146 – Margaret’s Lymph Node Cancer Disappears: 13 January 2025

This was how Margaret looked in Ireland on 17 September 2019.  By October 2021, she was dying and no longer looked like this.

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Ireland on 17 September 2019.

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The findings of the 29 September operation were a little inconclusive, but they were not good. 

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As I have already said, I simply do not have the words to describe how I felt after getting the news of what the surgeon found when he operated on 29 September 2021. 

Although the surgeon had been unable to administer radiotherapy during his operation on Margaret on 29 September 2021, he was able to implant two stents into her bile duct.  His medical words summed up what he had done:

The biliary duct was stented with 2 plastic stent[s] and this resulted in good contrast and bile drainage

The surgeon had wanted to also insert a stent into Margaret’s pancreatic duct, but the swelling in the pancreatic duct was so great that he was unable to do this.  He said “the PD could not be entered”. 

This is how the health website Healthline describes a stent.

[A] stent is a tiny tube that your doctor can insert into a blocked passageway to keep it open. The stent restores the flow of blood or other fluids, depending on where it’s placed.

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By 29 September, the cancer had not only returned, it had grown and was starting to block Margaret’s bile duct.  Without the two stents to keep the bile duct open, her digestive system would have been unable to function.  Her swift death would have been certain.

Unfortunately, a stent could not be placed in her pancreatic duct because the surgeon was worried this would cause pancreatitis.  Pancreatitis is an extremely serious disease.  The Mayo Clinic says this about pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a long, flat gland that sits tucked behind the stomach in the upper abdomen. The pancreas produces enzymes that help digestion and hormones that help regulate the way your body processes sugar (glucose). Pancreatitis can occur as acute pancreatitis — meaning it appears suddenly and lasts for days. Some people develop chronic pancreatitis, which is pancreatitis that occurs over many years. Mild cases of pancreatitis improve with treatment, but severe cases can cause life-threatening complications.

The surgeon had a difficult dilemma when he operated on 29 September.  If he ensured the pancreatic duct could continue to function he might cause life threatening pancreatitis.  If he avoided possible pancreatitis this would leave Margaret at risk of the blockage of her pancreatic duct.

The surgeon decided to avoid pancreatitis and Margaret told me later that she completely agreed with the surgeon’s decision.

Because of inflammation in the pancreatic duct, the operation was able to gather only meagre information about the spread of the cancer. 

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After receiving the PET scan report, the surgeon scheduled a further operation for 1 October 2021.  He wanted to discover what the cancer was doing.

This is the surgeon’s report on the 1 October 2021 operation.

Gastroscopy Findings Stomach – Normal.  Duodenum – Normal.  The ampulla has 2 plastic stents[s] which drained bile. EUS Findings Upper GIT: 1 The nodal lesion on the left of the celiac axis was seen.  It measured up to 20 mm.  The lesion looked malignant and as requested, the lesion was biopsied using EUS FNA technique.  Two passes of 22G Core needles were performed for histology. 2 The liver was also screened careful[ly] for mass lesion but no definite lesion can be seen in the visualised portion. 3 There was a cyst in the pancreatic head/ neck region.  The cyst looked benign and had no malignant features. 4 The PD was 2-3 mm in calibre. 5 CBD stents had decompressed the biliary tract. Conclusion Metastatic nodal disease EUS FNA = Endoscopic Ultrasound Fine Needle Aspiration

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The PET scan report ensured the “nodal lesion” which had so concerned the surgeon on 14 and 29 September was a major focus of attention on 1 October.  The surgeon found the “lesion looked malignant”.  His written conclusion was “Metastatic nodal disease”.

Margaret seemed certain to die soon.

On 1 October the surgeon took tissue samples so the suspicious cells could be tested.

Although concerned about the lymph nodes, the surgeon thought Margaret’s liver was still cancer free.

He also found that a growth in the head of the pancreas was not cancerous.  

The only good news was that the bile duct stents had worked and the cancerous squeezing of the bile duct (“compression”) had been reversed.

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The stents had gained Margaret some extra time, but her situation was grim.  The surgeon gave her medication to reduce inflammation in her pancreas and scheduled another operation fir Wednesday 1 December 2021.  He hoped the inflammation would have decreased by then and that he would be able to administer endoscopic radiotherapy.

We prepared ourselves as best we could.  The cancer was certain to kill Margaret – sooner rather than later.

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Then something astonishing happened.

When the tissue samples taken from the lymph nodes on 1 October were examined in the laboratory, they were cancer free. 

Despite the result of the PET scan and despite what the surgeon saw on 29 September and 1 October, Margaret’s lymph node tissue was cancer free.

The oncologist had no explanation for this. 

I have an “unscientific” explanation of my own for what happened.  I believe the stress of my health collapse had a direct impact on Margaret.

I think the stress of having to deal with my near death on top of her own cancer, was the major reason why Margaret’s cancer returned in September 2021.

I believe I can thank the Cancellation Crew for my own health collapse and for the return of Margaret’s cancer.

As for the disappearance of the cancer from Margaret’s lymph nodes – this was quite simply a miracle just like the many other miracles recorded throughout history.

We were immensely grateful.