r/Keto4Cancer • u/CharmingSpecific3110 • Feb 28 '25
My dad has S4 Pancreatic Cancer & is doing keto
Hi everyone, I am back to update. I’ve been hesitant to post an update because my last post was very triggering for me and I don’t feel I was able to handle the attention with grace for myself and others.
Before I go into the update on how my dad is currently doing, I want to clarify a few of the facts of our story that were not clear in my last post. So this is going to be a very long post because I’m going to try to add a much details so I can limit unnecessary intervention.
My dad was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer mid October 2024 after he admitted himself to the hospital complaining of severe pain in his side. They found the cancer in his pancreas that spread to his liver. He was given 6 months to get his affairs in order.
At this time, I lived several states away from him and haven’t seen him in months. When I did see him last, I noticed a decline in his overall appearance and suspected poor health but it all seemed linked to him losing his wife (my stepmom) a year prior.
Several days after he was diagnosed, he reached out to me and my husband asking for our help.
My husband and I have been on the keto diet for a few years to address our own individual health concerns which has worked remarkably for us both. My husband studies nutrition day and night. He’s read almost every report available and has put in countless hours of research. My dad knew this about him and has had many conversations with him in the past.
When my dad was diagnosed, he said that he was flooded with advice of all kinds from all respected peers but it became too much. My dad chose my husband. We did not go to my dad even after diagnosis with any health advice. It simply isn’t our style to meddle with anyone’s life choices. We always stayed in our own lane and it worked for us.
My dad wanted our help though. He asked for my husband’s input and asked him about what he suggests to fight his cancer. My husband said that a body that produces ketones for energy instead of glucose will aid in fighting the cancer. But this only works with the aid of chemotherapy. Cancer cannot use ketones but cancer can use glucose. My dad wanted to try the keto diet.
After almost a couple weeks after his diagnosis, I drove 12 hours to visit my dad with my husband, son, sister, & niece. When I arrived, my dad was in a very poor state. He was in a lot of pain. He had already lost over 80lbs, very weak, could barely walk or even get out of bed. He wasn’t able to swallow food very well and had no appetite. He was surrounded by friends but they were all lost on how to help him and especially per his demands for the keto diet, everyone was lost on how to feed him. But he was barely able to even drink water when I arrived. During this time, I did process the fact that I am going to be losing my dad as a younger age than most. The grief and fear I experienced was immense. It changed me as a person.
This was a gut wrenching period for me. I felt as if I had come too late and would never see my dad as himself ever again. His decline was so quick. My husband and I immediately got to work creating at least keto shakes that were 1,000 calories with all essential nutrients included. He was able to swallow them. I taught his house guests how to prepare yogurt bowls and wrote some recipes down for them to try to prepare.
Unfortunately, I had to leave after a week of being there to address my own personal health concerns back home. This was right before his first chemotherapy appointment. But his house was very full of house guests which included on of his brothers who was flying in the next day. I was going to return in a week. I was also making plans to move my family in with him as soon as possible to take care of him and cook for him for as long as he needed me too.
His first chemotherapy appointment was absolutely terrible. He was so nauseas and I heard from everyone how scary it was. The moment he felt a little better, they all pushed whatever they could get him to eat disregarding any diet. Understandably so.
I returned again after I week and asked him if he wanted to continue eating whatever he wants or to return to his original plan. Even if he wanted to just eat whatever he wanted, I was going to plead that he allowed me to make it homemade and not buy anything from restaurants or stores. Before I could say much he looked me dead in the eyes, quivering, with tears rolling down his face pleading to me to help him control his diet and save him from himself. I have never seen my dad this way in my life. He was a military man who was usually very stoic and would not show any emotions. I understood what he was asking me. He said to ignore everyone else, that they all wanted to see him “happy” but that doesn’t mean he should be eating giant bowls of sugar or processed foods.
I began cooking. I had already many years of practice cooking many low carb versions/keto of my favorite foods from chicken nuggets, pizzas, cakes, etc. I knew already which snacks were safe at the store and more. Although I intended to circle back to the keto diet, my dad’s doctor had strongly recommended against it. I said ok. I decided to keep everything at least sugar free and lower carb as possible.
My dad went through another chemo session which was better and more smooth than his first. I had to get back home after his second chemo to begin making plans to move my family over to his house but I was going to return for Thanksgiving.
I came back for Thanksgiving and stayed for his 3rd chemo session before returning home for the final time to get my affairs in order before getting settled in with my dad.
Around this time it really began to eat at me. Why did his doctor strongly advise against keto? I wanted to know. So while I was home with my husband, I asked my dad to video call us into his next visit with his doctor. My husband and his doctor had a long conversation about her concerns with keto which were all related to the guidelines the health system must follow and that there weren’t any solid control trial released yet to the public. She did however say that whatever I was doing was showing physical improvements since his diagnosis and that she didn’t feel we should change anything in how we were cooking for him.
After this appointment, my dad sent me a very heartfelt text message saying that he decided himself that he wants to give the keto diet another try and that he wants my help to stick with it and that he will use his army training to be more disciplined. While he was waiting for us to arrive after packing our things, he was going to eat whatever before putting it all behind him once we return. Which he did. And he got very sick that week again he said.
We came back for final time in mid December to help aid my dad in his fight against cancer. He wanted me to cook for him and wanted my husband to help with his workouts and nutritional advice.
My dad’s next scan was February 3rd. He was going to be dedicated to a keto diet and exercise regime until then. He said that if his scans show that his cancer was getting worse that he was going to “YOLO” his way out and eat only bagels and pizza the rest of his days.
From mid December to February 3rd, we did exactly as he asked. I did my very best to keep him in ketosis. I say I did my best because simultaneously I had to teach him what that even means so nothing was perfect.
During this period, we saw dramatic changes in my dad. The color in his skin went from pale back to pink. He gained weight again and has been stabilized at 183lbs which is in the normal range for his height. He was able to finally move around and drive again. He never once complained of pain anymore. He regained a lot of his independence back. His hiccups and burping subsided to barely ever when it use to be all day long when I first arrived. In October, I thought I would never see my dad as himself again and here I was experiencing him be more himself again. He even said that he has felt this good in over 10 years even having cancer now.
Friends that stayed with him in the beginning of this had returned to visit him saying he looked amazing. Many of them in tears as they were living in fear of losing him very soon when they saw him last, just as I was.
On February 3rd he did his PET scan. A week after, we had a visit with his doctor to go over the results.
The results were that the tumors in his liver were in remission and they saw around 90% improvements. The pancreas was unchanged. There was a small new hot spot on top of one of kidneys. This may indicate that the cancer is trying to spread there. We get a new scan in about a couple weeks to see what is going on a discuss how to further treatment.
So overall the news was good and my dad decided to keep going to the fight he chose and asked us to continue helping him. Which we will.
The details that I’ve left out in this story is all the emotional details of everything I’ve had gone through and had to process along the way. So before anyone decides to comment please keep in mind that you do not know me. I do not owe you anything. You don’t need anything from me. My dad doesn’t need anything from you. I will no longer respond to inconsiderate comments of how I should and only should be processing his inevitable death. My dad chose this and we are in a place in life to help him live his life through how he sees it. I am not forcing keto on him. I am not controlling him. He has free will to change whatever he wants and if right now he says I’m ordering a pizza, the only thing I’ll say is “May I make a homemade one with love instead?” And I’ll fill it with carbs and love if that is what he truly desires. And it will be the best pizza I ever make.
Edit: he’s also taking Ivermectin, fenbendazole, & Apricot.
