Terrified of Pancreatic Cancer (yellow stools weight loss)
Posted , 21 users are following.
hi there. im 24, female, only history of cancer in family is my aunt had cervical, nan breast and aunt on my dads side has breast. since about august ive noticed significant weight loss. i got invisalign so some could be due to that. but my weight fluctuated from around 9 st 6lbs to 9st, then 8st 13lbs last month.
i had stabbing pains in my mid left back that started a few weeks ago, i used to suffer low left back pain on and off but this felt deep and a bit higher. it hurt so much i was scared something inside was throbbing and when i ate lunch i had to sit down as i had pain wrapping round my abdomen and was worried something in my back was going to burst so i went to a and e and was given a blood test which was fine. i had dinner that night and was in pain again quite bad but had voltarol on my back and calmed down.
i started getting upper back pain between my shoulder blades recently and feel occasional pain in my left ribs near my stomach. i got so obsessed with checking my stomach for pain i have kept pressing it and now its tender. i have extreme health anxiety because i saw about pancreatic cancer a week and a half ago and since then i feel like im feeling more symptoms.
i have been doing yellowish brown stools often. soft too. occasionally followed by yellowish mucus. i have also completely lost my appetite this week and i saw i was 8st 8lbs yesterday. i am so worried. all my bowel muscles hurt and i am getting pain round my pelvis, in my ribs and back and chest and shoulders.
i get a heavy painful ache in my back and tummy sometimes and my heart feels like its beating fast. my doctor has put me on beta blockers and antidepressants last week. i paid for an ultrasound and they couldnt see the pancreas tail but could see some of it and what they could see was fine but i know people miss things.
i am scared i could have a tumour on the tail where no one can see it. i managed to make myself eat a chocolate bar today then after 20 mins came over feeling so sick i had to lay down.
i have to make myself eat by swallowing the food with water and am only managing actimels, a banana, piece of toast or something a day.
im so scared the doctors are overlooking my issues and im going to die. i know hypochondria can make you feel symptoms but i dont get why my poo is yellowish. my last brown poo was frothy diarrhoea last week and since then soft yellow stools that smell sort or nutty/fishy. (sorry thats gross). i pass wind on the loo alot and i did have issues with poo before where i would get caught short and need to go. but not this often and not yellow. as well as flaky bits in the loo.
im so scared as i keep feeling pain in my ribs And dont want to lose anymore weight. i had a ca-19 blood test today and even as i type im feeling pain pushing on my right below my breast bone. i am on constant alert. im so scared my health is going to decline.
my doctor said she has been a gp for years and wants to reassure me i am fine im just stressed and anxious. she put me on omeprazole so my tummy burns less and the heavy back ache is less. ketones were also found in one of my last urine tests.
do i sound genuinely ill with this or just very anxious? poo pics below.
0 likes, 25 replies
jiri53589 Guest
Posted
Hi,
Have you been able to figure out what is causing your symptoms? How did the CA 19-9 test go? I do have a lot of similar symptoms as you have, my stool looks nearly identical, not floaty but yellow. And I am too worried about pancreatic tail cancer after having the abdominal ultrasound made. I wish you best of luck and good health moving forward.
debra64760 Guest
Edited
hi dear
have you had your gallbladder checked?
debra
ralf81411 Guest
Posted
hi,
I have the same symptoms, stool looks the same for a few years now. The pain in the upper abdomen started at the same time. It comes and goes. Every time it comes back it's worse. I'm afraid that meditation and relaxation aren't helping and anxiety comes when doctors can't really find out what is wrong, reassuring that the pain you experience is just imaginary.
The recent examination (done privately) showed inflamed pancreas. I have chronic pancreatitis.
the reason why the stools look like this is mainly because your pancreas produces either too many or too little digestive enzymes (amylase, lipase, trypsin should be checked).
We have to stay together and solve this by accurate information. I'm really sorry but I've been hearing that I have nothing and should relax until they found the cause (after many years).
Please, let me know how you are and what is happening with the results.
My best wishes
R
AliseLong ralf81411
Posted
I have the same thing. This pain is terrible. They are basically put up with me. I have both IBS and pancreatitis. I agree. Please share what treatment you have been provided: what works and what doesn't work with you. Thank you.
LittleKiwii Guest
Posted
Did you ever figure out what the problem was? I am having the same stools but without pain
mike86681 Guest
Posted
Hello there:
Hope you are feeling better (if not completely back to normal) now.
I completely understand your concerns and why it is sensible to worry about these symptoms. I am actually on the same boat - I am about your age and am experiencing abdominal pain (especially with pressure), pain in ribs, occasional back pain, change in bowel movement, pretty much everything you experienced.
Similarly, my GP told me it is probably IBS or something similar due to anxiety. Of course, as always, Google holds a very different opinion, telling me that I probably have pancreatic cancer.
My rationale is this: are my symptoms more easily explained by anxiety and IBS or by pancreatic cancer? I would say that our symptoms fit the former better because there are a lot of important pancreatic cancer symptoms that we do not have, such as dark-coloured urine, itchy skin, jaundice, etc. Of course we can always argue that the tumour is at the tail of the pancreas, too small to be seen by any modern instrument, and too strangely located to cause any symptoms other than pain and discomfort. I would say there is a chance but this chance is incredibly small. Should we waste our precious time on worrying about something this unlikely? Since I wouldn't bother worrying about having a comet falling on my head, I wouldn't worry about this either.
We often underestimate the power of mind and immediately assume that the mental symptoms must be a result of physical symptoms. This is often not true. Mental issues (say anxiety and depression) can result in profound physical pain and other discomfort. I wouldn't be surprised if our symptoms are all caused by some major stressors in our lives.
It is by no means easy to get rid of this "illness anxiety" (I am not sure if I am making up this term) out of our subconsciousness, but if talking to our best friends and watching our favourite TV show temporarily relieves the symptoms, I think it is very likely mental rather than physical. A real physical sickness, even an abscess (yes I got this before), would give severe pain regardless what we do.
Hope this long passage does not bore you. Hope you feel better and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
mike86681
gary80382 Guest
Posted
Hello . can you please inform how are you feeling now?. i have the same unusual bowel movements -yellowish green stool with green / yellow liquid ( looks more green) and i had heart burn and upper abdominal burning pain and persistent sore throat that comes and goes. The stool change is happening for me for past 5-6 months. recently i started taking ppi. after that the heart burn and upper stomach burn has subsided with occasional burning sensation that lasts only for few seconds. but i am concerned that the stool color has not returned to normal. can anyone please let me know if you had similar symptoms?
CherryCareBear Guest
Posted
I have that exact thing.
They said pain on the
left side is IBS / ulcertive colitis in your duodenum.
in the middle stomach its stomach acid/bile.
under middle stomach and middle back, shoulders and chest tight is pancreatitis/ gall bladder issue.
right of stomach under ribs is gallbladder.
right side is liver
burning in middle and sore throat is stomach acid.
when bile from stomach acid/ gall stone blockage/ sludge block ducts, it inflames the intestines, pancreas, stomach, liver, and ducts.
gallstones can block your pancreas ducts too.