Elaine Did Not Have Jaundice But She Noticed That She Had Putty

I noticed something odd happening about five months before I actually went to the GP. And it happened about three times that I had, I was getting an increasing amount of sort of wind almost and burping a lot. That was the other thing that was very odd. And my husband said, Thats very odd. And then Id notice a few days later, sometimes I, each, each time I felt a little bit nauseous for a couple of days and then Id pass a very abnormal coloured stool, as if Id got a gallstone or something, if anybody else recognises those symptoms. I wasnt jaundiced, but I just had this very funny stool, which was almost putty coloured. And I thought, Well, that is very odd. Then months, and I hadnt noticed at that time that actually I had been feeling a little bit nauseous before. But the next time it happened when I was a bit nauseous and I think, Well, I wonder if the same thing will happen again? And it did. But that was very near Christmas and I thought, Well, in my experience I know its no good going to ones GP round about Christmas. Ill go straight after Christmas and then things will be looked into properly.

Nigels Experience Of Folfirinox Chemotherapy

To begin with, I had very little side effects from the chemo, just feeling a little tired and suffered a bit from peripheral neuropathy if I touched or drank anything cold, which I thought wasnt too bad. But from about the third round I started to have problems with my PICC line. This culminated in having to have it taken out and another one inserted into the other arm. I also had my chemo delayed a couple of times because my white blood cell count was low so I was put on filgrastin injections, which I have been administering myself. Its funny to think that before all this started I could just about cope with someone else giving me an injection, and now I think nothing of injecting myself up to 5 times a day with insulin or filgrastin!

After my sixth chemo round I had another scan and got the good news that the tumour had shrunk slightly, and the tumour markers in my blood tests were dropping.

Suggestions For Someone Caring For A Pancreatitis Patient

Caring for someone with a chronic, painful and limiting condition can be difficult. Worry and fear are common and in some cases complex feelings of frustration and resentment might emerge. Understanding pancreatitis and its impact might help you provide better support and might also help you feel more in control. Eating can be a particularly challenging aspect of pancreatitis. Read the section Helping friends and family to understand the challenges around eating and drinking. And always remember the carer also needs support this is particularly important for young carers. The best way to access support for young carers is to get a referral from the childs school or to contact your Local Authority.

Communication is key

Different patients find different things helpful and supportive or unhelpful and upsetting. Often these things go unmentioned so the best way to help someone with pancreatitis is to discuss what is helpful to them and what they would like to do. It can be a fine line between treating your friend or family member like a real person or like a patient or invalid.

You will need to figure out whether you friend or family member wants to be asked how they are feeling or whether they dont want to discuss their illness at all. Some people with pancreatitis like to be told they look well, where another person might hate being told that they look well when they are feeling terrible.

Making plans that can be cancelled

Managing feelings and expectations

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What Does Pancreatic Cancer Back Pain Feel Like

Pancreatic cancer is hard to be recognized in its earlier stages as its signs and symptoms may resemble vague gastrointestinal complaints. Pain in the abdomen or back is its common symptom. It is mostly intermittent initially, that is, it comes and goes. But with time, it becomes more frequent. The abdominal pain is most often due to the tumor pressing on the nearby organs. It can be worse when lying down, and you can sometimes feel better when you sit leaning forward. It may worsen after eating. Back pain may arise if the tumor spreads to the nerve surrounding the pancreas and if it has grown so much that it presses on the spine.

How Can I Tell The Pain Is Related To Pancreatic Cancer

People describe it as a dull pain that feels as if it is boring into you. It can begin in the stomach area and spread around to the back, it explains.

Other possible symptoms to watch out for:

• Pain in the back or stomach area which may come and go at first and is often worse when lying down or after eating
• Unexpected weight loss
• Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes it also may cause dark yellow or orange pee, pale-coloured poo and itchy skin
• Other possible symptoms of pancreatic cancer include:
• Feeling sick and being sick
• Changes in bowel movements
• Fever and shivering

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It’s important to remember that these symptoms can be caused by many different conditions and are not usually the result of cancer, says the NHS.

But you should contact a GP if you’re concerned or these symptoms start suddenly, advises the health body.

It is important to note that you may also develop symptoms of diabetes if you have pancreatic cancer.

As the NHS explains, this is because the tumour can stop the pancreas producing insulin as it normally would.

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Moderate To Severe Pain

The most common medications used for advanced pancreatic cancer pain are stronger opioids. These include, among others, morphine, hydromorphone, fentanyl, and methadone.

Like other categories of pain treatment and dosing, finding the right combination involves trial and error. Your doctor may start you at a lower dose and then increase the dose until your pain is controlled. Additionally, other drugs or therapies may be added to help control pain and reduce the amount of strong opioid needed for pain control.

As with all treatments, be sure to tell your doctor if your pain is not being controlled, even with stronger medications. Theyll likely change the dose, or the treatment, so you are more comfortable.

One thing to watch for is called breakthrough pain. As the name implies, this situation occurs when your pain is controlled most of the time but you experience periods of pain before your next scheduled dose of pain medication. In some cases, this means a higher overall dose is needed. There may also be other ways to help manage breakthrough pain.

Side effects that may occur with stronger opioids include:

• constipation
• nausea
• mood changes

In general, people taking opioids should avoid alcohol as it can add to the feeling of drowsiness. You should also avoid driving a car or performing other activities that require alertness until you know how you respond to these medications.

Liaising With Health Professionals

People with chronic pancreatitis have to interact with a wide range of health professionals. This can be extremely challenging at times. Planning ahead and preparing for difficult situations can help.

Receiving the right information

Make sure you receive appropriate verbal and written information from your GP or Consultant. Your hospital team should ensure sufficient and correct information is passed down to your GP. One of the issues you should receive information about is your long term care. Be prepared for hospitals to refer you back to your GP. If you do not think that would be wise then tell them. Ensure you receive information on:

• Whether you have chronic or acute recurrent pancreatitis.
• What is/are the underlying cause.
• Any complications that might develop.
• Whether nutritional support is needed and what form it will take.
• Lifestyle interventions is there anything you can change in your life style? Obviously giving up smoking and alcohol will be on the list but there may be other changes that would be advisable.
• During acute pancreatitis attacks, get an assessment of how long recovery will take. Dont accept a standard answer because that is often not realistic. It might be much longer and it is important to be prepared and plan for the immediate future.
• Which tests and procedures might give you more insight into your illness and how you can best improve your condition.

When should I go to hospital?

Tips to improve your hospital appointments:

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The Stage Of The Cancer

When cancer is in the early stages, many people do not experience pain. In fact, this is one of the reasons that some types of cancer, such as pancreatic cancer, are often diagnosed at very late stages.

It’s also why surveillance is so important for some types of cancer. For example, breast cancer that’s only detectable on a mammogram may not cause any discomfort, whereas stage 4 breast cancer may cause a lot of pain due to issues like bone metastases.

Talking With Your Doctor About Pain

Speak with your doctor as soon as possible if you are experiencing any pain. Treating pain early, before it becomes worse, makes it easier to control. Also, you should talk with your doctor before taking any medicines or herbal supplements or before starting an exercise, massage or physical therapy program.

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Symptoms Of Pancreatitis: Pain And Other Complications

The pain of pancreatitis occurs in a specific way and is a key symptom of the condition.

The pain of pancreatitis occurs in a specific way and is a key symptom of the condition.

Thinkstock

Pancreatitis is associated with pain and a handful of other symptoms, some of which can be severe. There are two types of pancreatitis: acute and chronic.

Gallstones and alcohol are the two main causes of acute pancreatitis. With chronic pancreatitis, it’s been estimated that up to 55 percent of cases in the United States are due to heavy drinking or alcoholism.

Symptoms As The End Of Life Approaches

Control the symptoms of pancreatic cancer

This booklet covers the different procedures used to control pancreatic cancer symptoms with practical information about your hospital visit and returning home. Includes a section about second opinions, clinical trials and questions to ask your doctor and a glossary to explain some of the terms used.

You may have experienced a number of different symptoms over the course of your disease. Everyone is unique and their experience of pancreatic cancer is different. It is natural to worry about what will happen towards the end of life. The symptoms listed below do not happen to everyone. Some people have very few symptoms and some have a mixture at different times.

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Jaundice And Related Symptoms

Jaundice is yellowing of the eyes and skin. Most people with pancreatic cancer will have jaundice as one of their first symptoms.

Jaundice is caused by the buildup of bilirubin, a dark yellow-brown substance made in the liver. Normally, the liver releases a liquid called bile that contains bilirubin. Bile goes through the common bile duct into the intestines, where it helps break down fats. It eventually leaves the body in the stool. When the common bile duct becomes blocked, bile cant reach the intestines, and the amount of bilirubin in the body builds up.

Cancers that start in the head of the pancreas are near the common bile duct. These cancers can press on the duct and cause jaundice while they are still fairly small, which can sometimes lead to these tumors being found at an early stage. But cancers that start in the body or tail of the pancreas dont press on the duct until they have spread through the pancreas. By this time, the cancer has often spread beyond the pancreas.

When pancreatic cancer spreads, it often goes to the liver. This can also cause jaundice.

There are other signs of jaundice as well as the yellowing of the eyes and skin:

Pancreatic cancer is not the most common cause of jaundice. Other causes, such as gallstones, hepatitis, and other liver and bile duct diseases, are much more common.

Gallbladder Or Liver Enlargement

If the cancer blocks the bile duct, bile can build up in the gallbladder, making it larger. Sometimes a doctor can feel this during a physical exam. It can also be seen on imaging tests.

Pancreatic cancer can also sometimes enlarge the liver, especially if the cancer has spread there. The doctor might be able to feel the edge of the liver below the right ribcage on an exam, or the large liver might be seen on imaging tests.

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Symptoms Of Pancreatic Cancer

In the early stages, a tumour in the pancreas doesn’t usually cause any symptoms, which can make it difficult to diagnose.

It’s important to remember that these symptoms can be caused by many different conditions, and aren’t usually the result of cancer. But you should contact your GP if you’re concerned, or if these symptoms start suddenly.

The first noticeable symptoms of pancreatic cancer are often:

• pain in the back or stomach area which may come and go at first and is often worse when you lie down or after you’ve eaten
• unexpected weight loss
• jaundice the most obvious sign is yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes it also causes your urine to be dark yellow or orange and your stools to be pale-coloured

Other possible symptoms of pancreatic cancer include:

• nausea and vomiting

Read more about treating pancreatic cancer.

What Can I Do

• Tell your doctor or nurse as much as you can about your pain. This will help them give you the right treatment.
• It can help to keep a diary of your pain to share with your doctor or nurse.
• Take your pain relief as advised by your doctor. This will help to make sure it works as well as possible.
• Speak to our specialist nurses on our free Support Line with any worries.

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Urgent Advice: Get Advice From 111 Now If:

• the whites of your eyes or your skin turn yellow
• you’re being sick for more than 2 days
• you have diarrhoea for more than 7 days
• you have symptoms that you are worried about, but are not sure where to get help

111 will tell you what to do. They can arrange a phone call from a nurse or doctor if you need one.

Go to 111.nhs.uk or .

Investigating Pancreatic Cancer Symptoms

Investigating pancreatic cancer can be a complex process. If you are concerned about your symptoms, it may be helpful for you and your GP to track your symptoms using our symptom diary.

When your GP examines you, they may look for jaundice , feel your tummy and send blood or urine samples to be analysed. If your symptoms include abdominal pain, weight loss and jaundice together then you should be referred to the hospital as urgent. This does not mean that you certainly have pancreatic cancer, but your symptoms need to be investigated quickly.

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Causes Of Pancreatic Cancer Pain

It’s common to have a dull pain in your upper belly and back that comes and goes. This is caused by a tumor in your pancreas that presses on your spine.

The cancer often spreads to the nerves that surround your pancreas, which also leads to back pain. It can feel worse when you lie down, but it may get better when you lean forward.

One good strategy to manage your pain is to keep track of it with a journal. Write down where it hurts and how it feels. For example, note things about your pain such as:

• How it feels, like throbbing or dull
• Intensity on a scale of 1 to 10
• How often you get it
• Time of day it happens
• Better or worse when you eat or drink
• What makes it improve

This information will help your doctor understand the cause and figure out how to treat it.

What Should I Do If I Am Experiencing Pancreatic Cancer Symptoms

It is important to remember these symptoms can be caused by many different conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome or indigestion, and arent usually the result of cancer.

However, if you or a loved one regularly experience one or more of these identified pancreatic cancer symptoms which are not normal for you, do not ignore them, contact your GP straight away.

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Pain Threshold And Tolerance

Pain threshold is defined as the point at which a sensation becomes painful. Pain tolerance is defined as the amount of pain it takes to bother you. Pain threshold and tolerance vary between people, and your personal levels also fluctate.

Whether a sensation is interpreted as painful is determined by genetic makeup, history of pain, medical conditions, and other factors. It is not right or wrong to experience pain.

Even so, one of the reasons people forego pain medications that could improve quality of life during cancer treatment is the desire to “be a good patient” and to appear “strong.”

Less Common Symptoms Of Pancreatic Cancer

Other people we talked to had more unusual symptoms. Michael said that after drinking wine he would wake in the night with indigestion and the shivers and that he would sweat for the next 12 hours. Maureen felt as though she had an alien just under her ribs. Davinder and Ben had other unusual symptoms.

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