Fat in stools + diabetes = pancreatic cancer?

[Pamplemousse]

I am going out of my mind at the moment.

A couple of times now, I have seen these globules that are pale and about the size of a grape in my stools. After my last blood test, my Hba1c levels were quite high (I'm diabetic)

Googling the globules says they're likely fat. And that it can be caused by pancreas issues... including pancreatic cancer. The one you don't survive.

I'm supposed to be going for counselling for depression and anxiety tomorrow, but I don't think I'll bother. What's the point?

[Fishmanpa]

I'm supposed to be going for counselling for depression and anxiety tomorrow, but I don't think I'll bother. What's the point?

The point is to help stop you from shooting yourself in the foot (Googling) and always latching on to the worst case scenario. You would get treatment is you were physically ill. Why are you fighting the treatment for your mental illness?

Positive thoughts

[Pamplemousse]

Because pancreatic cancer trumps depression?

[nomorepanic]

So you are not going to bother treating the anxiety because you think you have cancer that hasn't been diagnosed. How does that work?

[Pamplemousse]

Okay, it's a big leap but... if you had pancreatic cancer and anxiety, your time left is limited - in most cases, a few months. So would you not rather put your affairs in order than mess about trying to get a mental issue sorted? I know that sounds irrational and probably a bit abrasive too (for which I apologise) but suddenly, things in my overall health seem to fit.

I also have this belief that on previous incidents - my mother was the first of her siblings to lose her spouse, then the first of her family to die, and I am the first of my siblings to lose a spouse, it follows that I will be the first of my family to die. I'm certainly in the worst health of them. 54 is a bit early to go but right now, it's all I can think about.

[nomorepanic]

But you don't have it.

I would treat the depression to be honest to be able to cope better with life.

[Pamplemousse]

I don't know if I have it - it's just a fear that occurred today. I'm lucky that I can hide myself away at work and lie down in a darkened room at the moment as I am struggling to keep the tears back.

[nomorepanic]

Sounds like depression so go to the appointment tomorrow.

[Pamplemousse]

I can but try - but I am also going to try and book an appointment with a doctor - not easy at my practice, it typically takes 3-4 weeks to get one.

[axolotl]

Your anxiety has seen you getting help on the horizon and has thrown up a fake excuse for you to bin the help that will give you the skills to get better.

Don't let it win.

[nomorepanic]

Yup 4 weeks is normal now in the UK.

Good luck tomorrow.

[Pamplemousse]

Right now, I'm more concerned about symptoms than anxiety issues - until this sprung up I was quite happy to be going, I even have my course notes with me.

But this seems to have rendered it all pointless.

[axolotl]

Right now, I'm more concerned about symptoms than anxiety issues - until this sprung up I was quite happy to be going, I even have my course notes with me.

But this seems to have rendered it all pointless.

See my previous post.

Anxiety can be sneaky. It doesn't want you to get better. It's not being nasty, it thinks it has your best interests at heart, but it's your brain's defence mechanism gone haywire. It thinks you need to be hyper-alert to danger, even when none exists.

At the 11th hour it's thrown the thought into your head 'Hey, your poo looks a bit weird. Why not Google that? Pancreatic cancer, huh? Well don't worry about your silly old anxiety, you have better things to worry about, eh?'.

But it's a lie! Don't let the anxiety win. Your therapy will help you deal with these situations next time.

You, in all likelihood, don't have pancreatic cancer. You do have crippling anxiety and depression. They are not illnesses to take lightly. Look after yourself and go to the appointment.

[Pamplemousse]

I've had depression for many years now, and the health anxiety comes and goes over the years. I've even had CBT in the past for it and recently I have started to struggle again.

But this is by far the scariest one - it fits current symptoms and health issues, and after all the years of "have I got this?" my family now ignore me. And I'm terrified that I've cried wolf once too often and now... my worst nightmare is about to come true.

Right now, all I want is to be at home, in bed, with my teddy bears and a sleeping pill. Because then I will be asleep and hopefully in no state to worry.

[nomorepanic]

Did you not look at the other reasons for your concerns apart from cancer. I had a quick look and didn't even find cancer mentioned in the first few hits.

Your HA has decided to allow you to believe you have cancer and you need help with treating that.

[Pamplemousse]

This is true - there are numerous causes of what I'm seeing in my poo, but it's the idea that I have worsened HBa1c readings recently, a diabetes nurse that put the fear of God into me the last time I saw her and to me at least, it points to my pancreas failing with cancer the most likely outcome...

[Pamplemousse]

A sleeping tablet worked well last night. I went to the course today - by coincidence it dealt with worry, both hypothetical and practical. Setting aside thoughts until my "worry time" (and when/where that should be) is going to be incredibly difficult, and one of the therapists took me to one side to discuss future needs. I'll get a fortnight's practice at this as there's no session next week.

[Kingdawson]

A sleeping tablet worked well last night. I went to the course today - by coincidence it dealt with worry, both hypothetical and practical. Setting aside thoughts until my "worry time" (and when/where that should be) is going to be incredibly difficult, and one of the therapists took me to one side to discuss future needs. I'll get a fortnight's practice at this as there's no session next week.
Don't rely on sleeping tablets and solve the main issue which is obviously anxiety.

[Pamplemousse]

Well, I'd had a quiet week and thought I'd got the better of this fear - until I weighed myself last night and noticed I'd lost a fair bit of weight. Trouble is, I have been trying to do the same, but I can't remember when I last weighed myself so that sent me into a spiral. Today I drove into work (80 miles) in a complete daze. I'm worried that the blood test the diabetes nurse was so keen for me to have is because she suspects it too. I have an appointment for the 23rd but right now all I want to do is curl up in a ball and go to bed and sleep it away :weep:

[Katie55]

Hi Pamplemousse what exactly did your nurse say and what was the blood test? I'm diabetic too, type 2 which is a progressive disease so that could be why your level was higher. If you're type 1 you might just need an adjustment to your insulin. I know that you will already know this but HA makes you ignore the logical answer and it needs someone else to point it out

[Pamplemousse]

Hi,

I had a blood test a few weeks ago for an unrelated matter and all was okay there - as far as diabetes (type 2, diagnosed 2014) goes, my last blood test in July produced an HBa1c figure of 146 which really caused mayhem. A urine test not long after produced 'normal, no action needed' results.

Since the original post my stools have settled down and are suitably brown: urine seems a normal colour as long as I have plenty of fluids.

But today, I've felt rubbish all day with worry - even having a meal sent me into a panic attack because I felt more full than I expected (as I am now). Tomorrow I'm supposed to be having a nice day trip on a steam train, but I worry I'll just not enjoy it with this anxiety hanging over me.

A bit of me does wonder if it's simply down to my pancreas giving up the ghost and I will need to take insulin. But at 54, I am in a risk group for it.

And I just want to curl up in a ball and cry.

[Katie55]

Don't despair. If your HBA1C is so high it will make you feel bad. July isn't that long ago, it takes a while to come down. What meds are you on? There are a few meds before insulin but 3 people I know who are type 2 and have eventually gone onto insulin say it's a relief. Keep working on reducing your HBA1C. I really do sympathise as I've had a fear of PC too.

[Pamplemousse]

Hi,

I'm on 2g of slow release Metformin, and recently have been put on Forxiga/dapagliflozin to try and bring the HBa1c down. This does make you wee glucose out, so might account for some of the weight loss, but not all of it?

I'm currently having treatment for anxiety and depression, but a targeted therapy for health anxiety is yet to happen.

I'm simply not ready to die yet, but who is? :weep:

[Katie55]

Metformin makes me lose weight. Another thing that makes me lose weight is anxiety. No idea how or why but I lose an average of 7lb during a spell of anxiety.

[Pamplemousse]

Well, since this all started it has become obvious to people I know that I am losing weight, and rapidly. So tomorrow I shall join the 8 o'clock scramble to get a doctors appointment.

But one other thing has come to light: what I first thought was a globule of fat in my stool, wasn't. I saw one today so (graphic content alert) I grabbed it from the stool and examined it. It looked like a large tablet: either one of my vitamin supplements or possibly, my slow-release Metformin. It had hardly been touched by my digestive system. So what this means for me, I do not know any more. But the weight loss has been scary - nearly a stone in two weeks :weep:

[Shadowhawk]

Metformin makes me lose weight. Another thing that makes me lose weight is anxiety. No idea how or why but I lose an average of 7lb during a spell of anxiety.
I realize you are in a spiral, and sometimes there is just no way to recover without seeing a doctor (and even then, it doesn't always help); but i want to reiterate the post quoted - Both the metformin and stress are KNOWN to cause weight loss in many individuals. I know in my serious attacks, i would eat less and be more manic (aka, more physically active), which will cause weight loss, aside from any drugs.


Anyway, like i said, i know the power of worry, and at this point only a doc checking you out will bring you back, But at least try to find some ease in what we are saying..

[snowflake293]

I have been in your shoes, experiencing a symptom and automatically jumping to the worst case scenario.

To help you rationalise, if you DID have pancreatic cancer - surely you would have other symptoms?

I know how frightening it is having these thoughts, I really do understand. I had horrific health anxiety a few years ago, to the point I felt I couldn't carry on.

To very best thing you can do is to go to your appointment and get the help you need. I promise you. You will no regret getting help for your depression and anxiety but you will regret just leaving it and allowing these thoughts to spiral.

Sending you a huge hug cause I know how hard it is. Here if you need to talk x

[lofwyr]

Anxiety causes your body to run high octane, adrenaline fueled all the time, even when sleeping for many of us. It is what causes issues with sleep.

This entire time your metabolism is sped up, ready to run from threats, or fight them. It turns into a calorie burning beast. At the same time, because of this adrenaline, our desire to eat drops, and our appetite is suppressed. You combine the two factors, and weight loss is often a foregone conclusion, as is not digesting things.

By all means, go to the doctor, but you are not mentioning a single thing that I haven't experienced from anxiety alone.

[Pamplemousse]

When I got home last night, I decided to check my urine ketone levels. It was 4 mmol/l, which is classed as 'dangerous' so I rung 111 for advice. After a telephone consultation they decided I was in no danger, so I went to bed and this morning, rang for a doctor's appointment. I also checked my ketone level - 0.5mmol/l!!


Anyway... got in and the GP gave me a thorough check-over; listened to my lungs, heart and stomach, took my blood pressure and O2, felt all around my stomach. The result of that little lot was "you're blood pressure's a bit up, but everything else feels and sounds as it should."


I discussed the weight loss issue and when we sat and discussed it, it amounts to 6kg in four weeks. He feels it may be a combination of stress, an actual attempt at weight loss and all amplified by the Forxiga tablet.


Oh - and what I thought were lumps of fat in my stools (which started this whole business off) would upon examination (sorry!), seem to be the Metformin SR tablets...?


I feel a lot better, but at the same time, still doubtful.

[sarahsarah]

Have you recently been diagnosed with diabetes? Pancreatic cancer is associated with sudden-onset type 2 diabetes and is only particularly a red flag with people of regular BMI suddenly becoming diabetic, and not already-diagnosed diabetes getting less controlled.

[MyNameIsTerry]

So, plenty of things that you can point to about how anxiety has made you feel recently and how attempting to join up the dots and mind reading can bring you to the wrong conclusions. Magical thinking, emotional reasoning, various forms of bias, etc can all be seen throughout this thread.

Therapy can help you with this, given time & lots of work. It can certainly give you examples of the negative thinking and help you to spot your own in the future so you can catch it and stop it as it only sucks you further down into anxiety & low moods.

That tablet issue has caught people out before on here so don't berate yourself for that. It's probably to do with extended release in certain medications. It happens with the Venlafaxine one where the tablet is really just a vehicle and the med is actually a load of spores coated on the outside of it so the body removes them and passes the tablet.

Given what you said about not having people to talk to since you lost your spouse it only makes the need to give therapy a chance more important in my view.