Pancreatic Cancer Maryke du Toit ā€“ Whipple Warrior
October 1, 2025 Word for Word Media
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Despite a severe complication from a nuclear medicine treatment, Maryke du Toit, who has metastatic pancreatic cancer, would have it again if she had the choice.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Maryke du Toit (53) lives in Pretoria, Gauteng with her husband. They have three children, aged 28, 25, and 17. In the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, in June 2020, Maryke experienced an intense pain under her rib cage that radiated to her back. Even though she took muscle relaxants and rested, the pain…

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Know your cancer What is the Whipple procedure?
October 1, 2025 Word for Word Media
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Dr Leanne Prodehl explains the intricate process of the Whipple procedure.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

A Whipple procedure, also known as a pancreaticoduodenectomy, is a complex surgery removing multiple abdominal organs. The procedure, first described in the 1930s and refined in the 1940s, is named after the surgeon who described it. The pancreas has two main functions: hormonal and digestion. One of the primary hormonal functions is control of blood glucose. It secretes insulin when the glucose is high and glucagon when itā€™s low….

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Pancreatic Cancer Helen Fivelman – The beauty of life
September 30, 2024 Word for Word Media
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Helen Fivelman shares how she is handling metastatic pancreatic cancer and how the diagnosis has made her more aware of the beauty of life.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Helen Fivelman (66) lives in Glenhazel, Gauteng. She is a widowĀ and has one daughter and three grandchildren.Ā  Last year May, Helen was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; this came after a series of medical investigations. Three months prior Helen was fatigued which she put down to the fact that she swam five times a week and that her…

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How is it diagnosed? How is pancreatic cancer diagnosed?
September 30, 2024 Word for Word Media
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Dr Daleen Geldenhuys explains the diagnostic process of exocrine pancreatic cancer.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most feared cancers with an extremely poor prognosis. The best survival chance would be to diagnose the disease early and yet again the average survival timeĀ is 36 to 42 months in early disease. The pancreas is an important abdominal organ that lies in front of the vertebral column and behind the stomach. It looks like an upside-down smoking pipe and has several important structures…

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Pancreatic Cancer How does a Whipple procedure cause diabetes?
September 30, 2024 Word for Word Media
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Meagan Achteson, a dietitian, explains how diabetes develops after a Whipple procedure and offers guidelines to healthy eating thereafter.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

During a Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy), the following are removed: part of the stomach, the small bowel (duodenum), the head of the pancreas, the lower end of the bile duct, and the gallbladder. After these organs are removed,Ā the surgeon attaches the remaining pancreas, bile duct, and stomach to the intestine. This allows pancreatic juice, bile, and food to flow back into the gut,…

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Bile Duct Cancer Nicole Coppin – Six yearsā€™ cancer-free
February 8, 2023 Word for Word Media
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You can listen to this articles below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Single mother, Nicole Coppin, shares her story of having periampullary adenocarcinoma (a bile and pancreatic duct cancer). What is periampullary carcinoma? Periampullary carcinoma is a broad term used to define the group of carcinomas arising from the head of the pancreas, the distal common bile duct, and the first part of the small intestine. Nicole Coppin (46) livesĀ in Edenvale, Gauteng with her 14-year-old son, Joey. In March 2016, it was found that Nicole hadĀ a tumour around her bile and pancreatic duct; this was after…

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Frequently Asked Questions Pancreatic cancer: frequently asked questions
November 29, 2022 Word for Word Media
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The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) shares the most frequently asked questions by newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer patients. What are the symptoms of pancreatic cancer? Most people with pancreatic cancer (and nearly all people with ampullary cancer) will have jaundice (yellow skin and whites of the eyes) as their first symptom. Jaundice is caused by the build-up of bilirubin, a dark yellow-brown substance made in the liver. Other symptoms include light-coloured stools, dark urine, pain in the upper or middle abdomen and/or back, unexplained weight loss, feeling tired, and poor appetite. What is the cause of pancreatic cancer?…

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