Home Health Healthy, fit mother, 43, dies from deadly pancreatic cancer after curious symptom was mistaken for food intolerance

Healthy, fit mother, 43, dies from deadly pancreatic cancer after curious symptom was mistaken for food intolerance

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Emma King (left) from Maidstone regularly attended her running clubs and sports classes, but in 2017 she began to experience persistent digestive and stomach problems.

A fit, healthy mother was told by doctors that her stomach problems were due to food intolerances and irritable bowel syndrome – but it was the deadliest type of cancer.

Emma King from Maidstone regularly attended her running clubs and sports classes, but in 2017 she began to experience persistent digestive and stomach problems.

The woman, then aged 40, sought help from her GP, who told her the symptoms were probably due to relatively minor food intolerances.

Emma’s sister Hayley Penfold, 51, said the sun: “She was going back and forth to doctors, who told her to keep a food diary and attributed it to multiple food intolerances, irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, and wheat sensitivity.”

However, he was also losing weight, a classic sign of cancer.

Despite this, Penfold said no one suggested her sister should have a scan.

After battling symptoms for two years, Emma was finally sent for a scan in August 2019.

This revealed the devastating cause of his problems: a mass in his pancreas that was confirmed to be cancer and had also spread to his liver.

Emma King (left) from Maidstone regularly attended her running clubs and sports classes, but in 2017 she began to experience persistent digestive and stomach problems.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of the disease, in part due to subtle symptoms that are harder to detect until the later, harder-to-treat stages.

Only one in 20 diagnosed patients is expected to survive a decade after their diagnosis.

Emma quickly began chemotherapy and, despite having to be rushed to hospital with pneumonia in December, managed to make it home for Christmas.

Sadly, plans for a family trip with Emma, ​​her husband Nick and their three children to Disneyland Paris and then Lapland, UK, had to be canceled as her condition worsened.

As 2020 came to a close, Emma’s health deteriorated further and lumps appeared on her back in October and November.

Soon after, the chemotherapy and hormone injections that formed her cancer treatment began to prove ineffective.

Then, on January 4, 2021, the family received the devastating news. Emma only had a week to live.

She died on January 11, a year and a half after her diagnosis, with her mother, stepfather and Nick at her side.

Hayley said she hoped sharing her sister’s story would help others recognize any potential signs of pancreatic cancer early.

Pancreatic cancer has been called a

Pancreatic cancer has been called a “silent killer” because of its subtle signs that are often detected too late.

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the forms of the disease with the least survival and, worryingly, is on the rise. Data source: Cancer Research UK

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the forms of the disease with the least survival and, worryingly, is on the rise. Data source: Cancer Research UK

“Emma was an extraordinary woman whose battle with pancreatic cancer affected countless lives,” he said.

‘Before her diagnosis, Emma lived life to the fullest. She was known for her caring nature and dedication to helping others.

Hayley also shared Emma’s experience as part of the ‘Give It Up for PanCan’ campaign.

During January, this encourages participants to give up a personal indulgence such as alcohol, chocolate and social media for a month to show support for those affected by pancreatic cancer and also to raise funds for the charity Pancreatic Cancer Action. .

Nearly 11,000 cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed in Britain each year, with 9,500 deaths, the equivalent of one Briton dying from the disease every hour.

The pancreas is a tadpole-shaped organ about 25 cm long located just behind the stomach, forming part of the digestive system.

It helps produce enzymes that help the body break down food into the nutrients it needs.

The organ also produces hormones responsible for controlling blood sugar levels in the body.

Potential symptoms of pancreatic cancer include jaundice, where the whites of the eyes and skin turn yellow, along with itchy skin, as well as darker urine and paler stools.

Other possible signs include loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss, constipation, or bloating.

While many of these symptoms are unlikely to be cancer, it is important to get them checked early by a GP just in case, especially if people have had them for more than four weeks.

Last year, experts warned of an alarming rise in pancreatic cancer cases among young women and that more research needed to be devoted to the disease.

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