A WOMAN who was given 'an automatic death sentence' after being diagnosed with cancer has spoken out about her fight.

Nikki Davies, from Reading, was diagnosed at age 51 when she complained to her GP about problems with heartburn.

She was booked in for an endoscopy but began suffering severe stomach pains before the procedure and was rushed to accident and emergency.

Though the endoscopy showed nothing, she was referred for an ultrasound, and later a CT scan which revealed her pancreas was inflamed. The doctors, after giving an MRI scan, put this down to pancreatitis. However Nikki continued to experience pains, but now she was also losing a lot of weight and fast.

ALSO READ:Burglary on Monks Way, Southcote

Despite being in pain Nikki and her husband went on their planned holiday trip to New Zealand, though on the journey back home she became violently ill, suffering "unbearable" itching and later developed Jaundice.

Following an emergency CT scan she was finally told that she was suffering pancreatic cancer and doctors had to remove the cancer in a six-hour operation. She was given chemotherapy as a precaution and it was confirmed that it had not spread.

The now 54-year-old, three years on since her diagnosis, said: “The doctor there seemed bemused that the consultant hadn’t picked it up earlier but as we know, pancreatic cancer is not easy to detect and I’d shown no sign of cancer until the jaundice.

ALSO READ: Reading has UK's most expensive train station parking (outside of London)

"I was taken through the risks of the procedure but once I knew I was suitable for surgery, I went for it."

She added: "On days when I feel sore or tired, I look at my scar and think how lucky I was to be able to have the surgery that has probably saved my life.

"Just being suitable for the surgery has put me into the sadly tiny survivable bracket.

"We need to be able to detect this cancer earlier and more research and funding towards this is urgently needed. I want more people to have the chance I have had.

“If someone finds out I have had pancreatic cancer they are just amazed that I have survived, there is a perception it is an automatic death sentence but it isn’t if it is diagnosed early enough."

ALSO READ: Tilehurst Village Butchers goes into liquidation

Ms Davies is calling for more to be done to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer and its symptoms, so that it can be detected earlier.

She added: "My advice to anyone who thinks they may be experiencing symptoms of pancreatic cancer is get checked and don’t be dismissed.

"You do have to make a nuisance of yourself - there's no room for the old "stiff upper lip" attitude when it comes to this as early diagnosis is really the best chance of survival.

"You know your body better than anyone and if you think there's something wrong then get it checked and don't be shy about it."

Charity Pancreatic Cancer Action (PanAct) said the disease is the UK's fifth biggest cancer killer and is expected to soon overtake breast cancer.

The charity listed some vital symptoms to look out for as upper abdominal pain/discomfort, mid-back pain, persistent indigestion that doesn't go away with medication, unexplained weight loss, pale and smelly stools and/or yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, known as jaundice.

If you notice the final symptom, you should seek urgent medical assistance.

For more information go to pcrf.org.uk