Cancer stories

Phil’s story

Two years ago, I had a couple of episodes of severe stomach pain a few months apart. I ended up seeing a surgeon and had blood tests, CT scans and a PET scan. I got the news that it was pancreatic cancer about a week later.

I’d played and coached top-level sport and thought I was bullet-proof, so the diagnosis really rocked me. I’ll never forget that drive home, it was the quietest one I’d ever had.

The surgeon worked with a medical oncologist and radiation oncologist to plan the treatment. They hit me with everything they had. I had 18 chemotherapy sessions, then a month’s break, 26 radiation sessions, then some weeks off, and then had surgery.

We’d hoped I might only lose part of the pancreas, but they had to take all of it as well as the spleen and gall bladder. I spent 12 days in hospital, then went home for recovery. I had four months off work all up.

I pushed myself to keep walking every day to stay strong before and after the operation. The walking also takes your mind off things, it’s better than sitting at home feeling sorry for yourself.

I had to make some slight changes to my diet, and avoid milk and red meat for a while. Now I can have lean meat, but I always have lots of fruit and vegies.

Because I no longer have a pancreas, I now have diabetes. I need to inject insulin three times a day and take pancreatic enzymes before meals. The diabetes has been easy to manage, no problems at all.

I don’t take things for granted with my health now. My diet was good before but it’s even better now, and I make sure I walk every day.

I was 113 kg before the operation, and now I’m just on 80 kg and I feel great.

I pushed myself to keep walking every day to stay strong before and after the operation. The walking also takes your mind off things, it’s better than sitting at home feeling sorry for yourself.

Phil