A nurse found out she had cancer after her husband jokingly told her she ‘looked like a minion’ after a shower - because her skin had changed colour.
Becki Buggs’ skin had become jaundiced, which encouraged her to get checked. The 43-year-old was then diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had to have the same operation to remove the cancer as she prepares her patients for - as an NHS theatre nurse.
The mum-of-two said she was 'completely devastated' when doctors diagnosed her with cancer as her job required her to be the reassuring voice telling patients that everything would be okay.
Becki, who is from Essex, said: “Everything was adding up to the fact that it was not going to be a good diagnosis.
"It didn’t make it any easier. In fact, it made it harder for me to tell people because I'm the person that they normally look to, to reassure them that everything's going to be okay. I couldn't do that this time because I was completely devastated myself.”
Becki now fears NHS staff shortages could lead to cancer operations being cancelled over the winter and is calling for urgent action from the government.
Pancreatic cancer is a quick killer, as more than half of people die within three months of being diagnosed. Almost 60 percent of people who have the disease are diagnosed in A&E - which means for most people, it is tragically too late for them to receive treatment.
Becki: “I’m worried for other pancreatic cancer patients. It scares me that there are people out there who will think, ‘Oh, I just feel a bit off and I don't really feel well but it's fine, I can't get a GP appointment, so I'll just ride it out.’
"Then they become so ill and jaundiced that they get admitted to A&E and by then it's too late. We have huge staff shortages; people are leaving the NHS because they are burnt out and disillusioned.
"There is also now the extra pressure of winter coming up and soon it's going to be that we're so short of doctors and nurses that we're not going to be able to staff the hospitals. ICU (Intensive Care Unit) beds are going to be a crisis again this winter, and you need an ICU bed after pancreatic cancer surgery.
"These surgeries will get cancelled if there're no ICU beds and the more that happens, the more opportunity the tumour has to grow. It's utterly horrible.”
Becki is now backing Pancreatic Cancer UK's 'No Time To Wait' campaign, which is urgently calling for the UK government to make a commitment with the charity. They want the government to promise that everyone with the disease is diagnosed within 21 days of their referral and is offered fast access to treatment.
Pancreatic Cancer UK also want all pancreatic cancer patients to be immediately given access to support from a specialist nurse.
Diana Jupp, CEO of Pancreatic Cancer UK, said: “The message from health professionals is frighteningly clear: the pandemic, staff shortages and underfunding have all pushed the NHS to breaking point.
"Pancreatic cancer is the quickest killing cancer, and any delays to diagnosis and treatment could cost people their chance of survival. There is no time to wait.
“Governments across the UK must bring forward and implement funded cancer plans to deliver faster diagnosis and treatment that will save lives, not just this winter but well into the future.
"We cannot afford to continue lurching from one worsening crisis to another. People with pancreatic cancer, their loved ones, and hardworking NHS staff all deserve better.”
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