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A mother of three was devastated when her impressive weight loss turned out to be stage 2 pancreatic cancer.
Liz Oakley, 65, from East Kilbride, Scotland, felt "proud" by noticing the pounds lost after adopting a low-fat diet in October 2017.
But as early as the following December, she began to feel nauseated, her urine becoming exceptionally dark.
In January of last year, her skin was yellowed, which prompted her to seek medical attention.
She was then diagnosed with shock – her third contact with cancer after battling breast disease in 2007 and 2012.
Shock: Liz Oakley, 65, of East Kilbride, Scotland, photographed during his "successful" diet
Ms. Oakley, who was told that if she had left it much longer, it could have been too late, said, "I am a resilient person, but it has put me a little bit in the dark." # 39; s shelter. It came from nowhere.
"I was transferred to the hospital and the doctors said they found a blockage. I do not know how, but at that moment, I just knew. I told them, "It's cancer, is not it?"
"I was told it was the second step, but if I waited much longer, I would not be here anymore. It's the speed of this disease.
Mrs. Oakley, who has three grown children – Louise, 35, Peter, 33, and Aiden, 30 – battled breast cancer with radiotherapy and mastectomy.
After years of good health, she started losing weight at the end of 2017.
"I had joined a thinning group a few months ago and I was so happy because I thought it was working very well," Ms. Oakley said.
"In fact, I was pretty happy to tell people that it was because I had not eaten very fine pies before Christmas, as I would usually do."
Urgent: The mother of three – photographed in her hospital bed – contracted jaundice in January 2018, which resulted in an unexpected diagnosis.
At the end of December, feeling nauseated and having a weak appetite, Mrs. Oakley noticed that her urine was very dark.
After her daughter also said that her skin had taken on a strange color, she knew that she needed to see a doctor.
"She asked me why I had an orange color so yellow," Ms. Oakley said.
"I wore tinted glasses, so I did not really notice it, but when I removed them, I felt like I was caught in a tango."
Calling the NHS 111 emergency number, Mrs. Oakley went to the Medway Marine Hospital in Kent, where she was immediately admitted.
The retiree had no idea that his new and improved diet was not responsible for his weight loss
Admitted: On January 6, 2018, she was officially diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and referred to Kings College Hospital in South London for surgery.
The doctors went into action by performing a series of tests and quickly discovered a disturbing blockage in his pancreas.
On January 6, she was officially diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and transferred to Kings College Hospital in South London for surgery.
"The care I received was incredible. Everything went down and my appointment for surgery was taken right away, "said Ms. Oakley.
"Back at home after my diagnosis, I did what we all do and I looked for my health on Google. I was reading all those awful stories and poor survival statistics, and I just did not want it to be that way.
"I did not see much in the people who passed and went on the other side of the diagnosis. My way of coping was simply to isolate myself from these statistics.
Barely 12 days after her diagnosis, Ms. Oakley underwent surgery to remove her pancreas, duodenum, gallbladder and bile ducts.
While she remains eternally grateful to have been seen so quickly, she was surprised at her rapid deterioration as she waited for her operation.
"I lost two stones in a few weeks. I was shocked to see what frail old woman I became, "she said. "But I feel so lucky to have received the care I've done.
"I want people to know that it is possible. You've read about the wrong diagnosis and the objection, but I'm living proof that you can survive if everything is done right. & # 39;
Alarmed: "I lost two stones in a few weeks. I was shocked to see what frail old woman I became, "she said. "But I feel so lucky to have received the care I've done.
Family support: in the photo of Mrs. Oakley with two of her adult children, Peter, 33, and Aiden, 30
Following her operation, Dr. Oakley underwent six months of chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy – a combination of treatments – to remove cancer cells at the margins of the area where the tumor had been surgically removed.
She continues to undergo regular testing and meets with consultants to discuss her ongoing care.
Because of the precarious position of her tumor – near some blood vessels – doctors can not guarantee that the disease has gone away for good, but for now, Ms. Oakley feels positive.
Since her diagnosis, she has been supported by the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK and supports their call to the government to ensure that all patients with pancreatic cancer are treated within 20 days of diagnosis.
And she hopes her story will raise awareness of pancreatic cancer symptoms – such as back and abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, altered bowel habits, jaundice, nausea and digestive problems.
"People know the signs of breast cancer, the testicles, the right to see a doctor if they discover a mass – but they are not aware of pancreatic cancer," said Ms. Oakley.
"I did not know that my symptoms could be related.
"Pancreatic cancer is appalling and takes more lives than it leaves, but not all stories are zero. A year later, I am doing things that I never thought I could do.
"If it happens five years later, it's five years longer than I would have had. I am absolutely convinced that we can beat that if more people are diagnosed faster. & # 39;
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