World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Today is World Pancreatic Cancer Day, I know that every day is cheese sarnie day or something similar but indulge me on this one.
Before I got this bloody disease all I knew about it was that it had one of the poorest survivial rates. I didn't know that's because the symptoms can seem so mild or so trivial that it tends to be caught late. I didn't know what the symptoms were at all.
Do you?
Because it could be life or death. Pancreatic cancer UK have a symptoms quiz on their website at https://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/...-the-symptoms/ Doing it will take 2 minutes of your time but could save your life, or that of a friend or family member. I'd
strongly recommend giving it a quick run through, and encouraging others around you to do the same.
Last night my 9 year old daughter was crying into my arms about how unfair it is and can't understand how I went from healthy to "when I hug you I just feel bones" in a few months. It was one of the worst moments of my life, I don't want any of you to need to have a similar conversation.
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Not sure your copy/paste has worked on that URL there chap as I get a page not found..
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Quote:
Originally Posted by
[GSV]Trig
Not sure your copy/paste has worked on that URL there chap as I get a page not found..
Thanks. Think it's fixed now.
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Yeah fixed.
Done, I got 5/7 on the quiz
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
I must admit the cheese sarnie day part made me laugh out loud.
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
6/7 and a really good link and heartfelt post OP. It isn't fair, none of it is. Am I allowed to ask what you said to your daughter? Totally understand if you'd rather not share.
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ik9000
6/7 and a really good link and heartfelt post OP. It isn't fair, none of it is. Am I allowed to ask what you said to your daughter? Totally understand if you'd rather not share.
Well my wife and I ended up crying too, explained that it's not fair but we'd make the best of it we can, that sometimes crying about something helps us feel a bit better afterwards and trying to remind her of all the good times we've had too recently. That and how proud of her I am and how much I love her, and always will.
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Life isn't fair, if it was, what would be the point?
Not sure what I'd tell the offspring if it were me in your shoes..
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Thanks spacein_vader. Not quite sure how but got 7 out of 7. The problem is I often have indigestion/tummy pain (probably from stress) and have had for years. I can see how anyone could miss have it so, so easily given such generic symptoms. Horrible so thanks for spreading awareness.
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
I feel thick for only getting 5/7 now, screw y'all..
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
I only got 5 too, so don't worry Trig :) I'll know better going forward.
spacein_vader, I really hope it is the best Christmas you have ever had and that you are able to make the most of it with your family.
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Quote:
Originally Posted by
spacein_vader
...
Before I got this bloody disease all I knew about it was that it had one of the poorest survivial rates. I didn't know that's because the symptoms can seem so mild or so trivial that it tends to be caught late. I didn't know what the symptoms were at all.
Do you?
I did .... because this bloke I know got it and I went looking.
Part of the problem is that most (or all) of those symptoms can be anything from, well, indigestion or constipation to ... you know what. And other cancers can have completely different symptoms, also apparently innocuous, and yet if ignored, deadly.
We have to try to strike a balance between not rushing to the GP or A&E every time we belch or a curry causes ... ummm, irregular 'movements' but not ignoring persistent if seemingly trivial issues either. If it seems to not go away, over a period (the video says 4 weeks) get checked.
Also, I've said before, if you get offered a screening program (I got one for bowel cancer a year or so ago), then (IMHO) the mindset that says "I'm busy at the moment, I'll get around to it" is idiotic and could cost you your life.
I know this is about pancreatic cancer, and I don't want to detract from that but the same logic, with differing symptoms, applies to other cancers too. No need to panic and always assume the worst, but persistent and unusual symptoms? It might be serious. Very serious. Get checked.
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
6/7, - didn't expect indigestion. Good site.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Saracen999
Part of the problem is that most (or all) of those symptoms can be anything from, well, indigestion or constipation to ... you know what. And other cancers can have completely different symptoms, also apparently innocuous, and yet if ignored, deadly.
We have to try to strike a balance between not rushing to the GP or A&E every time we belch or a curry causes ... ummm, irregular 'movements' but not ignoring persistent if seemingly trivial issues either. If it seems to not go away, over a period (the video says 4 weeks) get checked.
Also, I've said before, if you get offered a screening program (I got one for bowel cancer a year or so ago), then (IMHO) the mindset that says "I'm busy at the moment, I'll get around to it" is idiotic and could cost you your life.
I know this is about pancreatic cancer, and I don't want to detract from that but the same logic, with differing symptoms, applies to other cancers too. No need to panic and always assume the worst, but persistent and unusual symptoms? It might be serious. Very serious. Get checked.
Completely agree, it's a hard balance. I find it difficult with my own experience of appendix cancer to tell anyone to get checked out when I had no long term symptoms of my own.
Speaking to everyone, the only symptom I had was trapped wind for 3 days which cleared up on it's own. For two weeks after that I was fine, then one evening my tumour, appendix & colon all decided to burst, I was in a lot of pain, but the stupid thing is I didn't even ring the hospital that night. I only called 111 in the morning and they sent a doctor round, he just put it down to a vomiting bug, by early afternoon I started to feel better and progressively so for the next week. It wasn't until 2 weeks later that I ended up in A&E as 1 by 1 organs & functions started to fail quite rapidly.
They still didn't diagnose me until 3 1/2 months after being in A&E. The scans I had in A&E were masked by loads of bile & debris within the problem area. But during those few months things had spread rapidly from appendix to the bowel & liver as well as a fistula providing me with all sorts of on-going complications.
I mainly wanted to highlight just how fast things can move regardless of what cancer you may end up having, going from dormant to stage IV in 4 months. Considering some people can have symptoms for years so it's never too early.
What I can speak about at least is the path of diagnosis, and whatever symptoms you or someone you know has, you will mostly go through some minor discomfort. At no point was I made to feel embarrassed or scared, I had lots of reassurance. They can do a lot of biopsies without having to put you to sleep or perform any major intrusion. In a lot of cases you will be awake and not feel a thing or even realise they've done it. So if you or someone you know has ignored symptoms for a while it really isn't a scary process to go and get yourself checked out.
Having similar diagnosis & treatments to TotalBiscuit/Cynical Brit I found watching his videos gave me a lot of mental strength even knowing that he sadly didn't make it.
When speaking about getting checked out, one of the best things he said was, "if it turns out to be nothing, celebrate that it's nothing" and that couldn't be more true.
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AGTDenton
6/7, - didn't expect indigestion. Good site.
Completely agree, it's a hard balance. I find it difficult with my own experience of appendix cancer to tell anyone to get checked out when I had no long term symptoms of my own.
Speaking to everyone, the only symptom I had was trapped wind for 3 days which cleared up on it's own. For two weeks after that I was fine, then one evening my tumour, appendix & colon all decided to burst, I was in a lot of pain, but the stupid thing is I didn't even ring the hospital that night. I only called 111 in the morning and they sent a doctor round, he just put it down to a vomiting bug, by early afternoon I started to feel better and progressively so for the next week. It wasn't until 2 weeks later that I ended up in A&E as 1 by 1 organs & functions started to fail quite rapidly.
They still didn't diagnose me until 3 1/2 months after being in A&E. The scans I had in A&E were masked by loads of bile & debris within the problem area. But during those few months things had spread rapidly from appendix to the bowel & liver as well as a fistula providing me with all sorts of on-going complications.
I mainly wanted to highlight just how fast things can move regardless of what cancer you may end up having, going from dormant to stage IV in 4 months. Considering some people can have symptoms for years so it's never too early.
What I can speak about at least is the path of diagnosis, and whatever symptoms you or someone you know has, you will mostly go through some minor discomfort. At no point was I made to feel embarrassed or scared, I had lots of reassurance. They can do a lot of biopsies without having to put you to sleep or perform any major intrusion. In a lot of cases you will be awake and not feel a thing or even realise they've done it. So if you or someone you know has ignored symptoms for a while it really isn't a scary process to go and get yourself checked out.
Having similar diagnosis & treatments to TotalBiscuit/Cynical Brit I found watching his videos gave me a lot of mental strength even knowing that he sadly didn't make it.
When speaking about getting checked out, one of the best things he said was, "if it turns out to be nothing, celebrate that it's nothing" and that couldn't be more true.
It is so hard to know is it cancer or not when the symptoms are mild. I've been having prostate trouble for last year. My dad had prostate cancer in his 50s. Because I'm just 40 all I get from doctors is you're too young it can't be cancer (there have only been ~5 known cases of people my age having prostate cancer worldwide) but it makes me wonder should I push more? Its just a shame the NHS is so stretched which make you more hesitant to push and doctor's more likely to push back when its such a low probability... (You can do a blood test for prostate cancer but it doesn't work before ~45)
Anyway enough about my worries. Lets hope we continue to get better and better detection tools for cancer and less and less people suffer its effects.
I hope things are going better AGTDenton?
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cheesemp
It is so hard to know is it cancer or not when the symptoms are mild. I've been having prostate trouble for last year. My dad had prostate cancer in his 50s. Because I'm just 40 all I get from doctors is you're too young it can't be cancer (there have only been ~5 known cases of people my age having prostate cancer worldwide) but it makes me wonder should I push more? Its just a shame the NHS is so stretched which make you more hesitant to push and doctor's more likely to push back when its such a low probability...
Do you have any sort of private medical through work?
If so I'd go down that route.
You say low probability, but low isn't 0 is it, better to push and be wrong, or be right and catch it early, especially as there's history of it in the family, than wait until you are the right age to be tested properly and it be too late..
Re: World Pancreatic Cancer Day
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cheesemp
It is so hard to know is it cancer or not when the symptoms are mild. I've been having prostate trouble for last year. My dad had prostate cancer in his 50s. Because I'm just 40 all I get from doctors is you're too young it can't be cancer (there have only been ~5 known cases of people my age having prostate cancer worldwide) but it makes me wonder should I push more? Its just a shame the NHS is so stretched which make you more hesitant to push and doctor's more likely to push back when its such a low probability... (You can do a blood test for prostate cancer but it doesn't work before ~45)
...
You're right, of course, the load on the NHS does make it harder to justify pushing, even to yourself. It's also certainly the case that unusual prostate 'behaviour' can be a lot of things that aren't cancer. And it probably isn't.
Probably.
So, would you play 'russian' roulette because you probably wouldn't get unlucky? Even if it was 1 in 1000, 1 in 10,000, rather than 1 in 6, would you? No, me neither.
Catching cancer early is often the difference between it being treatable and, well, not.
My prostate has had it's own moments and give me a scare or two .... no, actually, concern is a better word than scare, and it wasn't cancer. But a direct family history would, for me, be enough to make me push.
If you do, the worst that can happen is it isn't cancerous some inconvenience for you and the NHS. And that's pretty likely. But if you don't, and it is .... :( :( :(
You married? Kids? Rhetorical questions, BTW, not me being nosy.
Russian roulette, anybody?