Learn what my family discovered after our dad was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. Know the signs and symptoms for early detection.
February 2019 is when the sky fell, but the road to devastation began a few years prior. My dad never experienced illness. He never had colds, the flu, chicken pox, nor mealses. He didn't even have your yearly spring allergies. He was the healthiest man I knew. It was odd to us when he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the age of 55. I chalked it up to stress. My dad was the senior pastor of our church for 22 years. If you're familiar with the operation of ministry, then you're well aware of weighty responsibility of pastoral leadership. Naturally, my dad tapped into his athletic mind-set and changed a few habits. He cleaned his diet and dove into an exercise routine. Hindsight is 20-20. Around 2016 and 2017 he started to get sick often, exhibiting symptoms of pneumonia. We made sure to get him to the hospital because as I've expressed, he NEVER got sick. Health and medical related conditions are interesting. What we thought to be a simple cold or even pneumonia, was actually something far more senister. We never thought we'd hear him say, "I've been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer." The problem with pancreatic cancer is that symptoms don't appear in the early stages. When symptoms finally present, they are common to most other medical conditions. These two factors make screening and early detection difficult.
Education is a key component of early prevention measures. The more you know, the faster you can act and possibly preserve your life. View the symptoms my dad experienced below.
Symptom #1 - Sudden Weight Loss
Weight loss is always the goal right? Not in the case of pancreatic cancer. My dad lost 10 lbs rapidly and couldn't put it back on. Know your baseline weight. If you are on a weight loss journey, be sure to keep track of your goal weight. Also, track the timeline for your weight loss. You shouldn't drop weight at a rapid pace.
Symptom #2 - Mid-Back Pain
This symptom is the most common and difficult. Back pain is attributed to many causes such as pneumonia, kidney stones, muscle spasms, herniated disks, etc. The last thing we would've thought was cancer.
"A common symptom of pancreatic cancer is a dull pain in the upper abdomen (belly) and/or middle or upper back that comes and goes. This is probably caused by a tumor that has formed in the body or tail of the pancreas because it can press on the spine." Johns Hopkins Medicine
Symptom #3 - Nausea & Vomiting
I had no clue my dad had this symptom until after he passed. I was so upset. Men, don't keep your health a secret from your families! To this day, I still struggle with the reality that if he would've informed us sooner, maybe we could've acted faster.
Symptom #4 - Fatigue
My dad stayed active. In conjunction with his exercise training, he played golf 4 to 5 times a week. It was unusual for him not to have energy.
Symptom #5 - Indigestion
Gas, gas, gas! He was always gasy and he experienced it mostly in his chest and upper abdomen.
Consult With Your Physician
Symptoms are different for every person and depend on where the tumor is located. Learn more about the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer linked below. Please be consistent with annual physical exams and blood work. For more tips and information regarding pancreatic cancer, subscribe to our blog and follow us on instagram and facebook.
Works Cited:
Pancreatic Cancer Symptoms. (n.d.). www.hopkinsmedicine.org. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/pancreatic-cancer/pancreatic-cancer-symptoms
6 Warning Signs of Pancreatic Cancer. (n.d.). www.youtube.com. Retrieved November 3, 2023, from https://youtu.be/S3CegUhEd7Y
.
Commentaires