{"id":8965,"date":"2025-11-30T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=8965"},"modified":"2025-12-03T21:33:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T21:33:40","slug":"we-got-my-husbands-diagnosis-he-died-within-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/30\/we-got-my-husbands-diagnosis-he-died-within-days\/","title":{"rendered":"We got my husband\u2019s diagnosis \u2013 he died within days"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
It took over a year of seeking help to get a diagnosis (Picture: Liv Williamson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the IV was fitted, I saw the agony leave my husband Nigel\u2019s face for the first time.<\/p>\n

Finally, after a year of seeking medical help, I thought maybe we were getting somewhere.<\/p>\n

But the next day, we were told Nigel had cancer<\/a> \u2013 they didn\u2019t specify which cancer specifically at that point \u2013 and that, because it had been undetected for so long<\/a>, it had spread everywhere. Even the doctors were alarmed.<\/p>\n

The cancer was so advanced, he was put straight on to palliative care.<\/a><\/p>\n

We had no words; devastation doesn\u2019t cut it. I held Nigel\u2019s hand as I broke down. He remained silent.<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t think what to say to someone who not only has cancer, but has it everywhere in their body.<\/p>\n

\u2018Oh my god, how am I going to tell the children?\u2019, I thought.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
The symptoms started with low back and leg pain (Picture: Liv Williamson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It all started around early 2023, when Nigel noticed lower back and leg pain. After about a month, he saw his GP and was referred for physio.<\/p>\n

We waited months <\/strong>for that appointment, during which time the pain worsened; and to add to his misery, indigestion had also become a problem.<\/p>\n

From March to June, Nigel sought medical advice and each time he was sent away, either empty-handed or with medication for pain or indigestion.<\/p>\n

Come June, in sheer desperation, we paid for an MRI privately, assuming it would pick up anything nasty. But it was a lumbar spine MRI, because he had pain in his lower back \u2013 so it didn\u2019t pick up anything wrong with Nigel\u2019s pancreas.<\/p>\n

When we saw the GP next, he mentioned he was glad the MRI didn\u2019t show anything sinister.<\/p>\n

\u2018But what is it then?\u2019, we asked in frustration numerous times; always to be told it would get better on its own.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
His quality of life was nonexistent (Picture: Liv Williamson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In July, I took Nigel to A&E as he couldn\u2019t stand up. His painful leg was getting thinner and thinner, like it was wasting away, and the pain was unbearable.<\/p>\n

At A&E, we were told he had a twisted knee after they looked at his MRI and sent him home.<\/p>\n

We found out later that the A&E staff had requested blood tests from Nigel\u2019s GP, but we never got the message.<\/p>\n

By late summer<\/a>, Nigel had lost about a stone and a half. He was struggling to eat. He had become so weak that he relied on crutches. We couldn\u2019t sleep in the same bed, as he\u2019d be writhing in pain all night. His quality of life was nonexistent.<\/p>\n

Just before Christmas, I demanded a blood test from his GP \u2013 but three weeks later, a few days before the scheduled tests, Nigel couldn\u2019t urinate which left him in agony.<\/p>\n

I called an ambulance; the ride to A&E was horrendous, and Nigel\u2019s anguish left him unable to sit in the waiting room.<\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\tPancreatic Cancer UK\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
\n

If you or a loved one has been affected by pancreatic cancer and need support or information, Pancreatic Cancer UK run the only specialist support line for the disease, staffed by specialist nurses, who are here for you at Pancreatic Cancer.org<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

We had no choice but to leave and try for A&E again another time; he wasn\u2019t able to sit on a chair, and he begged me to take him home.<\/p>\n

The following day, Nigel was so poorly, he was just lying in bed \u2013 but I knew we had to get him back to the hospital.<\/p>\n

A couple of days later, our daughter came back from university to help me wrap her dad in duvets and gently put him in the car so we could go back to A&E.<\/p>\n

He screamed with pain on the way.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, this time, a nurse immediately saw how unwell Nigel was. She organised a bed in the corridor \u2013 it was the most relief I had felt in months. Then he had an IV fitted, and it did feel like we were getting somewhere.<\/p>\n

Tragically, any hope or relief I felt was stolen the next day.<\/p>\n

Nigel wasn\u2019t ready for people to know he had cancer, but I had to tell people before it was too late.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"\"\t<\/div>
Our youngest was just 14 at the time, far too young to be losing a parent (Picture: Liv Williamson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The kids were so brave, but <\/strong>telling them was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Our youngest was just 14 at the time, far too young to be losing a parent.<\/p>\n

The following day, we all huddled around Nigel\u2019s bed with a takeaway and watched a film on a portable DVD player. It was the last time we did something as a family.<\/p>\n

On 9th February 2024, just 12 days after we were told it was cancer<\/a>, Nigel died, aged 61, with me and our three children by his side.<\/p>\n

I burst into tears. \u2018I\u2019m not ready! There are still so many things I want to ask you\u2019, I cried \u2013 but he was gone.<\/p>\n

I was only told it was pancreatic cancer specifically a week after he died. I looked up the disease and the lack of progress in survival shocked me. <\/a>Learning that no early detection tools exist to help doctors detect it compelled me to do something.<\/p>\n

\n
Comment now<\/title><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text\">Have you or a loved one been affected by pancreatic cancer? Share below<\/span><\/span><a class=\"metro-comment-cta__button\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\">Comment Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Sharing Nigel\u2019s experience during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month felt like a good start, especially because Pancreatic Cancer UK are currently investing in a clinical trial for a new breath test for pancreatic cancer. <\/p>\n<p>The test works by detecting certain compounds in the breath; people with pancreatic cancer have different types of these compounds that could potentially be found early on, helping with early diagnoses.<\/p>\n<p>Nigel saw a healthcare professional 24 times and even then, we didn\u2019t know it was <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/03\/20\/symptoms-pancreatic-cancer-hard-treat-20492072\/\">pancreatic cancer.<\/a> If something like<strong> <\/strong>the breath test had been available, maybe Nigel could have had treatment to give him more time with us.<\/p>\n<p>As it was, his last year was horrific. <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/02\/11\/im-a-medical-professional-still-missed-signs-cancer-20229076\/\">The signs were there, but Nigel\u2019s pain was written off. His weight loss and indigestion weren\u2019t seriously considered.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"625\" src=\"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Liv-and-Nigel-2-198d-e1764177201873.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-24850017\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Nigel would be so proud, and grateful that we are raising awareness on his behalf (Picture: Liv Williamson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Life without Nigel has been extremely tough for all of us. I still can\u2019t believe this really happened.<\/p>\n<p>The worst thing is looking back and remembering the pain he was in.<\/p>\n<p>We talk about Nigel all the time; \u2018Dad would have liked this\u2019 or \u2018Dad would have found that so funny\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>The way the children have handled this has been admirable. Nigel would be so proud, and grateful that we are raising awareness on his behalf.<\/p>\n<p>Our youngest hopes that, by sharing his dad\u2019s story, it will stop other kids from losing their parents to this disease. I hope so too. It\u2019s important to familiarise yourself with the symptoms and push for answers when things don\u2019t feel right.<\/p>\n<p>The significance of early detection is clear, not just for survival but for quality time with your loved one following a diagnosis \u2013 when they still feel well enough to enjoy it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing <a href=\"mailto:ross.mccarthy@metro.co.uk\" data-type=\"mailto\" data-id=\"mailto:ross.mccarthy@metro.co.uk\">Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk<\/a><a href=\"mailto:Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk\" data-type=\"mailto\" data-id=\"mailto:Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk\">.<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><title>Comment now<\/title><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It took over a year of seeking help to get a diagnosis (Picture: Liv Williamson) As the IV was fitted, I saw the agony leave my husband Nigel\u2019s face for the first time. Finally, after a year of seeking medical help, I thought maybe we were getting somewhere. But the next day, we were told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8965"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8965"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8973,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8965\/revisions\/8973"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}