Chris Rea health: Driving Home for Christmas singer opens up on health HELL
This Morning: Dr Zoe explains symptoms of pancreatic cancer
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“I’ve never really got over it,” Chris Rea told fellow Middlesbrough-born Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse while appearing on the TV show Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing Christmas special. In 1994, the father-of-two developed pancreatic cancer and then underwent a life-saving operation to remove some of his internal organs. His pancreas, gallbladder, and left quadrant of the liver were “all gone”, and then the star discovered he had type 1 diabetes.
Reminiscing on the day he told his wife, Joan, that he no longer had cancer, he said: “She pulled the car over and burst into tears.”
Joan was also there when the 70-year-old hitmaker wrote the song Driving Home for Christmas.
Chris revealed that at the time, his manager had just left him, he had been banned from driving, and Joan came down in her Mini to drive him back home.
It was on the dual carriageway back to Middlesbrough that sparked Chris to pen the 1986 hit.
Since his famed Christmas song, and his health hell, Chris now has to take “34 pills every day”.
“And, after all that, the kidney is gone [too],” he quipped to Bob and Paul.
Pancreatic cancer
Leading charity Pancreatic Cancer UK highlighted five of the most common warning signs of the disease.
Symptoms of pancreatic cancer
- Tummy or back pain
- Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite
- Jaundice (yellow skin or eyes, and itchy skin)
- Change in bowel habits
- Indigestion.
Pancreatic Cancer UK emphasised that someone with the disease “may not have all the symptoms” listed above.
Moreover, any symptoms that do occur may come and go, meaning they are not there consistently.
Expanding on each one of the symptoms, the charity elaborated: “Tummy pain or back pain are common symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
“The pain may start as general discomfort or tenderness in the tummy area and spread to the back.”
Sometimes, for some people, the pain may be worse when lying down, which is relieved by sitting forward.
As for indigestion, the charity explained that it can feel like a “painful, burning feeling” in the chest.
“It can also leave a bitter, unpleasant taste in your mouth,” the charity added.
“Speak to your GP if you get indigestion a lot,” Pancreatic Cancer UK advised.
Less common symptoms can include: fever, shivering, feeling unwell, not being able to swallow food properly, and feeling full quickly after eating.
Reduce your risk of pancreatic cancer
Known modifiable risk factors include obesity, smoking, alcohol and red meat consumption.
Thus to minimise your risk of pancreatic cancer, it helps to:
- Be a non smoker
- Be a healthy weight
- Don’t drink alcohol
- Don’t eat red meat.
“It’s important to remember that having some of the risk factors doesn’t mean you will definitely get pancreatic cancer,” the charity added.
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