated whenever you can.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina State Rep.

South Eastern Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are based on personal experience or

opinion, and should not be substituted for professional medical

consultation.