At the end of September 2023 I had just returned from a weeks holiday in Guernsey. I was feeling very fit and well apart from I thought I had a water infection. I contacted my GP after a couple of weeks as I didn’t see any improvement and she prescribed me some antibiotics. After a couple of days of taking them I started to itch, so I contacted my GP again and she thought I maybe allergic to the antibiotics, she asked me to take a water specimen in to the Doctors. Within a couple of hours the Doctor telephoned me to ask if I looked yellow. I asked my husband and he said yes you do look a bit yellow. My GP said I may have jaundice and to book in for a blood test as soon as possible. As it was a Friday I couldn’t get an appointment until the Monday. After the blood test I receive a phone call from my GP to say I had jaundice and my bilirubin levels were quite high and to go the the SDEC department at Southampton General Hospital the following morning for an Ultrasound.

After my ultrasound I returned back to the SDEC department where I had a visit from Claire Townley the HPB Clinical Nurse who explained what the possibilities could be and what the next steps were. Claire was amazing and tried to put my mind at rest.

I had a CT scan within a couple of days and then the following week I had my appointment to see Mr Pike the Consultant. He informed me that indeed I did have Pancreatic cancer and that I had a small tumour at the bottom of my bile ducts where it joins the Pancreas which was causing the jaundice. He explained what my options were and I chose to have Whipple’s, if I was going to have a fighting chance I don’t think I had any other choice.

The following week I had stents put in to release the bile which was causing the jaundice and a week after that I returned to see Mr Pike where he clarified with me that I wanted to have Whipple’s and what it entails. He also explained that after my surgery they usually give 6 doses of chemotherapy every two weeks as well.

My surgery was scheduled for 23rd November 2023. The operation went well and I was recovering nicely. The middle of December 2023 I had a check up with Mr Pike where he informed me that they had found a tiny tumour which they hadn’t seen previously so I chose to have the rest of my Pancreas and Spleen removed completely to make sure there was nothing else lurking there, this would result in me becoming a brittle diabetic. It was hard for my husband Martin to take this in but to me it was just another hurdle to overcome.

The plan going forward was to have the 6 doses of chemo which I started on 24th January 2024. The chemotherapy went well with hardly any side affects, my weight was very stable considering. At the end of treatment 6, Dr Bateman my Oncologist decided to add an extra 3 treatments on taking me to the middle of May. I must say how relieved I was to finish that final one.

My next operation was booked for 15th July 2024 where I am pleased to say it was a success and I am cancer free. I am now a type 3c diabetic and insulin dependent and I have to carb count everything I eat but I am adapting to my new lifestyle.

I cannot thank enough Mr Pike, Claire Townley, Dr Bateman and the whole team at Southampton General Hospital who cared and looked after me and still do.

Like most of us who have experienced cancer, I had this overwhelming urge that I needed to give something back to show my gratitude to everyone who helped me and the only way I could think of was to raise money.

Any form of Cancer is not good, but unlike some other Cancers the symptoms for Pancreatic Cancer usually do not show themselves until the disease has started to progress which can result in it being too late to cure entirely in most cases.

This is why it is so important to me to help raise as much funding as I can so more people diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer can say they are Cancer free too.

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