A A A A
 
Pages
Meet The Team How-Tos Our Supporters How to Participate in Precision Panc Membership Meeting Minutes Remit of Steering Committee Patient Stories Documents Working with the NHS Patient Public Engagement Meetings Governance News Clinicians Area Clinical Trials What is precision medicine? Information and Support What is Pancreatic Cancer? Current Research Our Researchers Privacy Policy Patients and Carers Contact Us About us Home
Posts
Patient 600 recruited Precision-Panc Enters 500th patient to platform Professor Andrew Biankin – it’s about time Pancreatic Cancer is debated in the Scottish Parliament Please watch this very moving video from NIHR West of England Exciting week for the Precision-Panc project Glasgow to host Pancreatic Symposium – Friday 21st May 2021 Survey on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on pancreatic cancer research Precision-Panc in the Press Precision-Panc / PRIMUS 002 Opens a new site Precision-Panc Re-opens to Recruitment Information on COVID-19 and Pancreatic Cancer from PCUK Precision-Panc and PRIMUS studies suspended to recruitment Precision-Panc Recruits Patient 300 Paul Taylor tells us about his Precision-Panc experience Precision-Panc help raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer Scotland Precision-Panc Recruits Patient 250 Marking World Pancreatic Cancer Day Precision-Panc working with myTomorrows Precision-Panc Roundtable Final Report New Glasgow Cancer Assays by GPOL and Agilent Technologies Precision-Panc opens site 25! Precision-Panc Summer Newsletter Precision-Panc Recruits Patient 200! Precision-Panc Brochure Royal Bournemouth Hospital Opens Finding the right treatment for the patient CRUK animate the Precision-Panc platform CRUK / Precision-Panc Video Professor Biankin receives the Order of Australia in Queen’s Birthday Honours Precision-Panc opens its 20th Site Precision Panc Spring Newsletter Precision-Panc Opens Site 19 Recent Media Pieces Regarding 100 Patient Milestone Site 17 opens for Precision-Panc PRIMUS 002 opens Informing the Future of Genomic Medicine in Scotland Report is Published St James’s University Hospital Opens Precision-Panc Opens its 15th site Glasgow Experts Lead UK Pancreatic Cancer Research 11th site opens to PRECISION-Panc Scotsman Conferences Blogspot November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month First Precision-Panc Trial Opens In Glasgow Cancer Research UK Investment Landscape of pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer Whole Genome Sequencing from EUS biopsies Upcoming Pancreas 2016 Conference Scottish Genome Partnership Announced Identification of four Pancreatic Cancer subtypes offers new treatment insight into the disease First Minister announces £4m ‘Precision Medicine Ecosystem’
Menu
 
 
Home | News | Paul Taylor tells us about his Precision-Panc experience

Paul Taylor tells us about his Precision-Panc experience

Published: 25th February 2020


Paul Taylor was a fit and healthy 36-year-old and for 20 years had led an active outdoor life as a countryside ranger and a tree surgeon, so it was a complete shock when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June 2018.

‘In my work I specialised in using the countryside to better people’s health and well-being, something I have always been passionate about,’ said Paul. ‘As a qualified Nordic-walking instructor, I did that several times a week, both during work and in my own time, as well as going to the gym up to five times a week. I was also rebuilding a 350-year-old stone cottage ’.

Paul and his partner Charlotte had been together for 18 years and had been planning their wedding for August 2018 when he became jaundiced in May. ‘It started with me feeling slightly sick but nothing that I would worry about. Then I started to lose my appetite and after a short time I noticed that there was slight yellowing of the eyes. This escalated until I had complete yellowing of the skin and wasn’t eating or drinking anything. In the toilet my stools were pale, floated and seemed greasy. My GP made an emergency hospital appointment, but before I could attend, I collapsed and was rushed to A&E in an ambulance.’

Although Paul was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he and Charlotte went ahead and had a lovely August wedding. Paul began his treatment straight after their honeymoon.

Paul’s family were just recovering from the early death of his sister’s husband from prostate cancer and Paul’s diagnosis reopened these wounds and had a devastating effect, especially on Paul’s parents. It brought them closer together, however, Paul’s father passed away in May 2019. Paul’s mother has lived with leukemia for many years, controlled with oral medication. She, his brother and nephew all have type 1 diabetes.

‘The doctors at my local hospitals seemed to have given up on me, but Charlotte is an amazing woman and found out about the Precision-Panc trials. We asked to go on a trial and knew we were in the right place when we met the team’.

‘I received no chemotherapy before starting the trial. I had a stent fitted to my bile duct and had the port fitted for my fortnightly treatment that began in September 2018. This involves a long day at the Christie hospital in Manchester. I normally arrive at 8am for blood tests and to talk to the doctors about my side effects and any issues I might have’.

‘After a couple of hours, I make my way to the chemotherapy unit where I have infusions of Abraxane and Oxaliplatin, which take around 4-5 hours to infuse. After this I am fitted with a chemotherapy pump containing Fluorocilin that I take home and it slowly infuses over 46-hours, after which my local district nurses remove the pump. The whole process is painless and the team around me is very helpful’.

‘The process has been tough, but everyone has been honest with me and listened to my wishes. There are things no one can prepare you for with cancer treatment, so I expected ‘surprises’ around how hard it would be at times and what side effects I would get. Of course, I don’t want to have pancreatic cancer but, apart from this, I wouldn’t change the way things are going in this trial. I’m currently feeling fine and in a happy place mentally’.

‘Short term side effects can last for a week to 10 days and include feeling sick, more severe tiredness, aching, loss of appetite, loss of taste around drink and food. Longer term symptoms are mainly the tingling and numbness in my hands and feet’.

‘I’ve learned that it’s important to take breaks from the treatment to recharge the batteries. A break allows my taste to return, energy levels recover slightly and level out. It also helps with my mental health and mood. I arrange short breaks away during these times to maximise the enjoyment’.

‘I hope the trial shows the genetic links that can point to better treatments and even prevention. Anything that can help other people diagnosed with this condition is a good thing. I want the suffering of pancreatic cancer to become a thing of the past.’

© 2023 Precision Panc
Web design by Creatomatic
This site uses cookies.
Configure
 
Read our privacy policy

This site uses cookies for marketing, personalisation, and analysis purposes. You can opt out of this at any time or view our full privacy policy for more information.