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Long standing symptoms and nothing on CT scan: Does it happen often?
Pancreatic Cancer | Last Active: Jan 5 6:27pm | Replies (48)Comment receiving replies
Many thanks for your reply. I am glad that you have been reassured you don't have cancer , this is a huge relief. I hope I get this result soon.
To be honest, I do have health anxiety and it is all about cancer..I don't care about any other illness even if I have symptoms.. as long as they don't match a cancer.
I first thought of PC in February.
At that time I had burping, flatulence and some increasd stool frequency (not actual diarrhea).I googled (burping and cancer) and found that it can be associated with esophageal, stomach and pancreatic cancer. I had an endoscopy that ruled out esophageal and stomach cancers.
I was somewhat assured that I didn't have PC as I had a clear ultrasound and CT scan 2 months earlier. I also had tumor markers at that time and all was normal. I tried to distract myself and forget about it but I couldn't.
I googled again and found a lot of studies about (missed PC on CT scan) and had an impression that missing PC on CT scan is fairly common, sometimes I thought this was (the rule) according to what I have seen on Google, that was when I started to believe that I had PC.
Fast forward to mid-March, I started to have back pain and it was the typical type of pain associated with PC, few weeks later I got upper abdominal pain also typical for PC, so I had almost all the (pieces of the puzzle together,) pointing to PC. I had another CT scan , ilI thought that the tumor which was small and undetectable must have grown to a size that is easily caught by any scan, especially that (it) is now causing severe symptoms, but again, nothing could be caught.
Concerning radiological diagnosis, I know radiologists can't diagnose cancer but they interpret the scans and should know if there is an abnormality, that should be further investigated by clinicians.
Here where I live (not US or Europe), clinicians in general are not good at interepreting scans. They totally rely on reports given by radiologists so if the radiologist sees no abnormality, no one will believe that there is something abnormal in the area. For that reason, among others (age, general appearance , history of HA) I was told by many doctors that I don't have PC, but the truth is that I have intolerable pain and other symptoms that could be PC or something else. Unfortunately, nobody could give me another explanation of my symptoms so the priority now is to rule out PC .
By the way I had tumor markers slightly rising but within normal range and pancreatic enzyme tests within normal. It is really mysterious condition I feel like I am in a nightmare.
Replies to "Many thanks for your reply. I am glad that you have been reassured you don't have..."
So basically, you are playing your own doctor. It seems you don't have doctors. I have pancreatic cancer that was diagnosed from a scan. It isn't fun. Why do you want it so badly?
You can send your scans to a cancer center and a radiologist will re-read them. My pancreatic cancer was missed on first MRI read locally - I agree - it can be missed.
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in reply to @hopethereisnothing . Okay, I get it. Health anxiety is awful, and understand that you may be living somewhere where the medical care may be sub par. It can be stressful trying to get answers, and even more so when searching for answers on the internet, because one article leads to another, and pretty soon you are on information overload. I have been in this position myself while waiting to be referred to the correct specialist. It is exhausting, and here in the States, well, at least my doctor, hates it when I have told him that I have found a particular article in a medical journal that is relevant to my condition. I wish I had just the right answer for you. I was thinking about my last post, and that was : "don't borrow trouble." However, I do not mean to offend you in any way, shape or form. I validate your concerns and your fear. It is my understanding that pancreatic cancer can be hard to detect, and is sometimes caught at later stages. I had this happen to two very close friends who died as a result of pancreatic cancer. Both had symptoms, but by the time the cancer was revealed, it was too late for any relevant treatment other than comfort care.
My medical anxiety is similar to yours. Currently, while dealing with this mysterious liver/pancreatic duct issue, I now have a lump on my breast which will be further addressed via diagnostic testing next week. I have had so many breast biopsies that I have lost count. I had a lumpectomy many years ago that was done to remove a radial star and the biopsy did come back showing atypical cells. Every female relative on my mother's side of the family has had cancer, has died from breast cancer etc. However, even though I have no control over what is happening, I am still anxious as are you with your fear of pancreatic cancer. I am giving you a virtual "high 5" as I type this, okay. While I rarely get on the internet after 2000 PM, for some reason I am up late and decided to check my email and saw some notifications from the Mayo Clinic and stumbled upon your post. Synchronicity. Do you believe in that?
I have a friend who has helped me develop some positive mantras, and sometimes I have to say them twenty times at once. Check out Emil Coue on Wikipedia. "Everyday in every way, I am getting better and better." It helps me stay focused, and it might help with your anxiety presently. I actually made a sign for my entryway with these words so that I remember to say this "mantra." Again, I have no magic for you, but I am here to support you so that you do not feel so alone. Signing off now to get some long needed rest. Wherever you are, please stay safe and take care of yourself in the best way that you possibly can. There are many who suffer for no good reason other than just the luck of the draw. Try to make the best of each day, and know that you are not alone. You've got this.