Too much...you might cause cancer.
Too little...you might not kill the cancer.
Just right... you might find the sweet spot for pancreatic cancer treatment.
We journaled much of mom's radiation experience on the website. She received what is known as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy.
But there are several different types of radiation therapies for pancreatic cancer patients. The best run-down on these treatments that I have found is on the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
They do a great job of explaining all the details of the varied radiation treatments...please, please check out their link on Radiation Therapy.
If you or a loved one is on this pancreatic cancer journey, then chances are your oncology team is already discussing the possibility of radiation. It may be to try and shrink the tumor before attempting surgery. It may be to try and stabilize the pancreatic cancer and keep it from growing any larger. It may be used to try and help alleviate the pain caused by the cancer tumors.
Radiation therapy has a place in traditional pancreatic cancer treatment. It helped stabilize mom's cancer and actually dropped her tumor markers over 1200 points. But at a huge cost...
That cost was paid in debilitating side effects. As always, it is a decision only the patient can make. And as mom worked through the decisions in her treatment plan, she longed to hear eye-witness stories from others that had gone before her. Somehow the knowledge of experience might have lent balance to the doctors non-commital "You may have some discomfort."
Discomfort doesn't even begin to describe the misery... making an informed decision involved finding others who had actually gone thru the radiation treatment. Sometimes life doesn't offer that luxury...
As many of you can attest, it's hard to find someone in your circle of friends who has pancreatic cancer... it's even hard to find someone in your circle who knows someone who has pancreatic cancer! It would be easy to feel desperately alone on this journey... And mom found this to be true as she started walking through treatment.
She went for the radiation treatment on her doctor's recommendation alone. She didn't know any other pancreatic cancer patients to call, no one to bounce ideas off of, no one who could answer the hard questions... like how did you really feel? Was it worth it? How long did the treatments last? Was there pain during treatment? How uncomfortable were you? And...Would you do it all over again???
So, we went in for the IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy) and expected that she may have some "discomfort."
And the first few days were a breeze. We smiled, high-fived, did a little happy dance... this kind of discomfort we can live with... What were we thinking? Is there anything about cancer treatment that is easy?
After the first week, it went down-hill and fast.
Mom said that it was like a Killer Flu on Steroids. She was beyond miserable by the end of the 28 day radiation treatment.
We realized later, much later, that the radiation beams, as specialized as they were, still burnt the lining of her stomach and small intestine. She was prescribed medicine to help minimize the damage, but it was like whistling into the wind.
She spent the 2 weeks following radiation with her head in the toilet or crawling back to bed...there were nights she pulled her comforter into the bathroom and just gave in to the nightmare that had become her life.
Here's an excerpt from our CaringBridge Journal during that time...
March 28, 2011...
"It's been a few days since our last update. Well, ok, almost a week. I'll be honest. I've been dragging my feet, hoping against hope that the next day will bring better news. So, the "better" news is that mom didn't throw up yesterday. It's been 2 weeks since the radiation finished up, so maybe we're making progress....
If you look up radiation sickness, you will find a host of symptoms, chief of which is nausea, vomiting and fatigue. Mom has those in spades. It's been a long week. I probably don't need to mention that mom has lost too much weight. As of this morning she's down almost 20 lbs."
That was one of the lowest valleys in mom's pancreatic cancer journey...enough to make you throw in the towel. Would she do it again?
She probably would have said NO if asked during those murky dark hours when the radiation was searing her from the inside out....
One month later, she was beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel...
April 28, 2011...
"Tumor Marker results are in.....Drum Roll Please.........
234!
Unbelievably good news!!!!! So much better than we had dared hope for!! Cautiously optimistic yesterday....Doing a happy dance today!
To give a little perspective on just how low this is, I looked back at her previous results. Last November, when she was first diagnosed, the tumor marker test was already at 404. By February it had sky-rocketed to 1474. The radiation and 5-FU began to knock it down, and by the end of radiation treatment in March, it was down to 576. Dr. Hernandez had told us that the radiation continues it's half-life work even after the treatment is complete, and the proof is here: 234.
Cancer fought hard through the radiation and chemotherapy, but Mom fought harder. This round belongs to her!
And to you, each and every one of you. Whether you offered a meal, a prayer, a word of encouragement, a ride to the doctor's office, a hug, or a smile. You played a part, so enjoy the good news with us!!
That's Grace for Today, Jane"
Looking at the Radiation Therapy through the rearview mirror makes it much more possible to see it's worth. And YES, mom said, at this point, she could see the silver lining in the storm. She would definitely do it all over again if it meant being able to knock the cancer back like that...
Radiation therapy took mom to death's door and would have pulled her on through if not for her grit and determination to claw her way back to the land of the living...
Is it for every pancreatic cancer patient? Most definitely not...as always, it's so important to discuss all your options with your healthcare team. Radiation therapy has a place in pancreatic cancer treatment, but it's not the only option...
Mapping our Journey with the same grit and determination of the many who have gone before us,
In Grace Always, Jane
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