Mum given just weeks to live after devastating cancer diagnosis reveals the two key questions doctors failed to ask her

A mother with cancer who had been seeing her doctor about her symptoms “for years” was given only 12 weeks to live.

The 46-year-old Bryony Thomas disclosed two important things that doctors neglected to ask her.

In December 2019, the single mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

She had been going to the doctor “on and off for years” to deal with extreme exhaustion and changes in her bowel habits.

Herpes darkened to the color of “tea without milk” and her skin began to turn yellow, which was the turning point for Bryony, who at the time lived in Bishopston, Bristol.

A tumor in the mother’s pancreas was found by the doctors.

At first, the mother was informed that her tumor might not be able to be removed and that, should it be, she would only have around 12 weeks to live.

While wrapping gifts in the hospital, Bryony prepared for what she believed would be her final Christmas with her daughter Eleni, who was eight years old at the time.

Two weeks following the mother’s heartbreaking diagnosis, however, the tumor was successfully removed by Bristol Royal Infirmary’s physicians.

Bryony is now advocating for the “banned” use of ambiguous phrases like “bowel movements” and for patients and physicians to feel more at ease discussing poop.

“I visited general practitioners intermittently for years prior to my diagnosis, and I was questioned about my ‘bowel movements’; however, no one ever inquired as to whether my feces were pale or floating,” she stated.

“I would have informed them that it was if they had. Later on, I discovered that this might indicate pancreatic insufficiency,” she explained.

Diarrhea, or watery stools that occur more than three times a day, and constipation, or hard, difficult-to-push feces, are two symptoms of the condition, according to Pancreatic Cancer UK.

Steatorrhea, or pale, greasy, and foul-smelling stools, can also be a symptom of pancreatic cancer.

Additionally, sufferers may observe that their feces floats and is challenging to flush down the toilet.

This is a result of the feces having an excessive amount of fat.

It occurs when the fat in your food isn’t adequately absorbed due to pancreatic cancer affecting your digestion.

Following a battery of tests that revealed nothing was amiss, Bryony discovered in December 2019 that her pee had changed from vivid yellow one day to deep brown the next.

She dialed 111, which directed her to the emergency room of a nearby hospital.

Before scans revealed a tumor on Bryony’s pancreas, doctors ruled out hepatitis, gallstones, and pancreatitis.

In a post for Pancreatic Cancer UK, the mother said that her feces were “whitish grey like child’s modelling clay” and “very dark” by that point.

The fact that the tumor was located on Bryony’s portal vein, which transports blood from the pancreas, spleen, gallbladder, and gastrointestinal tract to the liver, particularly alarmed the consultants at the Bristol Royal Infirmary’s regional Hepatobiliary Multidisciplinary Team.

They would also need to cut out a portion of the vein in order to remove it.

Two weeks after receiving her diagnosis, Bryony was brought in for surgery after being advised on December 27 that physicians could operate on her tumor after days of uncertainty.

The tumor, three impacted lymph nodes, and a 1.5 cm piece of the portal vein wall were all removed by the surgeons.

Following the successful completion of the intricate procedure, Bryony received chemotherapy.

However, she now has lifelong medicine to replace the enzymes that her pancreas would normally produce.

Know your poo

Five years later, Bryony is cancer-free and resides in Stroud.

She gave the Weston NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals Bristol team high marks.

“Without the team’s efforts, I simply would not be here today,” stated Bryony, who owns a marketing firm.

“I am really appreciative because only 7% of people with my illness get this far.

“Even when I was having chemotherapy in the Dental Hospital, during the coronavirus pandemic, care was amazing, and I can’t fault the treatment I’ve had.”

In support of Pancreatic Cancer UK, she is now preparing to run the London Marathon.

Living with her husband Tom, 47, and daughter Eleni, 13, Bryony feels that individuals should be able to talk about their symptoms without feeling embarrassed.

“I believe that the term “bowel motions” ought to be prohibited,” Bryony stated.

“We all need to get used to talking about our poo, and doctors do too.”

“We, the hepatobiliary team, are so pleased that Bryony has done so well and that she has chosen to champion pancreas cancer awareness,” said Meg Finch-Jones, a hepatobiliary surgery consultant who performed the mother’s surgery.

In her instance, the tumor might not have been operable if we had not been able to perform surgery when she was jaundiced.

Every patient is evaluated individually, and several considerations are taken into account when making these important choices.

However, intensive surgery and cutting-edge chemotherapy give the patients in our care the best chance when surgery is an option.

The lives of patients who are unable to have surgery are also being improved by recent developments in chemotherapy. In general, early diagnosis is crucial.

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