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Find out more about the support we provide to help you deal with pancreatic cancer.
What's in the 'Emotional impact of pancreatic cancer' section?
- Dealing with the emotional impact of pancreatic cancer
- What can help me cope with how I am feeling?
- Anxiety and depression
You and your family should be given information and support to help you manage the emotional (psychological) impact of pancreatic cancer.
Within the first few weeks of being diagnosed you should be offered information and support to help you understand your diagnosis and treatment options. This should be tailored to your needs.
We also have lots more information that you may find helpful. It can help you understand what you have heard from your medical team and make decisions about your treatment and care.
Talking to someone
You may be able to get emotional support from anyone who you feel comfortable sharing your feelings with and who is able to listen. Family and friends are often great sources of emotional support.
But it’s not always easy to share your feelings with people you are close to.
It can also help to speak to someone you don’t know. There are different ways that you can get support.
Contact our specialist nurses on our Support Line. They are experts in pancreatic cancer and can provide practical, honest information to help you make the right choices for you. They can also recommend practical steps and bring comfort and reassurance.
“Definitely speak, tell people how you think and feel because they can understand.”
Talking to your nurse or another health professional. You may have a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) at the hospital, or a community or district nurse who comes to see you at home. Any nurses involved in your care can provide you with information, help managing symptoms and emotional support.
“I was given little cards with the nurses’ name and numbers on. I can ring them anytime. They’ll send me a text asking me how I am. I’ve found them really, really helpful.”
Ask to be referred for psychological support. Psychological support services help people with psychological (emotional) concerns look after their mental health. You might be offered different types of support from health professionals such as counsellors, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists or social workers. Your family can also get support.
Counselling or ‘talking therapy’ involves talking to a trained professional about your thoughts and feelings. It may help you work through your feelings and find ways of coming to terms with things.
Psychotherapy aims to help you identify and change troubling emotions, thoughts, and behaviours. You may also hear it called psychological therapy. Research shows that psychotherapy can help people with advanced cancer who have depression.
Sometimes you can have group therapy, where you can share experiences, tips and coping strategies with others. This may help you feel that you are not alone. You can also talk about difficult topics and issues such as anger, fear of the cancer coming back or guilt.
Ways to find psychological support
There are different ways to get psychological support:
- Check what is offered through your local hospital, hospice, Macmillan information and support centre, or Maggie’s centre. If you live in Wales, you can get support from Tenovus Cancer Care. If you live in Northern Ireland, Cancer Focus Northern Ireland and Action Cancer provide support.
- Ask your GP or nurse to refer you for support. You can also refer yourself using the NHS website.
- Mind has information about how to find a counsellor or therapist.
What if I don’t want to talk about it?
Speaking to someone might not always be right for you. Maybe you need to take time on your own to work through your feelings.
There are a few things that you could try if you don’t want to talk about it.
Writing things down
Getting your thoughts down on paper can help. You may feel like you are getting them out of your head. This can help you to deal with them.
Some people like to keep a journal, where they write down how they are feeling. This can help you keep track of your mood and notice how your feelings can change.
You could also write a letter to yourself or someone you know. You don’t have to show it to anyone, but it can make writing easier if you have someone in mind to write to.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness encourages you to pay attention to your thoughts and feelings and focus on the present moment. It can help people with depression and anxiety, as well as improving general emotional wellbeing.
You can find lots of mindfulness apps for your phone. There are also lots of videos available online. Your local hospital, hospice, or cancer centre may also offer meditation or relaxation sessions.
Connecting with others affected by pancreatic cancer
Other people affected by pancreatic cancer can really understand how you feel. Connecting with others who have had similar experiences can make a big difference. We can help you connect and share your experience with other people going through a similar thing.
We understand how lonely it can feel living with pancreatic cancer, but sharing your experiences could help. Whether you want to read other people’s stories or tell your own, the Real Life Stories are a place to share in the highs, the lows, and everything in between. This can help you deal with your feelings and feel less alone.
“At first I was reluctant to access the support as cancer is not something that is readily talked about in my community but the support I received was phenomenal. It really helped knowing that someone else had taken the path I was now taking, that really helped me to deal with my diagnosis.”
Self-care tips
Self-care means doing things to take care of yourself.
Taking care of practical things can have a big impact on your wellbeing. For example, sorting out your finances, or getting someone to take care of jobs around the house. You could ask someone for help looking after your family or pets. These are all things that can take away stress.
Here are some more ideas.
- Try to do things you enjoy and bring you comfort. If it’s difficult to keep up with old hobbies and activities is there a different way of doing them?
- Think about what you can control. Maybe it’s choosing the food you eat, or choosing your favourite books to read, TV shows or films to watch, or listening to music.
- Set some small goals to help you focus on the present. This could be related to your hobbies or interests, learning or doing new things, or planning people or places to visit. You could aim to notice things around you each day, like the weather, the seasons changing, or flowers and plants growing.
- Be realistic about what you can achieve. Don’t try to do more than you are able to.
- Stay connected with friends and family. If you can’t visit them in person, stay in touch through phone and video calls, or writing emails, letters or cards.
- Plan treats for yourself and your family, whether it is a day trip or ways to pamper yourself at home. The charity Something To Look Forward To provides people and their families affected by cancer with donated gifts, from meals out to short breaks away and tickets to popular attractions.
Physical activity can help you feel better, and cope better with treatment. You may not feel like going far but try to spend some time outdoors or do light exercise at home. Doing gentle exercise, such as walking, as often as you can has lots of benefits for your health and wellbeing.
If walking is too tricky, there are exercises you can do at home including Pilates, yoga or seated exercises. Read more about physical activity you might do.
You could try some complementary therapies which can include massage and mindfulness. Or you could try techniques such as deep breathing or doing something restful that you enjoy. These may help you deal with anxiety, relax, and focus on the present moment.
Spiritual support
Being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer may mean that you think more about your spirituality and the meaning of life. You may find meaning through your daily life, connecting with nature or speaking to others. For others it may be more about their faith.
Spirituality means different things to different people. You may already have a faith or may want to explore your beliefs about life. If spiritual or religious practice is important to you then you may want to speak to your faith community or a faith leader.
Most hospitals have a chaplaincy service, where trained specialists help people with or without religion find meaning and explore what’s important to them. Ask your hospital doctor or nurse how you can contact the chaplain.
Getting support for pancreatic cancer symptoms can help you feel better
The symptoms of pancreatic cancer can have a big effect on your emotional wellbeing. Finding ways to manage your symptoms can help improve how you feel.
Getting support to manage pain and tiredness can help you feel better emotionally.
Fatigue is extreme tiredness. If you are feeling very tired or have pain, you may find this affects your mood. It can be difficult to cope with, and may make you feel down. There are things that can help.
Problems with eating and digestion can also have a big impact on how you feel. Nausea (feeling sick), weight loss, diarrhoea (runny poo), and problems eating can be upsetting. If you have lost weight, you may feel different about your body. There are things that can help with these symptoms. Speak to your medical team or dietitian about this.
Palliative care teams can support you emotionally
If you have cancer that can’t be treated with surgery (inoperable pancreatic cancer), accessing palliative care early can be helpful.
Palliative care and supportive care specialists can provide care to manage pain and other symptoms. They also offer emotional and practical support. They can help you live as comfortably and independently as possible and improve your quality of life.
The thought of palliative care can be upsetting, but these services aren’t just for people at the end of their lives. They are available at any point during your care if you have cancer that can’t be cured.
“Talking to people that have been in similar situations has really helped. I joined groups on social media for this as there is a lot of good knowledge to be given. Having a good support network makes a big difference.”
Find out more
Published January 2025
To be reviewed January 2028