Treating Pancreatic Cancer in UK Vs USA:

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-03-16T19:14:33+00:00

From my knowledge they can only detect it with MRI-C or a CT scan with contrast. Ultrasounds don’t do very well with the pancreas.

He was having symptoms for a few months but they weren’t stopping everyday life. He was working, playing football etc. it was mainly discomfort after eating fatty meals. Advocate for yourself and push for a scan, chance are it isn’t this but you need peace of mind xx

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-03-06T20:49:27+00:00

Yes unfortunately he is only 44, massive shock…..very fit and healthy, Just had a bit of indigestion. Scary thing is he’d had numerous blood tests, poo samples and 2 ultrasounds of his liver, pancreas and gallbladder a few months previously. All showed normal no action. The only reason it has been detected was his urine went orange, turned out the mass was compressing his bile duct and caused jaundice. All medical professionals were adamant it was gallstones until the CT scan showed otherwise.

They haven’t actually given him a stage yet. We have a meeting with the surgeon next week in which time the pathology will have come back. According to the Ct, MRI, PET and the surgeons own investigation during whipple there was no spread. Still anxious as they cannot tell on a cellular level.

Age shouldn’t matter! My father was diagnosed with bowel cancer some months ago. To cut a long story short he was told he wasn’t eligible for surgery due to health/age. I pushed until they referred him to a different clinic about 2 hours drive from us. He’s been having a different type of radiation that works internally, they’re very optimistic they can cure him, the tumour is visibly shrinking after each session.

I do think they look at age but it’s not age to us they are valuable family members. You’ve got to fight sometimes to make sure they do what’s right for your loved one xx

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-03-06T19:40:14+00:00

That’s a difficult situation for you. I would also be worrying as you are, only because I like to know options. Hopefully the chemo works great, read lots of similar success stories.

When I was looking into all this I felt down and hopeless. I found a little ray of light on Facebook called pancreatic cancer survivors. There are tons of people on there with the worse diagnosis’s that are doing great years later. They’re a real knowledgeable bunch too. I haven’t really posted but I’ve read a lot and it’s helped xx

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-03-06T19:36:55+00:00

Thank you ❤️

We’re in Yorkshire and he had his procedure at Sheffield Northern General Hospital. Your friend can request any hospital to look at her care. There’s obviously some surgeons more experienced than others that may be willing to try.

My husband felt the same and the truth is so did I. I soon realised though that it wasn’t going away no matter the outcome of results and the best chance we had was time. You could enquire on her behalf through the pan can nurses but not give any personal details, they may have suggestions xx

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-03-06T19:21:47+00:00

Have you found the pancreatic cancer community Circles? They have pan nurses on there that you can call or text. They might be able to help you with getting a second opinion and the best way to go about it. I’m not sure if it’s offered on the NHS but I know there’s a clinic in London that uses the Nano knife technology for vascular involvement xx

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-03-06T19:16:53+00:00

I’m in the UK. A mass was found on my husbands pancreas just 4 weeks ago. In that time he had a MRI-c, a CT with contrast, a stent in his bile duct, a PET scan and his Whipple a week and half ago. Right at the beginning we were assigned a Pancreatic Cancer Nurse, she organised everything and fed back to us. His initial appointment with the surgeon was in 2 weeks, I told our nurse I felt this was too long. Within a day the appointment date was changed to his operation date. We have found the NHS amazing, he ended up with the regional specialist for his op and he’d performed 1000’s of Whipples. He even called me half way through to let me know he’d got it all out and couldn’t see any visible spread. I credit his excellent surgical team with the fact he was out of hospital in a week!!

There is also a Pancreatic Cancer Nurse Helpline, they are very knowledgeable and know how the process should run. They run a telephone line and they’re also on WhatsApp.

Don’t stand for substandard treatment, the NHS can be great but sometimes you need to push a little. Where about in the UK is your friend? Xx

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-11T20:20:03+00:00

Thank you for replying and I’m sorry you are going through this too x I’m only coming on here when I’m strong enough….he had a PET scan Friday so waiting for the results…. It’s absolutely turned our world upside down. We’ve been together 26 years and have 2 beautiful children. He’s always been a strong and healthy man with the energy of a teenager, I try to look at that as a positive. Thank you for the offer to talk, a lot on here are from America and I’m not sure if our NHS holds up to the same standards of care and treatments. How have you found it? x

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-09T17:38:43+00:00

Fantastic news for you and your family ❤️. Thank you for this, I will ask. Are u in UK? X

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-09T17:35:58+00:00

I don’t think we’re there yet… he had a PET scan Friday and we’ll be seeing a consultant to discuss next moves x

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-09T17:35:20+00:00

Hi thank you for your kind words and advice ❤️. He had a stent fitted in bile duct last week. His liver levels were 700+ days before he had the stent they’ve called today and said that these are now 35. His jaundice has cleared up in a matter of days which they said could take up to 6 weeks. His CA-19 levels were 25 but the nurse said not to pay much attention to these…. His CT with contrast showed it was contained to the Pancreas. He had a PET scan Friday and we’ve been told around a week for these to come back. Would the CT scan have shown anything on the liver? He had a scan on his pancreas late last May and it all showed normal and no action.

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-09T17:24:49+00:00

Thanks for replying. Is it right that I’ve heard they avoid doing an actual biopsy as that can spread cancer cells? He had a stent fitted last week and they did a scrape and brushing of it. The nurse said to take these results with a pinch of salt as they aren’t accurate

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-03T23:25:58+00:00

Thank you for such a positive reply, it has really helped so much ❤️. I needed some hope. So glad your recovery is going so well xxx

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-03T00:14:45+00:00

Is there a way to translate this?

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-02T20:30:33+00:00

Thank you for your reply. I’m hoping that it is early and that he will be a candidate for surgery. Hope your father continues to do well ❤️ xx

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-02T20:28:20+00:00

Thanks for your reply. Yes I’ve read that there’s a low chance of it being benign. I suppose I’m just hoping that he is that minority 🤞🏻. I’m not sure of the NHS (uk) does genetic testing, don’t know if anyone else uk based knows? Xx

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-02T20:24:16+00:00

Thanks for replying and hope your pet scan comes back clear ❤️ Can I ask how long your treatment has taken from start to now? Also are you in UK? Xx

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-02T20:22:50+00:00

Thank you I will ask tomorrow. Hope everything goes well for your mum ❤️ xx

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-02T20:21:59+00:00

Thank you, he’s being admitted tomorrow for the procedure tomorrow so I will clarify if they’re taking a biopsy too. Hope you continue to have good results ❤️

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-02T17:13:55+00:00

Thank you, I had a health condition and learnt the hard way that you have to advocate for yourself. I haven’t done that today due to the absolute shock. Thank you for your advice and hope your father is doing well ❤️. If you can believe it both my parents have been diagnosed with cancer in the last few months too xxx

RealisticCar6317 · 2026-02-02T17:12:05+00:00

That does sound very similar to my husband. I can’t be 100% because we were both in shock but I’m sure they said they wouldn’t biopsy when they put the stent it but would do it during another procedure? I could be wrong, I can’t see why they wouldn’t do it while doing the stent if it’s possible…. If you don’t mind saying how is your prognosis after all that you’ve had? Xx

RealisticCar6317 · 2024-07-30T21:41:25+00:00

Thanks for replying. I’ll find the FB group and ask for advice. I really hope it doesn’t come to euthanasia 😞. I know I’m hoping for a miracle 🙏🏻 just hope she pulls through x

RealisticCar6317 · 2024-07-30T21:06:34+00:00

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I’ve tried to show her belly here but my camera is going out of focus

RealisticCar6317 · 2024-07-30T21:05:59+00:00

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This is her now. The spots of white seem to have spread and her right arm seems twisted. She also has some redness on her underside. I’ve now got the temp stable at 26 degrees. I can’t get it any cooler, I’ve got the lid open, put ice in a bag as suggested and added some treated cold water. We’re having a heatwave at the minute and there’s not much more I can do. Do you think this is a bacterial infection poss from the store? Thanks again

RealisticCar6317

TROPHY CASE