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Pancreatic Cancer or Something else?
I’m a 36 year old female. Here’s a brief history:
Back in May 2016 I went for a routine physical and it showed elevated bilirubin levels at 2.1. I didn’t really have any symptoms other than an ache to the right side of my belly button into my back near my kidney Area. Abdominal ultrasound, colonoscopy and endoscopy revealed nothing other than acid reflux and Gerd My gastroenterologist said it was most likely Gilberts syndrome and my levels return to normal shortly after my colonoscopy
Fast forward to present day and I’m having a dull ache like stitch feeling in the upper portion of my left rib into my back near my bra strap and left kidney. I just went and had routine bloodwork and all of my levels are normal except a vitamin D I’m slightly deficient. My Lipase level was 20 which is within normal limits just on the lower end.
I have been beside myself for the past three weeks with worry and I have a doctors appointment scheduled for Tuesday to discuss this with my doctor. My bowel movements have been all over the place including green diarrhea
I have convinced myself this can be nothing other than pancreatic cancer. Any similar experiences or suggestions would be helpful.
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@sgtgrl You’ve mentioned having anxiety. Can you tell me if you have any tricks to lessen it? I’d sure like to know so I can use them!
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2 ReactionsI try And ground myself in FACTS not thoughts. I pray A lot and try to remember that my mental fear is not my reality it’s just temporary
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2 ReactionsI know you said you’d be updating us, @sgtgrl , but I just wanted to know if you’d been able to handle your anxiety. Waiting and high anxiety and the what-ifs seem to be our biggest problems! How have you been doing?
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2 ReactionsHello All:
I thought that all of you might be interested in learning more about signs that you might have pancreatic cancer from this Mayo Connect video. I'm just wondering, @marvinjsturing, can you relate to any of the symptoms mentioned in the video.
@hopeful33250 I wish I was aware of some of these things before I found out I had pancreatic cancer. I would have pushed my doctors for earlier testing.
I had several bouts of pancreatitis in the late 1990s. Idiomatic is the term the doctors used at the time. It simply means that they had no idea what was causing my attacks. Then 10 years ago, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. I was overweight and not very active so that was the explanation at that time.I started exercising and eating healthier foods and lost about 70 pounds. A few years later I developed abdominal pain and diarrhea. After my Whipple the surgeon said that from the size of the tumor he estimated that it had been growing for 20 years and was probably the cause of my attacks of pancreatitis and the cause of my diabetes. As I said, if I had known that all of these things were early symptoms of pancreatic cancer, I would have insisted that I have a CT scan much earlier. As it is, I am very thankful that the cancer had not spread very far and that with surgery and chemo the cancer was removed from my body and I am still alive today. I believe that I am here today only by the grace of God who worked through a very talented and skilled surgeon at Mayo.
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1 ReactionThanks for sharing your experience, @marvinjsturing. I'm glad for you that you had such a successful surgery at Mayo. I can certainly understand why you feel grateful.
My father died of PC at 50, so I'm always on the lookout for signs in myself. About 5 years ago I began losing weight slowly. Dr. was not concerned because it was slow, but I've never gained wt back, and even lost some. 2.5 yrs ago she ordered up CT scans followed by 2 more in 2018, and nothing was found. In March 2019 she ordered a NMR scan, and nothing was found. I've had blood tests, most recently in May 2020, with only my RDW a bit high. I also had a small stroke 5.5 yrs ago resulting in some dizziness, which has never gone away. In fact, it's gotten worse--and my energy is almost depleted. I've also had tachycardia, am taking meds for it. Drs keep saying I don't have PC, keep subscribing sertraline for depression as well as heart meds. If I'd gain weight, I'd feel reassured--but I'm not. Bowel habits are a bit unusual, and I have lots of gas. Can anybody suggest a next step for me?
Hi @ruz39 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You'll notice that I moved your message to this discussion where members shared with @sgtgrl about her suspicions of pancreatic cancer. I recommend that you click VIEW & REPLY and read through the past comments.
Ruz, having lost your father at such a young age to pancreatic cancer, I can certainly understand your concern about recent symptoms and your vigilance about monitoring them. The good news is that less than 10% of pancreatic cancer is hereditary. Has anyone else in your family had pancreatic cancer?
The frustrating part is that the symptoms you describe, such as unexplained fatigue, weight loss, gas, odd bowel habits, could be any number of issues or conditions or even a side effect of medications and/or stress. It does sound like something that should be investigated, but I wouldn't assume cancer. To help reassure yourself, you may wish to take the pancreatic cancer risk assessment test:
- Assess Your Risk https://www.pancan.org/facing-pancreatic-cancer/about-pancreatic-cancer/risk-factors/risk-assessment-test/
Have you considered getting an appointment with a gastroenterologist?
I've had 3 consults with a gastroenterologist, who 2 years ago did an endoscopy and colonoscopy, and found nothing suspicious. She also ordered blood tests about 16 months ago, found nothing.
That's good that nothing was found, @ruz39. Ruling out cancer is one part of the investigation. But it sounds like you still haven't found an answer for your unexplained weight loss.