Not Very Good at All

“The scans… they are not very good at all.”

That’s what our oncologist told us this morning, in his nevertheless cheerful-sounding Irish accent. He has a slight Irish accent… he’s been on this side of the Atlantic for a while.

We knew this already, as the results were posted very quickly on Friday after the scan. While we were committed to waiting until we spoke with Mom’s oncologist before we jumped to any conclusions, it is easy enough to read that the tumor did not shrink and actually grew a very small bit.

It was a very emotional and low weekend. We all had to come to terms with where we are.

On top of that, the ct scan revealed an increased concern about a possible growth in Mom’s liver.

So, he ordered an MRI for Mom and wants to meet again after the MRI to determine what, if anything, is going on with the liver. Additionally, he will review some genetic testing Mom had done to determine if there are any additional treatment options to consider.

“When we started this, the goal was to shrink the tumor and then go for surgery… that is not happening now,” he said.

The MRI is scheduled for next week, and we have an appt to meet with the oncologist again the week after that.

He promised to review all possible treatment options, from any trials Mom might qualify for, to hospice. He said he’d explain what those treatments would look like, what the expectations for each would be. He stressed that the treatment plan was Mom’s decision, and that we would do whatever Mom wanted to do.

His major concern at this point is Mom’s quality of life, and is not “going to twist your arm” to pursue any more chemo or other treatments that are destroying Mom’s quality of life with minimal or no benefit.

He wants Mom to ramp up her exercise and food intake. He actually prescribed Mom find ways to increase her salt, fat, and carbohydrates.

He explained that a pancreatic tumor releases specific proteins that actually cause a patient to experience depression, loss of appetite, and low energy.

I had no idea that tumors did that; seems so sneaky and unfair to not only be directly attacking your body, but to also release little protein-bombs that cause your body to shut down in ways to help the tumor thrive.

You are a jerk, tumor!

He expects Mom’s energy to continue to grow this week as the effects of the last chemo wear off, and wants us to focus on returning to all the normal things we can — walks, visiting, baking, family dinners, etc.

So, that is where we are.