Jay got out of surgery safely today at 3:17pm. The doctor said his body was strong, and that he was the only one whose blood pressure didn't change at all during the entire procedure. He seems to have internalized his years of thick-skinned, steel-nerved reporter-dom.
While doctors were not able to remove the tumor, as it was wrapped around a major artery, they placed "golden seeds" on the entire surface of the tumor, and performed a bypass of the affected region. There was no cancer found outside the tumor, which is good news. The golden seeds will enable Jay to receive targeted, intense radiation on the tumor. This type of radiation is only available at 3 cancer centers in the country, and provides in 3 days what traditional radiation treatment takes 6 weeks to provide. The bypass will alleviate the symptoms that pancreatic cancer usually causes, and make him much more comfortable (and, importantly, able to golf and have a beer afterwards with little problem).
The hope is that this radiation and chemo will slow the tumor's growth, and in the best case scenario, shrink the tumor so that it may someday be removed. We heard stories of people living with the bypass for several years, and of one man whose tumor shrunk and was successfully removed.
Jay will now be at Beth Israel to recover for a week or so, and then will come home for additional recovery so he can store up the energy to fight the tumor during chemo & radiation.
Thank you all for you positive thoughts today. We think they made a difference!
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yay! this is great news. hope you felt our vibrations coming from the west coast. love to all.
ReplyDeleteJanice, it's quite likely that your dad won't remember me - he was a star in Rochester when I arrived as an intern a few lifetimes ago - but I wanted to let you know that I was thinking of him. The surgery result is great, great news. Please give him my best.
ReplyDeleteDeborah Gump
gumpdl@gmail.com
So wonderful to hear a positive outcome. Jay, we'll all be thinking about you and your family as you tackle the next phase. Go get 'em. - Best regards from your friends at The Associated Press
ReplyDeleteA long surgery, but well worth it! I wish the whole family continued strength through the recovery and later radiation.
ReplyDeleteShrink, you sucker. How does the bypass work?
ReplyDeleteDave & Linda
I read about Jay Gallagher’s surgery for pancreatic cancer on the monroerising.com website. I was very glad to read that his cancer is only a Stage 2.
ReplyDeleteI am now in the process of writing a book about some medical treatments that have saved many patients’ lives for years, but are not considered to be “standard of care.” One of the people I interviewed for my book is a seven-year (so far) survivor of pancreatic cancer. He is being treated by integrative physician Burt Berkson, MD, PhD, of Las Cruces, NM, with a combination of intravenous alpha lipoic acid, oral low dose naltrexone, diet and nutritional supplements. Dr. Berkson has, in fact, had excellent results, using this regimen with other cases of pancreatic cancer, as well as other forms of cancer. (Since this, and other treatments I am featuring in my book, positively affect the immune system, rather than killing the disease, they are often used to treat other diseases, as well.)
Dr. Berkson published a very impressive case study of this particular pancreatic cancer patient, who also had metastases to the liver, in 2006 in the journal, “Integrative Cancer Therapies.” You may read the entire study here: http://www.ldn4cancer.com/files/Berkson_Pancreatic_paper.pdf. You may also find it indexed on PubMed, at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16484716. (In addition, my interview with Dr. Berkson, in which he discusses this case, is on my website at http://tinyurl.com/php8m7.)
I hope that your readers will access these links, and will be open to learning about some of these treatments I find so promising – especially in cases when standard-of-care treatments don’t offer much hope. (The other treatments I’ll be featuring in my book are discussed here: http://www.honestmedicine.com/2008/05/four-lifesaving.html.)
Julia Schopick
www.HonestMedicine.com
jay,
ReplyDeleteThe LCA today nominated you to be the mediator between the Dems and Repubs. "no one messes with Jay gallagher". Get strong and come back, nys needs your voice. Mine and the League's thoughts are with you and your family.
Barb