Life as a cancer patient: ‘it feels like dying from the drugs meant to save me’
I am a pancreatic cancer survivor.  It is considered incurable in 2019 and I&#x27;m here because of a 1930s era surgery called a Whipple procedure.  Around 9% survive five years or more -- a number that hasn&#x27;t really changed.<p>In a belt plus suspenders move I underwent 2 rounds (six infusions per round) of chemo plus 28 consecutive weekdays of radiation after surgery.  All my doctors are amazed at my recovery, a few saying the best they&#x27;ve seen (though it came with diabetes and a different digestive pathway).<p>Chemo was awful.  Mine came with a bag of steroids first to mask the effects for a few days.  I scheduled my sessions for Thursday, knowing it wouldn&#x27;t hit me until Friday night.  One Saturday I slept around 20 hours.<p>However, by the end we had figured out how to minimize the effect of the chemo.  I needed my wife who watched me diligently.  Cancer is not a one person job!  She made sure every time I opened my eyes I stayed hydrated and ate something.<p>Chemo should have gotten worse.  It actually got easier.<p>My cancer never caused me pain.  The treatment... that&#x27;s another story.  I left the hospital with my belly held together by 16 staples.