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Life-limiting illness

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Flip

Original poster

Pancreatic cancer

10 replies

plannedshock · 29/07/2015 15:35

I hope this is ok to ask.
What were the first symptoms you noticed before being diagnosed? Either yourself or someone you know. Many thanks

OP posts:

DayLillie · 29/07/2015 15:42

My MIL had it and sort of diagnosed herself, from the symptoms that were the same as FIL's. He had died of cancer a year before. I am not sure what these actually were though; people I know who have had cancer have always known when it came back. She was sent for an aortic scan and told the radiologist who confirmed she was right.

She had pain and indigestion and bowel problems in the year before which were investigated with colonoscopy, as they thought it was a return of diverticular disease.

Hellenbach · 31/07/2015 21:55

Symptoms are IBS like which is why it is often undiagnosed for so long.
Weight loss, lethargy, pain after eating, diarrhoea.
Once the tumour has grown enough to block the bile duct then jaundice develops, so itching, tiredness and yellowing of skin.

Hellenbach · 31/07/2015 21:56

BTW the best way to diagnose it is with an ultrasound at A and E

ggirl · 31/07/2015 22:04

My friend had abdominal pain , only symptom.

sunshinerunner · 31/07/2015 22:11

Hard to diagnose until the tumour is quite big. Stomach pain and back ache seem to have been over-riding symptoms for person I knew.

Are you ok OP? Are you worried about yourself or someone you know?

rainingsleepingbags · 31/07/2015 22:17

My DM had pain around her rib cage and under her arms, she said it was like gall stone pain but constant. She also had fainting spells, weight loss and loss of appetite, IBS like symptoms as PP said. Incredible fatigue. She was stage IV when she was diagnosed after fainting and a funny turn with her heart (I don't know for sure what happened)

I hope everything's okay OP. Please ask more questions if you need to.

Bonsoir · 31/07/2015 22:23

My mother died of pancreatic cancer in April this year. She had back pain (couldn't lie down at night), very little appetite and itchy skin.

yousuf1 · 31/07/2015 23:22

This is one of those that is so hard to detect that it is only detected

yousuf1 · 31/07/2015 23:26

When it's too late. I suffer with pancreas problems because I have a genetic condition and the dr basically said that they is no screening for pancreatic cancer. It has a very low survival rate, about 6% survive more than 2 years. Sorry to be so blunt it's just that with all the advances in other cancers they doesn't seem to be enough research into pancreatic cancer.

DayLillie · 03/08/2015 11:11

There was something on the news this morning about developing a urine test to detect pancreatic cancer. It is early days but this is good news and hope for the future.

I have read that pancreatic cancer takes about 20 years to develop. It is difficult to diagnose when it finally does have some symptoms. It is difficult to detect on scans before it shows symptoms and the treatment is fairly ineffective even if it is worth trying by the time it is found.

I lost 3 relatives in quick succession, one to this, and the others to something similar in the hepato/billiary area. I have come to the conclusion it is not worth worrying about it. Enjoy today whilst you have it . It is the only way.

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