21 year old female, terrified I have pancreatic cancer!

Hi Lucy98147,

I hope your pain has subsided some or you have gotten answers to your medical questions. Although pancreatic cancer is quite scary and hard to diagnose … I would like to believe your body would show symptoms first. Your liver enzymes would be extremely elevated, you would be losing weight and as the cancer progresses you would develop jaundice. If they did a complete blood panel, then it would show something. You might just have IBS or you may have chronic pancreatitis, however your blood work would show something if your pancreas wasn't working correctly. I have atrophy of my pancreas … I've been suffering horrible upper left abdominal and mid back pain for the past eight months. I've had multiple tests, all of which came back normal until I had a CT Enterography. That type of CT shows everything. I'm currently waiting to see my GI specialist to find out why I have atrophy of my pancreas. I can tell you, I've lost a lot of weight, my skin does itch, I'm constantly nauseous, I get bloated after I eat … I have some symptoms of "cancer" according to the Internet, however I also have some symptoms of chronic pancreatitis. I can choose to let what I read take over my life or I can choose to live my life. I have many medical conditions and have been bedridden for the past two years. One thing I have learned is to be grateful for what you have while you have it. I no longer stress on the things I cannot control. I look for the positive in the negative. Anxiety can be very hard to overcome but it can also create symptoms. I truly hope the doctors are able to figure out your pain.

Hey Lucy. I'm 24 years old and I have been dealing with health anxiety aswell for some years now. I aswell fear pancreatic cancer, I've had very similar symptoms as you've been having. Slight discomfort in stomach and I noticed that my stools were floating aswell. Colour is normal though, but it sometimes looks a little greasy/fatty. Skin is normal, eyes normal, appitite normal and I haven't been throwing up. 

I had a blood test and my doctor told me my Lipase levels were just slightly increased (very, very, very small increase, not even close to the "three times higher than normal" rate people talk about when they look for pancreatic cancer. I'm having an ultrasound next monday to check on my pancreas, really crossing my fingers (and biting my fingernails aswell!) I'm still very scared tho. 

Do you guys think it's likely to be somekind of a tumour in the pancreas or a pancreatitis? Are they both life threatening?

Best wishes, 

One pretty scared guy! 

Hi Lucy

Can't believe I have only just seen this thread after so long of researching into my symptoms and they match yours completely! Just wondering if you have been given any answers yet? It's so frustrating not knowing!

Thankyou!

Hey, how has things come along? Ive been having the exsact same symptoms for a long time now. Need some reassurance.

Hi Lucy,

It's been some time since my last comment. After more tests, the doctors found out I have Pancreas Divisum (congenital abnormality where you're born with two pancreatic ducts that don't fuse into one). Pancreas Divisum is rare … 5-10 % of the population have it and apparently it's not usually symptomatic unless there's been trauma … a CT or regular ultrasound will not detect it. Pancreas Divisum can cause chronic pancreatitis (although I haven't been diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis). I'm only 37 years old and the specialist told me it's very rare for someone my age to have chronic pancreatitis. I don't have a gallbladder, appendix, or uterus. I have now lost almost 48 pounds since my symptoms began (all symptoms point to pancreatitis). I have scans showing atrophy (irreversible degeneration of the pancreas usually associated with chronic pancreatitis) and now kidney stones (never had kidney problems in the past). The only test that detected the Pancreas Divisum was a MRCP. If you're having Pancreas pain/symptoms ask for a MRCP, it's really the only noninvasive test that truly looks at the pancreas. I'm now waiting to see a pancreas specialist. I don't know what's in store for me but I'm about to find out next week. Good luck, as this took me a year to get diagnosed. 

You guys seriously need to get off the internet. You can talk yourself into anything reading Dr Google. If you have health anxiety anyway it is an absolute torment. Even if you get a diagnosis, you should stick to a couple of reputable sites like Macmillan or Pancreatic Cancer UK. A lot of stuff on the internet about this disease is either out of date, anecdotal or just plain wrong. How do I know? I have pancreatic cancer. Believe me, your symptoms are classic anxiety and tension and you are far too young to be in a risk group. I’m not saying young people don’t get PC but it is rare. It’s primarily a disease of aging. I am 52 and considered young to have it and it’s worked in my favour  in that I was fit enough to have a life-saving operation and my tumour didn’t grow outside the pancreas. It took near,y a year to discover what was wrong but at least early on my pancreas was severely inflamed somI was be8ng monitored. I was originally diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis which baffled the doctors as I wasn’t in any particular risk group (same for the cancer). My symptoms were severe ongoing pain in my upper abdomen which would radiate to my back, sudden and severe weight loss and a bit of nausea. My stools, lipase and cancer markers were normal (and have remained so throughout everything). The only thing that showed up in my bloods were a slight inflammatory response (obviously my pancreas) and slightly elevated sugar levels, consistent with an inflamed pancreas. It wasn’t until I suddenly became severely jaundiced and hospitalised with biliary sepsis that the tumour was discovered and it’s been all go since then. I’m on the road to recovery, thank goodness - most people aren’t so lucky.

Youve done the right thing and gone to your doctors with symptoms and asked for tests to be done. And the tests have shown nothing pointing to cancer. Now you need to forget about it and occupy your minds with something else. If anything is going to go wrong you will know and go back to your doctor. While I am all for pushing for tests as no one knows your body better than you, there is a tipping point when you become hypochondriac and you will be taken less seriously. I am a spokesperson for PC and am trying to raise awareness of symptoms as early detection is vital for any chance of a surgical cure. 

I have elevated sugar and inflamation level.

I have also big level of liver enzymes.I had Alt 193 and Aspat 110.

No one doctor know why sudenly they get elevated.I didnt changed food habit i didnt drunk alcohol i eat only boiled chicken 2 years due to reflux.So they dont know whats happened to liver.

Few months i have constant stomach pain...2-3 months ago its start radiating to back.

My stomach is big 96cm waist when all body is slim as i have only 71kg.Its looks like water in stomach but i dont have water there.

Still doctors keep telling i dont have pancreas cancer because ct and mri didnt show nothing.

But iread so many stories people had pancreas cancer but ct or mri didnt detect it.I even read report from some hospital that patient had this cancer but it was not visible on radiography methods.

And now i vot fatty stool-greasy-stearthoea.And every page told its sign of pancreas cancer.

I think to do MRCP scan.