PanCan Fears

[Birdman33]

Hi Everyone I am freaking out about pancreatic cancer. I started with right side pain in upper belly in November. Since then I have experienced pain all throughout my abdomen and in my mid to lower back. I started with an Ultrasound that came back normal with the exception of fatty liver. After that I’ve been to the ER twice for severe pain and two CT scans have been read as normal for all organs including Pancreas. Every time I look I the mirror I think I look yellow but my family says I look fine. I constantly take photos of my eyes to look for yellow. My bowels are really weird and gurgle non stop. My stools are brown but there is lots of yellow when I wipe which is probably bile.

I know it’s unlikely that CTs miss a tumor large enough to cause this pain but I can’t get past this. Every doctor I’ve seen dismisses it and tells me I have nothing to fear. Help!!!!!

[RadioGaGa]

When someone is jaundice you don't have to "take pictures" to look for it. It's the most obvious medical sign.

I agree with your doctors. You have had the relevant tests, nothing has been found. Sounds like IBS to me, if anything

good luck

[Birdman33]

Thanks for your reply. The symptoms are so real I just can’t get it out of my mind.

[nomorepanic]

Doesn't sound like anything bad to me either and you have had all the scans etc. Try treating it as IBS and see how things go

[jojo2316]

You can’t have obstructive jaundice. The CT scans and the ultrasound would’ve picked up a blocked bile duct. Blocked bile ducts are straightforward to detect because they dilate.
Abdominal pain is a very common symptom- I think most people on here suffer from it!

[Birdman33]

I just had really dark urine this morning and am freaking out. If it was jaundice would it be really dark all of the time regardless of my water intake? Do you guys think something would have shown up on 2 CT scans???

[Shadowhawk]

I just had really dark urine this morning and am freaking out. If it was jaundice would it be really dark all of the time regardless of my water intake? Do you guys think something would have shown up on 2 CT scans???

Yes, it would have shown up.

And, morning you say? As in the first pee of the morning? As in the first pee after sleeping 5-8 hours (or more) of accumulated pee without drinking? That morning? ;)
Yes, that is VERY normal, especially if you didn't have much to drink before going to bed (which would make it that much more concentrated).

[Birdman33]

I know most people would be delighted with two clean CTs but I’m obsessed with this and can’t stop thinking about jaundice and that they must have missed something. I have had 8 doctors tell me not to worry but her I am. This is ruining my life.

[BlueIris]

Are you receiving any help for your anxiety?

[Birdman33]

Do you think anxiety can cause these symptoms??

[textsfromthemoon]

Yes it definitely can. Whether anxiety is causing your symptoms or anxiety is causing you to perceive things that aren't there (i.e. the jaundice) it can all definitely be attributed to your anxiety. My anxiety can REALLY mess with my stomach, I've definitely had 'gurgles' in my bowels and much more when I was very, very anxious (a good example is a time I flew alone across the US, I was super anxious and my stomach was SO messed up until after my flights), IBS is SUPER common in anxiety sufferers.
I get that the symptoms feel real, but if you've had multiple scans and 8 doctors tell you there's nothing wrong medically you have to start changing your approach and focusing on ways that you can alleviate your anxiety, do you speak to a counselor or therapist? Could you try a CBT workbook? Even just doing some simple meditations on Youtube and working on redirecting your thoughts would be a great start! :)

[Aussie11]

Hi, I can relate to your fears as I've been through the same fears, on numerous occasions over the past 9 years. The most recent one over the last few months. CT scans are very accurate when it comes to the pancreas, so having 2 clear ones is very reassuring. Also, like you say yourself, to cause these types of symptoms it would surely show on CT. There are a large number of things which could cause the pains you're having, and of course any real symptoms and issues can be made even worse/ magnified by the anxiety which comes with it. I had ultrasound, MRI (I was actually told CT was better but I've had way too many CT's over last few years, so I asked for MRI instead to avoid more radiation!), and an endoscopy of stomach, and nothing was found. Gastroenterologist and GP's said it was probably IBS (which part of it is). My situation turned out slightly different in that I had a couple of really intense pain episodes and finally a blood test confirmed a pancreatitis attack. This sent me into absolute panic due to my pancreatic cancer scare - after all this it was pointing toward my pancreas after all! However even then, the reality was that pancreatic cancer was an extremely unrealistic cause for this. Had an endoscopic ultrasound and it was all clear. They think it's just a functional disorder which caused the attack, plus symptoms caused by IBS, so as much as you can convince yourself you have pancreatic cancer, even when you think you have all the symptoms, the reality is that the chances are really tiny compared to all the other things it could be.

[Birdman33]

I can’t get the PC out of my head. I am constantly checking myself for Jaundice and it’s driving me insane. Should I request more tests. I’ve had two clean CT scans but I’m still scared

[Fishmanpa]

two clean CTs...8 doctors tell me not to worry

Nuff said. Tie to treat the real illness :shades:

Positive thoughts

[Birdman33]

Aussie

thanks for your reply. They tested me for pancreatitis and my lipase was 23 and not elevated. Amalyze was in the 30s too. They also told me that if I had chronic pancreatitis some abnormalities would generally show on CT like calcium deposits or atrophy of the organ. And that it is oftentimes preceded by acute attacks which I have never endured. I’m also 48 and they said it usually happens earlier with chronic. I have never been a heavy drinker but stopped completely in October. I hope you are doing better.