Hi.
New here and scared. Im 55 male so bang in the ball park for pancreatic cancer.
Ive had a gnawing pain in my stomach and a referred pain to my upper back between my shoulder blades for a few months now. The stomach pain is around 2 to 3 inches above my belly button and central. It wakes me up during the night. Its definitely worse at night when im layed down.
All bloods have come back normal (except bilirubin as i have gilberts syndrome) as have fit tests and a standard ultrasound. The ultrasound could only see the head of the pancreas, the body and tail was covered by stomach gases.
B/movments seem ok, a little light brown some days but certainly not clay.
As well as a wealth of other blood tests, Gp did specific pancreas blood tests
Crp =1 mg/. Normal
Ca19/9 = 8 ku/l. Normal
Amylase = 43 u/l. Normal
Albumin 50 g/l normal
Awaiting elastase stool result. H pylori came back negative so its not stomach as i was hoping. Having said that, Ive read elastase can be normal in tail pancreatic cancer so wont necessarily mean anything if its normal.
The referred back pain and stomach pain has me worried stiff. Ive read tail pancreatic cancer doesnt show on many blood tests and is silent until its advanced. As im getting pains in my back im worried its already too late as thats a major symptom.
Ive know its less common that head pancreatic cancer but still 30%.
The gp wont see me until we get the stool elastase back so i dont know how long before i can get a scan.
With all these tests that ive had its now been 2 months since i first got the stomach and back pain. That is a long time for pancreatic cancer to spread so god knows what they will find on a scan.
I cant sleep and my anxiety is shot.
Thanks for reading
Hello Pancan55
My name is Steph, I'm part of the team who look after the Online Community here at Macmillan.
My I wish you another warm welcome to the Community, although I am sorry that you've arrived feeling so anxious and scared. We're here to support you whilst you go through further tests.
It sounds like you're in good hands with your GP and you've said yourself that blood tests have come back normal. Have you spoken to your GP about your anxiety and fear? There may be some further support they can offer to help you through this difficult time.
Please make sure you use trusted sources of information when you're looking for information about cancer. You can find information from Macmillan here. Although no one can diagnose you at this stage, Macmillan list common symptoms with this caveat:
"Most people with these symptoms will not have pancreatic cancer. They may be caused by other more common conditions. But if you have any symptoms, it is important to get them checked by your doctor."
As part of our information on risk factors for pancreatic cancer, Macmillan say:
"Most people who develop pancreatic cancer are 65 or older."
If it helps you feel in control to have lots of information, you might want to keep the following links handy:
Please do keep chatting on the Community if it helps to be able to share your fears.
I'd encourage you to also join our Cancer Chat forum where you can find lots of members to chat with day or night. We have a dedicated 'Awake and up all night' thread for anyone having trouble sleeping and needing support in the late hours. You would be very welcome to introduce yourself there, so you know you have someone to talk to anytime.
We also have a Macmillan Support Line if you would like to talk things through with someone who is there to listen. Our Support Line teams are available 7 days a week, 8am-8pm on freephone 0808 808 00 00, email or live webchat.
Please do let us know if you have any questions or need further support with anything at all. I hope the Community helps to show you that you don’t have to go through this alone.
