View Full Version : Pancreas Fear
Hi there, I'm a 42 year old male with some serious pancreas fear right now. Here's a brief timeline and I am hoping for some reassurance.
April--started having one sided headaches and just feeling off which started this whole health anxiety with brain tumor worries.
May--began having trouble sleeping...went to GP and got on some sleep meds and sertraline for anxiety. From April to June lost about 20-25 lbs (down from 245), very little sleep, a ton of pacing
July--noticed lumps on upper thigh....ultrasound diagnosed as fatty lipomas but that started me down the general cancer train. Bloodwork came back fine with all that. Stomach was swollen a bit, bowel movements increased in frequency and noticed some floaters; increased flatulence and belching. Abdominal/pelvic CT scan came back unremarkable. Gastro wanted me to do endoscopy and colonoscopy.
August--endoscopy showed reflux, colonoscopy nothing. Reflux med handled the odd feeling in throat and seemed to cut down belching quite a bit.
September--got some kind of laryngitis and doc thought virus. Generally do not feel myself...a little spacy, sweaty, etc. Wife and son both seem to have caught something as well so my hope is that I actually did have a virus. Ran own bloodwork and came back with low MPV.
Have noticed some upper and lower abdominal pain on both sides, very low key, pain in upper back when I wake up that goes away after I've been awake for a while (there is actually a giant thread on this somewhere), dark circles under and around eyes that have been building since early summer.
So my fear right now, based on general feeling of malaise, somewhat frequent bowel movements (about...30-40% of which are floaters, some dark, some light brown and sorry for TMI), circles under eyes, flatulence etc. is pancreatic cancer. Couple of things I am trying to focus on:
1) I have gained back all of the weight I've lost. It's mostly fat because I haven't been eating well at all but...I feel like that would be very hard to do if I had pancreatic cancer.
2) Abdominal CT scan showed nothing. I know things can be misread and that CT doesnt always get at pancreas but I feel like that was a very good sign.
3) Circles under eyes--terrible sleep for a long time, I use a sleep med (trazodone) which I know can't be quality sleep. My iron levels were decent on last bloods done Friday.
Anyhow, I have an appt with gastro on Thurs and will be bringing this stuff up with her. I am just trying to think positive and that the weight gain and good CT scan mitigate against something more sinister.
I can reassure you that the doctor appointment is all you need to think about.
Tis true. Thanks for that.
almamatters
13-09-16, 15:45
I would be happy that I the CT scan was normal if I was you, i wanted a CT as I didn't believe an ultrasound was thorough enough, I was assured that it was, like you I was very worried about pancreas issues at the time.
Thanks man. I wish it were the other way around--heard that ultrasounds can be better than CT scan with pancreas.
paranoid-viking
13-09-16, 15:58
Well, I say one thing - this is not pancreatic cancer. Why? You have had these symtoms for 5 months, and although some of them; far from all, are found in PC yours are generally mild. PC is violent pains and the victims lose their apetite alltogether. True; it may start with mild symptoms, but this progres into severe symtoms very fast and as soon as they ocur the victim has very short time left. Actually, the normal life excpectency for a PC patient after the victim gets themm and go untreated is 6 months maximum. You have ha discomfort, but no violent symptoms for 5 months. Cant be pan cancer. Otherwise you would be to ill to sit here and write. You would probably be dead for that matter.
I had a terrible fear of PC and googled viciously about it but I can tell you this: 2 newspaper articles about PC victims. Later found out that one had died one month after the diagnosis and the other 5 months. Both were under cancer tratment. You have every possible odds with you; in other words; it is impossible you have pancreatic cancer. The fact that you have gained weight is actually a VERY VERY good sign that you are not suffering from something bad.
Anyway; you do probably indeed have some sort of digestive disorder. They found a lot of acid, right? I have been diagnosed with acid reflux for 10 years. I have not felt acid in my throat for 10 years because of the medicine but I can tell you it got worse and worse over the years. Were you prescribed Nexium?
But I think there is also here a mix of a non dangerous digestive disorder and health anxiety. After all; mild muscle pains, diarreah, headache, gas in stomach and sleeping disturbance are all symptoms of health anxiety. You obviously had a mild virus like your wife and son. When we allready panic about one condition we think that any sign of ilness or discomfort, big or small is a part of the same disease.
Circles under eyes/redness in eyes is a symtom of lack of sleep. And a sign that you need to rest more.
I am also on the pancrea worrying list but wonder: is it nescescarry to take endoscopy to see the pancrea? I had endoscopy 10 years ago and it was the most painful thing I have ever done and dread the thoought of doing it again.
Thanks for the response man. I really appreciate it. Yeah, I am focusing on the weight gain (and I did ask doc to look at my stomach and make sure it wasn't fluid/ascities...I was happy to know he had experience with ascites and could tell me it wasn't).
The bowel stuff has been more like 2-3 months but again I feel like if I am going to the bathroom 3-4 times a day and have gained 20 lbs of mostly belly fat over that time...how could it be cancer?
Anyhow, I'm hanging my hat on that for now. Thanks again for your thoughts, I really appreciate them.
---------- Post added at 11:49 ---------- Previous post was at 11:33 ----------
Also she took endoscopy to look at esophagus bc of the burping and swallowing issues
Appointment today with gp about last bloods and will ask about general fatigue; GI doc tomorrow to go over bowel symptoms and ask about panc testing. One day at a time.
Keep talking back to the anxiety: how could I have gained 20 lbs since July if I had an active cancer--seems like that would be incredibly incredibly unlikely
paranoid-viking
14-09-16, 11:38
Then you would have been a medical sensation and cancer researchers would line up to look at you.
This is my hope. I just can't fathom a pancreatic issue look the one I fear allowing the body to gain any weight.
paranoid-viking
14-09-16, 12:10
I have some of the fear like you have although I am calm about it not being cancer, but i fear pancreatitis; I am really scared about getting it although people around me reasure me I will be fine. What I cling on to as hope is that my apetite is normal and that I suffer more from constipation than from diarreah; and constipation is not a typical symptom of pancreatitis.
What I have heard about pancreatitis is that the pain is unmistakable...so you probably don't have it!
Hi Joe,
If you have gained 20 lb in 2-3 months but you are going to the bathroom 3-4 times a day (I assume for number twos), then perhaps you do need to look at your diet.
Can your doctor refer you to a dietician who will go over what you are eating and suggest a diet plan?
Great post, thanks. It's funny, I have only started putting together the fact that I eat a ton when I am NOT anxious at nights. Appetite during day is pretty minimal as the anxiety takes hold. At night, in the evenings, I eat a lot and most of it kind of crappy. Seems like the stuff I am worried about wouldn't cause such a schedule.
GI doc actually has a nutritionist on staff and she's tagged that as the next thing to talk about. Great minds think alike
paranoid-viking
14-09-16, 14:44
I try hard to reasure myself I dont have chronic pancreatitis but it is hard and the fear is almost constant.
My checklist for the early symptoms:
pain in your upper abdomen
-not really pain, but a dull discomfort llike a needle is poking here and there
diarrhea
-not usually. Quite the oposite actually I am suffering a lot from constipation. Actually I only had diarreah after taking the stomach medicine pursenid(not recommended)
fatty stools, which are loose, pale, and don’t flush away easily
-after taking pursenid yes, but again mostly constipation. For the most part the stools have had a brown normal color
nausea and vomiting
-not at all
unexplained weight loss
-nope
excessive thirst and fatigue
-no, no excessive thirst(which is a diabetes symptom I guess). Fatigue I have felt now and then througout my entire life espcially when I have helath anxiety and other anxiety
And for the more progresed symptoms:
pancreatic fluids in your abdomen
jaundice, which is characterized by a yellowish discoloration in your eyes and skin
internal bleeding
intestinal blockage
No, no, no and no.
But I have had and still has a recuring discomfort, not pain but discomfort in my upper left side and that is what scares the stool out of me becuse i read it is a red flag symptom for pancreatitis; and the discomfort is radiating towards to the back. And more scary; that this discomfort came twice after having some beers. But it has happened in periods without beer also.
Freaking out just a little bit--saw gp about bloodwork issue which he wasn't worried about (good!) and then told him I seeing GI about pancreas worries, described my symptoms a bit, and talked about gaining weight. Was hoping he would say "oh yeah folks never gain weight when they have something that serious" but he said that would be unusual but that he looked forward to hearing that from an expert tomorrow. Not how I wanted the appointment to end. I guess I understand but now I am freaking out that he heard something troubling and didn't want to say more.
ScaredMama
14-09-16, 20:53
So tomorrow you have the GI doctor?
Yes. My hope is that the 20+ pound weight gain mitigates against the worst fear. Who knows. I'm scared, I won't lie.
paranoid-viking
14-09-16, 23:33
Freaking out just a little bit--saw gp about bloodwork issue which he wasn't worried about (good!) and then told him I seeing GI about pancreas worries, described my symptoms a bit, and talked about gaining weight. Was hoping he would say "oh yeah folks never gain weight when they have something that serious" but he said that would be unusual but that he looked forward to hearing that from an expert tomorrow. Not how I wanted the appointment to end. I guess I understand but now I am freaking out that he heard something troubling and didn't want to say more.
Doctors have to say that because they can never be 100% sure. The again; it is not at all unlikely that you have some sort of digestive disorder; but you should put the fear of cancer to rest.
Cam to think of it; do you react different to some food products more than others? Food intolerance is far from uncommon and can trigger digestive problems. Were you tested for it? Anyway; I wish you the best of luck. Fingers crossed.
Thanks dude. My diet is complete crap right now so could very well be the main bad actor here.
Upper back pain after sleeping last two nights. Super nervous and scared...appt in 3 hrs and prepping to hear that she wants me to get tested somehow
GI appt...told her my symptoms (after reading an article that weight gain can definitely happen in malabsorption which made my heart sink).
She is still very very confident that weight gain couldnt occur like that with PC, and very confident I do not have it but is having me do a stool test to follow through on symptoms. If that comes back positive for fat, then another CT scan. If we do that I will ask for the pancreatic protocol.
That article on malabsorption weight gain really shook me.
ScaredMama
15-09-16, 18:24
Well if the doctor is confident than so am I. Now shit in that cup and send it off quick so we can wait for more answers!
Dropping it off now. I don't feel good about this.
ScaredMama
15-09-16, 19:22
Us HA sufferers never feel good about anything. The waiting game is going to suck. Any idea when the results will be in? How did the stool look?
Stool looked fatty. Wish that were not the case. 72 hours.
ScaredMama
15-09-16, 22:23
72 hours? We can do it! Go back to my thread in a minute for a laugh.
I am fighting not to catastrophise now. Every little pain elsewhere in my body is a metastasis. Once the test comes back I will have like one month left. Etc.
ScaredMama
16-09-16, 01:21
Yeah a week ago I had metastatic melanoma, a month ago I had metastatic pancreatic cancer, today I had metastatic basal cell carcinoma. I am getting so tired of dying in my head, that I'm not living in real life.
Hi Joe,
Good luck with the nutritionist. I'm of the opinion that a steady weight gain over a short period of time is a negative indicator of most physical illnesses.
paranoid-viking
16-09-16, 11:50
Thanks dude. My diet is complete crap right now so could very well be the main bad actor here.
Hve you tried a gluten and lactose free diet?
---------- Post added at 12:48 ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 ----------
Yeah a week ago I had metastatic melanoma, a month ago I had metastatic pancreatic cancer, today I had metastatic basal cell carcinoma. I am getting so tired of dying in my head, that I'm not living in real life.
Metastatic cancer? Dont you think that is *a bit* too far fetched? You are now extremely scared; I know I will be one week from now as it will be the last weekend before my ultrasound. But now you are scaring yourself up hysterically. As a result, your muscles and nerves are not at ease. It is constantly shaking I guess? It produces all sort of discomforts. Perhaps you should ask your doctor for some medicine to calm down the nerves and anxiety. I got prescribed a mild form for valium; I have not used it yet as I am of nature very sceptical to hard drugs like valium. But I will perhaps take one if the anxiety starts to really kill me. In your case I think I would do it.
But you dont have metastatic cancer, trust me on that one. Then you would be to sick to sit here and write. You would be rolling around in undescribable pain.
---------- Post added at 12:50 ---------- Previous post was at 12:48 ----------
I am fighting not to catastrophise now. Every little pain elsewhere in my body is a metastasis. Once the test comes back I will have like one month left. Etc.
Whatever it is that you have it is not something that will kill you within a month. Trust me on that.
Thanks everyone. I will keep you all posted.
---------- Post added at 07:38 ---------- Previous post was at 07:29 ----------
And thanks Viking. The PC stories are very scary.
paranoid-viking
17-09-16, 00:25
How is it going my friend? I would like to hear the updates.
Just waiting for the stool test results. Maybe Tuesday? Next step would be CT scan. Trying real hard to just relax this weekend.
paranoid-viking
17-09-16, 15:10
You should definetly realax. And please do not do any google search.
Food Network is a nice distraction all in all.
Looks like the lab does work on weekends so maybe results tomorrow. Had a decent enough day yesterday but much more anxious today.
---------- Post added at 12:21 ---------- Previous post was at 11:27 ----------
And again like a broken record I am telling myself that a process of weight loss that happened in late spring would almost certainly not reverse course after a few months untreated and/or weight could not slowly be creeping up if this were PC (up about 17 lbs in a month and a half.)
Still waiting on results. They send that test out so it takes a week instead of 2-3 days. Trying hard to just stay in the moment but pretty anxious.
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