3 good years Klatskin tumor

I haven’t posted for about 2 1/2 years. My husband diagnosed in spring of 2007 and although we live in rural Idaho, our GI dr. said ‘you probably need a new liver’. now, my husband had just turned 70, but we went to Dr. LeGrand Belnap, our hero, in SLC who at that time was head of transplant at IHC. Anyway, tom got on list based on a clinical trial, received daily radiation for 6 weeks (we drove 150 miles each way every day) and then chemo, but his meld score was never very high. but, he was very ill. so in Dec 07 Dr. Belnap decided he couldn’t wait for a cadaver liver. My husband would not allow our 19 year old son to donate part of his, which was also an option. So, he had a resection of bile duct (it was a klatskin tumor) and part of liver, with a roux en y and did great…very good recovery, quality of life, one or two additional rounds of chemo, mri’s and cts and blood tests all good for 3 years. I will post under the other heading what we are doing now, despite the great last 3 years now we are looking at a progression in the distal bile duct near the duodenum ampulla of vater. Surgery again next week, a whipple. What to expect from that, of course my husband is now 73 and he is sicker it seems this time. This blog was a God-send to me 3 years ago, as well as cancercompass.com which also has good info. Thanks and best of luck to everyone fighting this rare cancer.