As I mentioned in my last blog post, I just had a worrying diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (T2D).
This sparked a real and bigger concern for me, since diabetes is caused by problems with pancreas function, and my dad had died from pancreatic cancer (PC) when he was 53, a year younger than I am now.
So I started doing some research into any possible link between PC and T2D, and yes, there does seem to be a definite correlation:
Those stats are from the following “interesting” article.
Living with diabetes for a long time “is a known risk factor for pancreatic cancer,”
V. Wendy Setiawan, Ph.D., of the University of Southern California
So, yeah, this shit is suddenly getting really, really real for me. Since my dad died when I was 15 I’ve had nightmares about going the same way. Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest cancer on the planet with survival rates of just 25% beyond a year from diagnosis, and only 5% surviving more than 5 years. It’s very difficult to detect early which is one of the reasons it’s so difficult to treat.
The good news is that given my family history of PC my GP is taking this very seriously. She gave me an exam on the spot and the good news is I have none of the early symptoms of PC which include jaundice, abdominal pain and sudden / unaccountable weight loss. Despite having no symptoms she still immediately referred me for an ultrasound.
So – given the lack of symptoms I shouldn’t worry too much, but of course I am since this is pretty much my worst fear come to life.
And I’m kicking myself pretty hard because T2D is an entirely preventable disease, caused by lifestyle and diet. Obesity is the main cause of T2D and as you’ve seen if you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time I successfully managed to beat my battle with obesity some years ago – only to backslide and let the weight creep back on.
Anyway – it is what it is – if I do have PC then I will have caught it fairly early since I have no symptoms, and maybe that will give me a shot at being in the 5% who survive this awful disease. Either way, I’m now treating this as a literal fight for survival.
Simply resigning myself to a life of obesity and T2D is not an option since, given my family history, and the correlation between T2D and pancreatic cancer – that would be pretty much a death sentence!
So, fuck that shit. I’m going to reverse my T2D and do everything I can to minimize the risk of it leading to PC.
Watch this space.
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