The good news is that I was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon; though I did have to return to the ER today because of problems with constipation.

First, let me say a very heart-felt "thank you" for all your prayers & kind thoughts. I was touched by what you folks wrote & shared with me. Also, Spartan deserves a big “thank you” for keeping in touch with me, then relating the latest news here.

I wish I could report that they didn't find anything serious, but I don't like to lie, so I'll just lay the cold, hard facts out on the table with a resounding "thud."

The bad news is I have phase 4B pancreatic cancer, meaning the cancer has spread from the pancreas to other organs such as the liver & some lymph nodes. At that advanced stage, the cancer is inoperable & incurable. I’ll be meeting with my Oncologist Monday morning to discuss what plan of action to take. At present, there are no treatments that cure pancreatic cancer completely, but there are a number of new treatments that can help you live a better & more comfortable lifewith pancreatic cancer. I’ll be interested in trying any of those that don’t make me feel awful or will bankrupt us.

Realistically, pancreatic cancer life expectancy is very low. Once a person has been diagnosed with the condition, general life expectancy is only 5 to 8 months, though 20 percent of pancreatic sufferers will live at least 1 year. The life expectancy for pancreatic cancer sufferers living over 5 years is only 5 percent. The people that have a longer life expectancy have pancreatic tumors that have not spread to the more dangerous regions of the body.

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