Yes, you CAN beat pancreatic cancer: Inspiring woman's story shows there is always hope. By. Fiona Duffy for Mail. Online. Updated. 0. BST, 2. 8 December 2. This festive season Amanda Davis- Baird cracked open the champagne weeks before anyone else. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() And there were many more hugs than usual for her two small boys. But Amanda has a lot to be extremely thankful for. Purdue University. The latest and most up-to-date spoilers for the longest running soap on British TV. Corrie has been on screen since 1960 and the show is based around the lives of. What your PEE says about your health: A clear stream means you're drinking too much coffee, while red urine may be a sign of cancer. GP Dr Chris Steele advises people. A year ago, she wasn’t sure she’d even see summer, let alone Christmas. The young mother- of- two had received the shocking news that she had pancreatic cancer — one of the most aggressive types of the disease. I never smoked, only had the odd glass of wine and exercised every day.’Positive: Amanda Davis- Baird, 4. James and sons Cullen (left) and Cameron (right)The first sign that something was wrong came last September when, quite . Over the next few weeks, she found herself . In one month, I lost half a stone.’ So, in October, he referred Amanda for a . But, when the NHS appointment came through, for six weeks away, her husband James, an IT . The gastroscopy revealed . But, with the pain in her side . I felt a little apprehensive but still reassured James that . When she and James turned up at the hospital they were told the machine was broken and referred to another nearby hospital. Amanda was given her notes in an envelope to hand to the doctors when she arrived. On the journey there, she read them. The word “tumour” is terrifying — for the first time I felt frightened.’ Arriving early for the appointment, the couple walked around a nearby park in silence, hand- in- hand, James wiping tears away. But they decided to be honest with their sons, Cameron and Cullen, then 1. When Cullen asked, wide- eyed: . But Mummy is going to do her best to beat this,”’ Amanda recalls. ![]() ![]() The results confirmed she had a tumour on her pancreas. This gland is located behind the . About six- inches long, it’s shaped like a thin pear; the wider end is called the head, the middle . The average life expectancy for those with pancreatic cancer is just four to six months from . This is partly because the pancreas is situated deep in the body, so by the time cancer is discovered, it’s often too advanced to treat. Patients are often also misdiagnosed; around 8. There are 7,7. 00 cases a year in Britain but just three per cent of these patients will be alive after five years. Smoking accounts for 2. Strong: Amanda stands by her Christmas tree with husband James. ![]() The pair have celebrated Christmas together since they were 1. High levels of sugar mean the body has to produce more . So only ten per cent of patients can have any. ![]() Amanda was somewhat fortunate that the golf- ball sized tumour had affected the . This gland helps guard the body against bacterial . But, despite this, her outlook was still grim. He explained that an MRI . My parents and brother were coming, and I wasn’t changing my plans. If this was my last . Mum and I hugged tightly, surrounded by bemused Christmas shoppers.’Amanda was to have the tail and body of her pancreas removed, which would take about eight hours. Because the blood supply is closely connected to the spleen, that would be removed, too, as a precaution. Without a spleen, Amanda would need innoculations, regular flu jabs and daily penicillin for the immediate future and possibly life. Without a completely functioning pancreas, she would have to take a mixture of digestive enzymes . There was also a chance of future diabetes.'My hair became so thin and brittle I had it cut short. But I slicked on my lipstick every day and forced myself to keep smiling' But they were the least of her . As the answer of 1. She’d calculated that if the operation had gone well, she wouldn’t be . It was too early. We got it all out.” The relief was like nothing I’d ever felt before,’ she recalls. Amanda learned afterwards that as she’d lost so much weight the tumour had been easy to find and remove. A week later, and with drains still in place, she returned home, weak and sore — but thrilled to be home for Christmas. In January, she would start six months of . On Christmas Eve night, Amanda and James cuddled up in front of a crackling fire. I tried not to wonder if he’d be sitting alone on the couch next December,’ she says. Next morning, the family dressed up in their best clothes, sipped Bucks Fizz over breakfast, and even had their usual Christmas Day country walk — with James pushing Amanda in a tinsel . And if the treatment doesn’t work after a few days, or the symptoms worsen, go back to your GP and say . Other signs include jaundice, persistent back pain, nausea, stomach ulcer- like pain, intermittent diarrhoea, unexplained weight loss and unexplained blood clots. But some people, such as Amanda, have done nothing wrong.’The six months of chemotherapy, three weeks on, one week off, left her sick, tired, and washed- out. But I slicked on lipstick every day and forced myself to keep smiling. The toughest times of all were when the boys became frightened. But how could I promise to always be there?’Two weeks after chemotherapy finished, Amanda’s friends entered the 5k Race for Life run. She ran the entire distance. James and Amanda went to see her . And, to their delight, she was declared . She explains: . But, for now, there is no physical sign of cancer. By the time of my first NHS test, I’d already undergone . The NHS is brilliant — but if I’d been relying on it I wouldn’t be here now. Today, Amanda feels back to her old self, although she still gets tired easily.
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