Living with Pancreatic Cancer

My aunt presented with jaundice and weight loss over the last few months. It was an uphill battle to make her more comfortabe because she was 82 years old and her doctors were reluctant to do any intervention. Her pancreas was totally nonfunctioning, not even producing insulin. We did find a surgeon who placed a “J” tube for liquid feedings and she was put on insulin and pancreatic enzymes. She had been very active until 3 weeks before her diagnosis. If we had been able to get these procedures done in a more timely fashion, we would have made a big difference in her survival time. Each patient should be evaluated separately and not based solely on their age.