Pancreatic cancer

[Snooper1]

Hi Jojo
The trouble is that I don't know what constitutes evidence. The gp tests have been ok but the recent home blood glucose tests show high levels. Am worried that pancreatic cancer is damaging ability to control sugar.

[jojo2316]

Had you eaten before your blood glucose? I suspect you should avoid home tests - I’ve fallen into that trap before..... and I always end up scaring myself! If you do a test enough times, under improper conditions, you always end up with a positive result.
But anyway, diabetes, should you have it, does not suggest pancreatic cancer. Only a tiny fraction of new diabetic patients have pancreatic cancer. And so back to what constitutes objective evidence: do you think a non health anxiety person would be testing their own blood sugar?
And if they did have high blood sugar would they attribute it to pancreatic cancer?
I suspect NO!!

[Snooper1]

HI
i tested it before and 2 hours after eating. Even 2 hours after it was 10.7. I realise that testing it myself is probably not a good idea but am really struggling with what is physically happening to me; v sharp upper abdo pains, non absorption of fat, sweating, left flank pains etc. Now the blood sugar thing. I worry because its 3 months since the ct scan and if it was small enough not be seen then it could well have grown in the 3 months.

i really appreciate your posts in trying to help me. I have a telephone appointment with my doc on Friday before she goes on holiday for 2 weeks but i doubt she is going to agree to doing more investigations. I feel i am stuck with dealing with something i know is serious but without the ability to get the gp engaged.

i can see from the posts here that you have posted here before with the same fear and that we came across each other on another site. I hope you are well and have overcome the fear.

[Fishmanpa]

At least you're doing the right thing by seeking real life help. Yes, it will take time and effort, but real life help is the way to go.

Think of it like dieting. You don't gain 50 pounds overnight and it takes a while to take that weight off. One day at a time. Also, make sure to discuss your reassurance seeking here as well as the self testing. Those behaviors will hinder your recovery.

Positive thoughts

[jojo2316]

Ha! No I have not overcome my fear!! But I am in therapy and do recognise my problem so hopefully that is a bit of the battle won!
I also have sharp upper abdominal pains and sometimes I worry I am going yellow and that my stools are pale. I’ve paid for an ultrasound privately which showed nothing as well has colonoscopy/Gastroscopy (which showed gastritis). But my fear is not confined to pancreatic cancer- I’ve “had” them all!! I’m not sure if that makes my brand of HA better or worse!

[Inanna]

Hi Snooper1




I can identify with everything you have posted, I feel exactly the same myself, except I am convinced it is stomach cancer. So far I have only had a load of blood tests, but I should be getting an appointment for an endoscopy soon. GP diagnosed gastritis, but this has been going on for 2 months now :-(



Really sorry to hear about your Mum, that must be awful for you. My Dad died last year, and things are still difficult, and your grief will be so, so raw..


I get some of the symptoms you describe. The flank pain, pain under ribs, little appetite, as well as pain/burning in my stomach.


The anxiety I feel is all consuming, and has got worse during the menopause.


I just wanted to tell you that you are not alone, as I find comfort knowing other feel the same, we can't all have terminal illnesses can we? keep posting

[Snooper1]

Thank you for all of the responses. I do realise that i suffer from health anxiety but this does not account for all of the physical stuff that is going on

malabsorption of fat
erratic glucose levels
sharp pains in abdomen
weight loss

What is worse is that i know when i raise these concerns with the gp that she will simply refer to the consultants report a month ago and say that it cant be pancreatic cancer because he said so. At the moment i feel like i am drowning and nobody with the authority to investigate medically is listening.

[wilky44]

Firstly, forget about doing any home testing. Completely unreliable, and of no relevance whatsoever when compared to testing performed by medical professionals.

Secondly, sharp pains can be caused by a number of things, not just pancreatic cancer. Anxiety is one of these, and it can also cause weight loss.

You don't know you have malabsorption of fat, and you have none of the red flag symptoms for pancreatic cancer.

You had various tests, all negative, medical professionals tell you that you don't have anything seriously wrong, yet you're choosing to ignore all of these on the basis of what you've read on Google and unreliable home testing kits.

You don't have pancreatic cancer, you have HA. Address this and you'll be in a better place.

---------- Post added at 12:45 ---------- Previous post was at 12:43 ----------

What is worse is that i know when i raise these concerns with the gp that she will simply refer to the consultants report a month ago and say that it cant be pancreatic cancer because he said so. At the moment i feel like i am drowning and nobody with the authority to investigate medically is listening.

And why should they? They've done their job thoroughly, so why don't you believe them? Further testing is irrelevant and not needed.

[jojo2316]

I second what Wilkie says: how do you know you have malabsorption of fat? You CANNOT judge that yourself. I’ve wrongly diagnosed myself with that before... floating poo with a greasy film on top of the water? Yup. And even if you do have malabsorption I don’t think it can be a pancreatic issue because your bile ducts are clear. Bacterial imbalances etc can cause it.
You mentioned pancreatic insufficiency: will your consultant check for this?
As for weight loss and tummy pains..... you have had an incredibly tough time recently: is it any wonder you have physical symptoms?
Let me ask you this (one my therapist has asked me) How sure are you have pancreatic cancer - put a percentage on it (99%? 70%? 3%?). Try to weigh up all the evidence as objectively as you can....taking into account how many people in your age group will be diagnosed with it in any given year (1 in 13,500 - I did the sums for you!) ; and also taking into account all your negative tests. Try to take an impartial view. You are not Ruth. How likely is it that Ruth has pancreatic cancer?

[ktdid2000]

Just popping in to say I'm going through something similar for the past month or so...stomach pains/uneasiness, feelings of fullness/burping, some very mild back pain on and off. I've also gone off the rails and self-diagnosed with stomach cancer or pancreatic cancer. I also know either of those are beyond rare in my age group (mid-30s). It's most likely something like gastritis or an ulcer or maybe just plain old HA. Still, that's not how HA works of course.

I've managed to put off seeing the doctors twice now but have finally given in and have an appointment on Monday. I'm sure he'll want to do some tests, suspect nothing that I suspect, and I'll walk out with some sort of diet plan or something generic - basically his way of saying "I understand you feel crappy but I can find nothing wrong with you."

I know because I went through this and have gone through this at least twice now - last year with fear of colon cancer due to bowel movement changes (which somehow disappeared like magic after I saw the gastro about 4 times and took more stool samples than I care to remember), and breast cancer with a lump I found which turned out to be a cyst (after 5 ultrasounds, a mammogram, and a visit to a specialist to confirm since I was so scared they were missing something).

This is what the cycle of reassurance-seeking will get you. A neverending quest for the "answer", 100%, which no one in earth can give you (a good doc will get you to at least 98% confidence). It is difficult, time-consuming, expensive, and when you are not in a HA spiral you will wonder why you ever did it in the first place. :(