Founder's Page

My name is Don Sterner and my wife is Bea (that's Bee-AT-trice, she says). We were married in February of 1990 and live on the shores of Galveston Bay, between Houston and Galveston, Texas. The photo to the right was taken just about the time I began to get sick in early 1995. I am MUCH thinner now.

I was diagnosed as having Pancreatic Cancer in early April, 1995 after a period of severe stomach pain and nausea. I was initially examined by a gastroenterologist at a local hospital. Blood tests (bilirubin), a cat scan and an ERCP verified that a mass was growing in my pancreas and that it was blocking the bile duct. An attempt to insert a stent into the blocked duct failed. I was immediately referred to the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston where I've had much of my treatment.

After the initial diagnosis, but before the cancer treatment was begun at M. D. Anderson, I became extremely jaundiced and underwent another ERCP (at M. D. Anderson) during which a stent was installed. Several biopsy attempts (ERCP and CT-fine needle) were all inconclusive, so the physicians had to assume that I had adenocarcinoma. I underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy (modified Whipple) on May 12, 1995 during which they removed a 7.5cm tumor from the head of my pancreas along with 2/3 of the pancreas itself. The surgeons realized during the surgery that the tumor didn't "look" right, but it wasn't until the next day that pathology revealed that it was a large non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-cell, diffuse with follicular component, intermediate grade) instead of the more commonly encountered adenocarcinoma. The margins of the removed material were clear, there was no lymph node or bone marrow involvement, and I was staged as 1b. My surgeon did some research and found that I was only the third pancreatic lymphoma patient ever treated at M. D. Anderson. None of the current doctors had ever treated case. Since then, they've had at least one other similar case.

In addition to the two-thirds of my pancreas, they removed my bile duct, gall bladder, duodenum, upper portion of the small intestine and a large portion of stomach. The stomach was reconstructed from small intestine material. The short liver duct and the remaining pancreas were sewn directly to a loop of intestine formed below the stomach. Also, the mesenteric vein was involved with the mass, so they replaced a section of it with a section of jugular vein which they removed from the left side of my neck. I was under sedation during my surgery for 17 hours and 50 minutes, far longer than the typical Whipple patient.

Two months after the surgery, I began CHOP-Bleo chemo (for lymphoma). I contracted pancreatitis following each chemo treatment, each instance requiring hospitalization. I also managed to contract two infections during this time. Those also required hospitalization. As a result of the complications, my chemo was stopped after five of 6-8 planned doses and the doctors elected to omit a planned 28-day radiation series. The pancreatitis episodes have continued periodically to the present. I am not diabetic, although the doctors believe that I could become so in the future. The only regular medication I take is creon, a pancreatic enzyme supplement taken with meals to aid digestion. When I am suffering from flares of chronic pancreatitis, I take pain medicine. I am constantly fatigued and on SSDI disability.

During March-May, 1999 I experienced the ride that cancer patients call the "roller-coaster." I was hospitalized during March with pancreatitis. A CT-Scan showed a large new mass near my pancreas extending to the base of the liver. Several major blood vessels were encased in it. Over the next few weeks several biopsies were conducted but all were inconclusive. Each indicated what was thought to be malignant cells, but the specific kind of cancer couldn't be determined. A second CT-scan taken three weeks after the first showed that the primary mass near the pancreas had grown, but the portion near the liver had receded. Although they admitted that the CT could be showing an area of inflammation, everyone including the radiologist, surgeon, oncologist and pathologist all thought that we were looking at a recurrence of cancer - probably the same pancreatic lymphoma I had in 1995.

Over the next weeks bone and gallium scans were done; both were totally negative. Confusing. As a result of this, the doctors decided that exploratory surgery was the best option as scheduled for May 14th. On May 10, a CT-Scan in preparation for the surgery showed that the entire mass had shrunk by 75%. My doctors were confused. While they still suspected malignancy, they decided to delay the surgery and watch the area with periodic scans. Over the next weeks, the mass disappeared completely. Apparently, a large area of tissue had been inflamed during the earlier bout with pancreatitis. Needless to say, I was pleased. I am thankful that my doctors waited for a positive diagnosis before beginning treatment, although I wasn't too happy about the delays at the time.

The care at M.D. Anderson was outstanding. My surgeon and pancreatic doctor, Dr. Peter Pisters (Peter Pisters picked a peck of pickled pancreas'....), is by far the most personable and caring physician I've ever met. During all of my admissions I have been more than pleased with my care. In recent years, U.S. News and World Report has rated M. D. Anderson as the #1 Cancer Center in the U.S.  My experiences there confirm that. 

Unfortunately, the situation with Medicare insurance has prevented me from continuing to use M.D. Anderson for my care. 

In addition to founding the Pancreatic Duct, much of my time during the past years was spent corresponding with newly diagnosed cancer patients. I have tried to do what I can to provide them with access to information they want either through my knowledge (mostly based on experience) or that which can be obtained by searches on the Internet or from my very limited medical library. During this time, I was also co-moderator of the PANCREAS-ONC email discussion list for pancreatic cancer patients and their loved ones. I also was a moderator for other lists primarily dealing with sarcoma (soft tissue) cancers.

I have participated in the development of several other cancer-related websites by supplying material, research or HTML code. The original KeepinTheFaith (now defunct) site contained much of my work. I also designed the initial The Gift of Thanks, a website written by bone marrow donor Blair Wiley.

It is my hope that The Pancreatic Duct will grow. In my dreams, I'd like to host other useful resources for patients of all kinds of cancers, but it is time for me to step down now and leave what I have begun in good hands.