An Essex woman has warned Brits not to allow doctors to ‘brush off’ their health concerns — after medics missed her mother’s deadly pancreatic cancer that ultimately killed her within just a few months.
Otherwise healthy Gill Nibbs, a grandmother of seven, was shocked when tests performed in 2009 revealed her blood sugar was unstable.
This ultimately led doctors to diagnose the then 55 year-old with type 1 diabetes; when blood sugar levels are too high because the body can’t make the hormone insulin.
The revelation shocked the family as the vast majority of those diagnosed with the disease are either children, teenagers or young adults.
Ms Nibbs, an optical technician, had always appeared healthy, according to her daughter Lucy, a 42 year-old mum of three.
Her mother kept a healthy weight and was an avid walker.
Within 18 months of the diabetes diagnosis, Ms Nibbs began to suffer other, unusual symptoms.
She lost several stone and complained of agonising back pain — both of which doctors blamed on diabetes.
Gill Nibbs managed was able to meet one last grandchild, Lottie, just five days before her death from pancreatic cancer.
Lucy told The Sun: ‘She had lost about two stone by this point and had been seeing doctors, who attributed everything to her diabetes.
‘Her persistent weight loss and frequent bathroom visits were brushed off as symptoms of her poorly controlled diabetes.’
However, when her back pain became ‘unbearable’, the family decided to push doctors for more answers.
‘I had a gut feeling something was terribly wrong,’ said Lucy, adding, ‘if we had recognised it earlier, mum may still be here.’
Pancreatic cancer can cause changes in bowel habits as the organ fails to produce enzymes used to digest fat.
It can also trigger back pain as the growing tumour presses against nerves.
Tragically, Gill was given the devastating diagnosis that the cancer was in the later, untreatable stages in March 2011.
‘Doctors reiterated that it was too far gone and had spread to her liver and possibly her brain,’ Lucy said.
Gill enjoyed a healthy lifestyle, abstaining from smoking and drinking of a healthy weight and an avid walker which is why her family were surprised when she was diagnosed with diabetes which was later discovered to be pancreatic cancer .
Pancreatic cancer has been dubbed a ‘silent killer’ due to its subtle signs that are often only spotted too late
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the least survivable forms of the disease and worryingly its on the rise. Source for data: Cancer Research UK
While she was offered chemotherapy to extend her life she opted to go without, as the treatment was unlikely to improve prognosis by more than a couple of months.
Ms Nibbs he was admitted to hospice care later that year where she managed to achieve an impressive number of goals.
She had a blessing with her partner John for which she wore a wedding dress, four months after her diagnosis.
Gill also held on long enough to meet one last grandchild, Lottie.
Lucy recalled: ‘I went straight to the hospice to show her to my mum. She was very weak but managed to touch and kiss Lottie. Mum had held on to life just long enough to see her new granddaughter.’
Just five days later Gill, who had turned 57 just weeks prior, died surrounded by her loving family.
‘I sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow to her as she passed away peacefully and without pain,’ Lucy said.
‘Despite the pain and sadness, I find comfort in knowing she is at peace’.
The family want to help others from experiencing a similar tragedy and want everyone to be aware of the potential symptoms of the killer disease.
Potential symptoms of pancreatic cancer include jaundice — where the whites of the eyes and skin turn yellow — alongside itchy skin as well as darker urine and paler stools.
Other possible signs include loss of appetite, unintended weight loss, constipation or bloating.
While many of these symptoms are unlikely to be caused by cancer it’s important they are checked out by a GP early just in case, especially if patients have experienced them for over four weeks.
Data from charity Pancreatic Cancer UK suggest only one in five patients with the disease are diagnosed at the early, more treatable stages.
Shockingly, half of patients are diagnosed in A&E after seeking emergency help for symptoms.
Almost 11,000 cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed in Britain each year, with 9,500 deaths, equivalent to one Brits dying of the disease every hour.
Only a tiny fraction of patients survive the disease for long, 95 per cent of those diagnosed die within the decade.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
