Trevor
Trevor, diagnosed in 2009 with adenocarcinoma in the head of
the pancreas
My experience with pancreatic cancer
In early May 2009 I suddenly felt slightly unwell one evening.
The following morning while driving to work, I had to stop the car
at a hotel where I was violently sick outside. Thinking it was a
stomach bug I thought nothing more of it but continued to feel a
bit under the weather and increasingly sluggish. Some two to three
weeks later I turned yellow from head to toe and had to see a
doctor.
I went to see a private doctor who gave me a blood test and
called me the same evening to advise me that a specialist would
call me shortly. A laparascopic surgeon did call me to tell me that
my blood count was totally off the wall and would I like to report
to a certain hospital the next day for further tests.
As a result I was diagnosed with a masshead or tumour at the top
of my pancreas. However I was told that it was operable without
chemotherapy and that I was the ideal candidate for this operation.
Meanwhile I had a stent put in so that at least my face was
no longer yellow.
I then had a successful Whipples or pancreas resection procedure
carried out at the Wellington Hospital, London, on 26 June 2009, by
a very good Italian surgeon. I call it my Italian job. I was
then discharged on 8 July. In fact I was quite happy staying there
watching the First Cricket Test match between England and
Australia. After that I stayed at home for a few weeks watching the
grass grow. I was sore for weeks and went to the toilet at least 3
times a day. About 10 days after discharge I started driving again,
locally at first and then getting a bit more ambitious in August
when we took a few day trips to the coast and to the
Cotswolds.
My abdominal scar healed completely in August when a bandage was no
longer needed, a great psychological boost. In September I went
back to work, part time at first building up to full time by
November. Then at the end of November everything clicked back into
place. The soreness went away and it no longer felt as though
someone had stuck a knife into me, which had indeed been the case.
At the end of November a new client in Switzerland called me to
tell me about a new software project over there and would I be
interested in joining the team. I said that I would be
interested.
Meanwhile I had started a course of adjuvant chemotherapy at the
end of August 2009 which finished in the following February. I must
have taken about 500 Capcitabine pills in that period, the only
side effect being the runs.
Between Xmas 2009 and New Year we made a short driving trip to
Brittany, my first trip out of the UK for some months. In January
2010 I flew out to Zurich to start part time on the new project
which became full-time from February. I still commute weekly from
London to Zurich. I still get the runs and I can tell you that the
toilets at Zurich airport are the cleanest in the world. I
could even write a Good Toilet Guide for what it's worth.
I would give pancreatic cancer sufferers the following
advice:
- Give up alcohol entirely
- If you have not yet reached retirement age keep yourself busy
at work. Give yourself plenty to do as cancer likes idleness.
- Eat well and take moderate amounts of exercise. I took up golf
again and started winning matches with a modified backswing due to
my scar, but which made the ball fly straighter.
- Having private medical insurance helps immeasurably as this
gives you access to the top surgeons and oncologists.
April 2011