"There are no lumps and bumps to feel", Farnborough woman's warning over pancreatic cancer

On World Pancreatic Cancer Day a Farnborough woman shares her experience of the disease as a charity urges us to get checked for it.

Pancreatic Cancer Action has warned that survival rates from the illness have dropped by as much as 17 per cent during the pandemic.

The charity says that early diagnosis is key to improving survival rates as the sooner the disease is diagnosed, the better the prognosis.

Sue Wood from Farnborough is one of those to have survived after being treated for it, but her Husband James – who was also diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year – passed away in August.

She said: “I had the operation, recovered well, I’m still really recovering well, but it was a totally different story for my husband and that’s the sad thing. He didn’t make it through and the journey he had was awful compared to mine.

“He had one problem after another, one complication after another, so it’s sad from that point of view. It’s a good thing that we promote our awareness of this cancer because it’s pretty lethal.”

Sue explains a lack of obvious symptoms makes it difficult to notice something's wrong, adding: “There are no lumps and bumps to feel, it’s just tiredness, problems with the shoulder – your right shoulder usually – and not feeling the energy you would normally have.

“The only thing you can do is explain how you’re feeling and reiterating that you’ve had this ongoing for longer than you think you should, can you have a further investigation and just push for it.”

Pancreatic Cancer Action warn the following symptoms could be a sign of pancreatic cancer:

• Abdominal pain

• Mid-back pain

• Indigestion

• Unexplained weight loss

• Pale and smelly stools

• Dark urine

• Loss of appetite/nausea

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms that will not go away and are not normal for you, you are asked to speak to your GP.