A Virginia woman who woke up in the middle of the night itching from head to toe was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.
Barbara Green, 79, had been traveling the world and exercising with yoga, strength training and walking every day when she started itching in July 2022.
At first, she thought nothing of it. As the itching persisted that weekend, she visited her doctor for a stronger relief cream.
‘I was just so itchy, like if you had a bug bite that really drives you crazy, but this is like a bug bite that’s spread to your entire body,’ Ms Green told Today.com.
Around this time, she also noticed that her urine was darker and her stools were lightly colored. Her doctor suspected liver issues and ordered blood tests.
The next day, the clinic called and told Ms Green that her liver enzymes- proteins in the body that speed up reactions in the body like producing bile, which helps blood clot- were dangerously elevated.
She was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer – which kills 50,000 Americans every year – that had spread to her omentum, fatty tissue that starts in the stomach and drapes over the intestines.
Barbara Green, 79, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer after she woke up in the middle of the night itching all over
Early signs of pancreatic cancer include jaundice, stomach pain, back pain, weight loss, and floating stools
Doctors told her that the average patient dies within eight to 11 months after receiving this diagnosis.
‘It’s incredibly traumatic,’ Ms Greens said.
Pancreatic cancer is the third deadliest form of the disease in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
It’s been dubbed a ‘silent killer,’ as just an average of 12.5 percent survive after five years. Once it spreads to other areas, that rate drops to just three percent.
This is because the symptoms are not typically spotted until after the disease has reached later stages. Just 13 percent of cases are confined to their primary site.
Common symptoms include stomach pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, jaundice, dark urine, light-colored or floating stools, fatigue, and itching.
NCI estimates there will be about 64,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer diagnosed this year, along with more than 50,000 deaths.
Cases are on the rise. In the US, the disease incidence has increased by one percent every year since 2000, according to the American Cancer Society.
Globally, cases have doubled since 1990, a 2019 study in The Lancet estimated.
About two-thirds of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer are over 65 years old, and almost all are older than 45, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Ms Green was not a candidate for surgery since the cancer had already spread to other organs, though she has responded well to chemotherapy.
As of last month, the cancer had shrunk so much that doctors could barely see it on scans.
It has been 15 months since doctors told her she had less than a year to live.
‘I don’t know how long I might live,’ Ms Green said. ‘I don’t think the doctors really know either. I don’t seem to be dying on schedule.’
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
