The Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer | Experiences

Pancreatic cancer is tough to diagnose, and tough to treat. Not everyone will experience every symptom, however it is important to be aware of any changes and talk to your GP if you are concerned.

In this video, we talk to people who have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, as well as the families of those who have supported people living with the disease.

#PancreaticCancerSymptoms #PancreaticCancer

[vickiehalliday]

My dad was so healthy he was 64 years old but looked so young. He didn’t drink, smoke and went to the gym all the time and walked everywhere. In November he started with back pain and the doctor did a blood test and sent him for a scan, he was diagnosed with the worst type of pancreatic cancer you could get. He lost weight so rapidly and within two days of being diagnosed he was in hospital. My dad passed away 4 weeks later, unfortunately this cancer needs more testing it’s awful

[lindaj]

My father-in-law, who died in the 1970s, diagnosed himself with pancreatic cancer, and since he was a doctor and a specialist in Internal Medicine, that should have meant something. However, his own doctor and colleagues in the clinic where he worked didn't agree with him. He even went to the Mayo clinic (from Canada) and was also told there he didn't have pancreatic cancer. He ended up actually getting shock treatments for depression because no one believed he had cancer. And yet, he managed to die of pancreatic cancer. Such a sad and disturbing story.

[JJvisit]

The frustrating thing is that even if you go to your GP or hospital with any of these symptoms - knowing something isn't right; you are highly likely to be sent home multiple times without proper investigations. Stomach pain/back pain/indigestion/itching is largely treated in the first/second/third/fourth instance with painkillers and antibiotics/antacids. Sadly I lost my dear mother very suddenly to this awful disease after multiple trips to her doctor and years (retrospectively) of symptoms. She was never jaundiced, but by the time she was diagnosed she was a few weeks from her death. Unfortunately, physicians rarely take such 'vague' symptoms seriously and the healthcare system (at least in the UK) doesn't seem to support scanning for potential issues before they become catastrophic. Something needs to change. I implore anyone reading this to be your own best advocate and be insistent if you feel something is not right. I miss my mother so so much, every day.

[miastone]

If you have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer please take my advice. Doctor Christopher Wolfgang in New York City is the number one pancreatic and Whipple procedure surgeon in the country he saved my life. My surgery was 7 years ago and I'm still going strong

[johnryan]

I think every GP in the country should watch this.

[mazlummizrak]

Our journey took 9.5 months, never thought I would be here, and convinced myself that we would be in the luckiest survivor group. My mom suffered so much; 2 major Whipple surgeries, and lots of chemo sessions with a three-month hospital stay in only less than a year. So sorry for her, too much pain to bear…

I was fully aware of all possible outcomes, even in earlier stages and the survival rates, but strongly believed that we could at least have min. 2-3 years to spend and fight for it. Never imagined it would last 9.5 months. I’m not telling how all surgeries, treatments, and chemotherapies were delivering excellent results for the first 8 months as doctors were stating… maybe was an illusion… But everything we built up, improved, and achieved all family unified with solidarity collapsed in a month with an abdominal metastasis.

I don't have any words to say, just holding my tears and the pain left in my chest and heart. No words to say. 🖤

[irishravr]

I lost a very good friend in April 2021 to pancreatic cancer, she complained of back pain, then loss of appetite, she lasted 12 weeks after diagnosis. RIP Liz, you are greatly missed.

[merson]

My best friend Nigel passed very quickly after he was diagnosed. He had been complaining about back pain, which he attributed to the drivers seat of his then new Vauxhall Fronterra. Other symptoms included change to the colour of his 'poo' and, all too late, jaundice coloured eyes and skin. RIP Nigel.

[myrnacolon]

I was diagnosed last week… after a misdiagnose…I’ve been on this war for about for months pet scan showed no metastasis as of yet thank God they say I will be getting a few months chemo then supposedly the surgery… I have a government insurance and The only one whom can get me through this is my creator God… he’s the only one whom can guide my time… the team.. and he’s the one whom I’m counting on to pick the right doctors… everything is in his hands…I want to live but I realize we live one day and die the other…so… let me see if I’m still here next year I will let you know🙏🏽🙏🏽

[sandrataylor]

I had all of these symptoms floating poo itching, pain from my front to my back, like a hot poker boring through my body, could not eat absolutely no energy, and chronic jaundice. I had the whipple operation, lost my bile duct duedenum gall bladder and third of my pancreas the cancer was 1.9 cm. I was very lucky my Spanish GP knew what I had just by looking at me, my eyes and skin were yellow and I was scratching. He sent me straight to hospital for a full blood count, my liver was a mess, I then went back to my GP at 2pm and He looked at my results and sent me straight to A&E where I stayed for nearly 3 weeks until they found where the tumour was. I hope my account will save someone’s life. Go straight to your docs if you have any of these symptoms

[lanebashford]

What bothers me the most is that by the time most pancreatic cancer is diagnosed, it's almost too late for most people. A simple CT scan of the entire chest and abdomen would help to rule out masses. Most GPs don't order scans right away, they order blood work. Doctors need to be more aware that many cancers are occuring in even younger people so nothing should be off the table when looking for clues as to a person's condition.

[carolejackson]

Our Mom passed 2 weeKs after entering the hospital, please don’t wait if you feel I’ll.

[damianeadie]

Thanks for making this video.

Our 'health service' fails to keep us healthy and while sometimes makes heroic efforts to combat our illnesses, really should be better educating the public about the various early warning signs for many diseases. It shouldn't fall upon survivors to try and educate the rest of us - but I admire the fact they do.

[lindadarby]

It's ignored by so many doctors, sick of them fobbing off patients, we know something is wrong, just ignored.

[hollyfisher]

My Auntie was told for an entire year that she only had "'Indigestion"~
Her Medical Staff simply kept prescribing acid medications instead of actually ordering a CT-Scan...This sweetest lady was then suddenly gone, in only 3 weeks, after finally being diagnosed💔:(
Same with my own Mom, who had Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer, after being told it was "'Gallstones" for a year!!
She then passed within a few months🌠...

[wholeNwon]

I once saw a pt. with vague digestive complaints and other complaints that made me suspicious enough to order an abd. CT scan. It was read as unremarkable by very good radiologists. Complaints persisted and about 3 wks. later I had an MRI done. Negative again. A few more weeks passed and the pt. was not worse but no better. I suggested a repeat CT or MRI, don't remember which. The pt's. insurance company indicated that they would not pay for a repeat study. I told the pt. that and he said that he would pay for it.
Report: Very suspicious for pancreatic cancer. He was operated and was apparently cured.
Often in diagnosing disease a high index of suspicion and an awareness of the limitations of diagnostic studies as well as tenacity are required.

[toddb]

My 36 year old daughter died two weeks ago from a neuroendocrine tumor which started at the pancreas and enveloped the liver by the time she was diagnosed. The time from diagnosis to death was two months.

[SuperCatwoman]

my father had back pain that got worse and worse and got a CT scan in spring of 2018 and they didn't see anything at all... fast forward to September of that same year and he had a massive tumor on his pancreas and also 2 metastases in his liver. unfortunately because of the way his tumor was located, they weren't able to operate. he fought really hard and got chemotherapy but sadly he passed away in Summer of 2019. I pray that one day there will be better treatment options available for this type of cancer because its awful.

[tinatinac]

My father has had all these symptoms and has been under oncology for lung cancer, they have never said he has pancreatic cancer but I'm convinced he does.

[terrylewis_]

My Dad died in 1996 at 41 years old of pancreatic cancer. He worked up until 2 weeks before passing. It all happened so suddenly! His doctor (our family doctor) felt as though my Dad was a hypochondriac. He was actually there about his ankle which had swollen, and the testing led to other things which led to the diagnosis. I may not even be remembering it all right because I was only 10. Aside from the working part, I do remember that - and we have his agenda where he just ...stopped writing things down. He stopped planning. My Dad worked at a pigment plant in his early 20's called Ciba-Geigy -- my Mom told me that he would have blue stuff come out of his pores when he slept. He became an electrician and eventually worked into management at the local electricity company a few years before passing. I do remember at the time our state had very high cancer rates.