CA19 Pancreatic Cancer Home kit – £79

Searching for Answers Pancreatic Cancer Test Story

For several months, I turned the Internet upside down in search of information, read, reread, and cried.

The condition has stabilised a little and I wanted to tell our story.

In May 2020, our whole family suffered from coronavirus. We were mildly ill, but everyone lost their sense of smell, and their taste changed. Everything slowly began to return by the New Year, but things were not so good with taste. My daughter and son-in-law had all their taste sensations restored, but my husband, my 86-year-old mother, and I still had taste disturbances, including an aversion to meat.

Everyone ate poorly, had no appetite, and lost a little weight, so we did not pay much attention to it, believing that all this was the consequence of covid.

First Signs of Trouble

But in February, my husband began to have pain in the epigastrium. We decided that this was an exacerbation of his peptic ulcer and went to a gastroenterologist. The doctor examined him, agreed that this was an exacerbation and prescribed a bunch of tests… and it began.

The blood was all very decent, without deviations. However, a large amount of protein was found in the urine, so the gastroenterologist referred us to a urologist.

Discovery of the Bladder Tumor

The urologist turned out to be very responsible and immediately began to check everything related to urology. My husband is 56 years old, and they started with the prostate. They found an adenoma (good), but the Pancreatic doctor did not stop there and insisted on an ultrasound of the kidneys and bladder. The kidneys were clean, but a formation was found on the wall of the bladder.

They prescribed a CT scan with contrast, and on 03/22/2021, a formation of the bladder in the right lateral sections 20 * 35 * 39 mm was found, infiltrating all layers of the wall and spreading into the parvesical tissue. The lymph nodes are not enlarged. The bones are without mts. That was the first shock!

Navigating the Healthcare System

Then, some ridiculous race began. They gave us a routing sheet at the clinic, and the path lay to the district oncologist. They gave us a number only a week later. However, I tried to “wave” the Ministry of Health’s order on the mandatory 15-day period from detecting a tumour to the final diagnosis.

The district oncologist registered and sent us further along the route – to the city oncology dispensary. The number again only in a week. They examined, registered, and told us to wait for a consultation (in absentia), and they would inform us of the  Pancreatic Cancer Blood Test results by phone.

I began to rush about, looking for friends with connections. My husband (apparently in a state of shock) said that he would refuse the operation, let everything go by itself and would not go to any hospital. I dropped all the rushing and only took care of my husband’s psychological state, although I was in a panic.

The Consultation and Decision for Surgery

The Pancreatic consultation took place only on May 4. A decision was made to hospitalise for surgical treatment – TUR of the bladder wall with a neoplasm.

They called me in for a talk with the surgeon. We came. The surgeon (they said) was excellent but had a character. My husband refused, saying that no one was explaining anything to him. The surgeon also took a pose, saying that he didn’t have to explain anything to me; if you don’t want to, write a refusal and go live out your days. My husband jumped up and went to the door… and I sat there, clutching the chair and sitting there. I started asking the doctor questions; he answered reluctantly, and my husband quieted down at the door. So we calmed down and started talking.

The doctor started looking at the papers and tests more carefully, and then he asked about weight loss and whether he had stopped losing weight while being treated for his peptic ulcer. He hadn’t. And he had already lost 15 kg since February. The surgeon said a bladder tumour couldn’t cause such weight loss and needed further examination. He wrote out prescriptions for a CT scan, an FGDS, and tests and sent me for further examination.

A Second, Devastating Diagnosis

On 05/14/21, they performed a CT scan of the abdominal organs—and then came the second shock. The imaging revealed that a hypodense formation measuring 32×28 mm had invaded the superior mesenteric vein in the body of the pancreas and extended to the confluence of the portal vein. Additionally, it identified lymph nodes measuring 30×24 mm in the surrounding fatty tissue. At that moment, the world seemed to collapse—it was the discovery of a second tumor.

We gathered together and performed FGDS with histology. The result was a 5 mm ulcer on the lesser curvature. The biopsy from the edges of the ulcer showed chronic antral gastritis.

05/19 – gastroenterologist again. Conservative treatment.

The urologist surgeon refuses to operate on the bladder, saying that the prostate gland is more aggressive and that it needs to be started with it.

I can’t stand it anymore, so I contacted a friend who works in the oncology dispensary. Thank her very much. Instead of two or three weeks, on May 27, we’ll have a general oncology consultation. During this consultation, they’ll prescribe a trephine biopsy of the tumour under ultrasound control.

On June 10, the histological examination was ready (no miracle happened). The conclusion was fibro-fatty tissue with ductal adenocarcinoma complexes G2.

Starting Chemotherapy

June 17. General oncology consultation: given the more aggressive course of the pancreatic tumour, it was recommended to start treatment in the 11th department – 1st line of chemotherapy (FOLFIRINOX / GEMOX). The decision on treating bladder tumour (TUR) is based on the results of pancreatic tumour treatment.

The first cycle of chemotherapy, according to the FOLFIRINOX scheme, was performed on 06/29/21

My husband no longer refuses anything. He agrees to be treated for Pancreatic disease, but he is very scared. I support him and calm him down. Chemotherapy is difficult. There are many side effects. They immediately inserted a port in the subclavian. And they administered premedication. They gave EMEND for nausea. 46 hours of continuous chemotherapy. Then, an IV with detoxification and home … the first two days are very difficult. Nausea, diarrhoea, dizziness. And the heat in my city is incredible. We went out of town. At least you can walk. By the beginning of the second cycle, it became much better. He got an appetite; he was able to get behind the wheel, and we went for a ride.

Coping with Side Effects

From 13.07.21, the second cycle. The doctor decided to keep my husband longer and give him IV support for three days after chemotherapy. On 19.07, he was discharged home. Better than the first time, but still hard… and his hair started falling out (and screw it, we bought a stylish cap). Increased sensitivity syndrome and irritability were added, our dogs get it especially… but we still love our HERO very much. He can handle it…