I started anticancer drugs the week after my diagnosis with Dr. I. I received the same gemcitabine + abraxane infusion as before the surgery. Last time, I didn’t have any severe side effects, but it was only for two months. This time, I have to continue it for as long as possible, but how long can I continue? I searched online and found that there are people who have continued anticancer drugs for several years without any problems, so I hope to be like them.
In order to get through this long-term battle, I thought that instead of trying all the treatments that seem effective at once, I would try each one and check their effectiveness. I feel that using several treatments at the same time might be more effective against cancer, but that’s more of a short-term approach. In a situation where there aren’t that many treatment options, I thought that taking as much time as possible to check each method would be the best way to fight the long-term battle. Specifically, I started taking a Chinese herbal medicine that a friend introduced to me around July, but I stopped taking it before starting the anticancer drugs. First, I decided to see how effective the anti-cancer drugs were, and when the anti-cancer drugs no longer showed any improvement, I will try other treatments, including Chinese herbal medicine.
Another change I made to survive the long-term battle was to start drinking alcohol. I had completely abstained from alcohol for a year since I was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis in August last year. When I was discharged from the hospital after undergoing surgery after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the doctor told me that it was okay to drink, but I continued to abstain from alcohol even after that. But from now on, it will be a long-term battle. I decided to enjoy alcohol to increase my options for enjoyment. However, since I believe that one of the indirect causes of my pancreatic cancer was definitely my past excessive drinking, I decided that I could only drink when I was with my wife and friends. At a dinner party with friends in early August, I was able to enjoy alcohol for the first time in a year.
One week before starting anti-cancer drug treatment, I decided to bleach and dye my hair. Last time, I lost my hair 2-3 weeks after starting anticancer drugs treatment, so I bleached and dyed my hair for the first time in my life, wanting to enjoy it while I still had hair. I actually wanted to have shiny silver hair, but to achieve that, I would have to bleach it several times, and since I didn’t have the time, I bleached it once and then dyed it silver. It turned out to be a dark grey, but I was very happy with it.
The week after I dyed my hair silver, I went to Singapore with my son and his wife the day after I received my first anticancer drugs infusion. In January before my surgery, my son and his wife gave me and my wife a trip to Atami to cheer me up for my surgery and to celebrate my wife’s 60th birthday. In return, I planned to give them a trip to Singapore, as my cancer treatment would be about to end around August, but I didn’t expect that the trip would take place right after my cancer recurred. This trip to Singapore was also a trip to cheer me up for my upcoming anticancer drugs treatment.
Singapore is a city where my whole family lived about 20 years ago, and although we only stayed for a few days, we had a very enjoyable time enjoying the familiar town and eating familiar local food.
What I was especially looking forward to was that about 30 of my work colleagues from back then were gathering for me. It was very encouraging to be reunited with my old colleagues after more than 20 years. Everyone knew about my pancreatic cancer through my Facebook posts, and they had encouraged me with their comments and shared information about foods that they knew were effective against cancer. The two-hour gathering passed in the blink of an eye, and we parted, promising to meet again next year. It was a moment when I really felt how grateful I was to have friends.
Another thing I was looking forward to in Singapore was meeting a pancreatic cancer survivor who sent me a message of support right after I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I knew this lady from work 20 years ago, and as soon as she heard that I had pancreatic cancer, she sent me a long message, and the content of that message determined the direction of how I would deal with pancreatic cancer. She was cured of her pancreatic cancer with anticancer drug, and in her message to me she said, “The most important thing is to stay positive. Eat well, sleep well, and above all, spend every day doing what you love. I went shopping every day. And I didn’t experience any side effects. Ask your family and friends to pray for you. I pray for your recovery every day, too.” She continued to send me messages of support almost every day after that. I was treated to delicious Singaporean seafood and had a great time.
My hair started falling out the week after I returned from Singapore, and by the end of August my head looked completely bare, but my few days in Singapore with my first ever silver hair was a very enjoyable and memorable trip.
A blood test taken just before starting anticancer drugs showed that my tumor marker CA19-9 had risen to 2,924, but a blood test taken after one course of anticancer drug showed that it had dropped to 440.
It seemed that the chemotherapy and the trip to Singapore had helped to suppress the cancer.