Guest guest Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 ....... I don't know about the correlation But my attacks were worse when i had mine .They are still bad but i feel a little better without it. Lola ********************************************************************** This is interesting because mine may be in trouble! I went to pick up a new prescription for my Percocet 10's today at my doctor's office. For once, the nurse's usual mistake of not reading the most recent prescription dosage, and writing it for the incorrect dosage worked to my advantage, because I got to see my doctor for an unscheduled appointment. Nearly every time I have gone to pick up my presciption in the past, the nurse has failed to check the newest changes and written it for the old dosage, which has meant that I have to wait around the office for a break between patients for the doctor to sign a revised script for the increased dosage amount. My doctor asked me to come back to the examining room so we could talk. I told him about my increased pain during the last few months and that I had been having severe pains in a new location. Since I already have multiple pseudocysts, I was concerned that perhaps a new one had formed. This new pain location is in the upper right quadrant of my abdomen, just below and behind the ribs, and has lately been frightening in its intensity. He asked me to lay on the table and did some prodding around and I nearly jumped sky high at one point. He asked me if I'd ever had any earlier troubles with my gallbladder, since I have been one of the few people with CP that has a healthy, though " abnormally small " gallbladder. I guess the word " has " may be short-lived in my case. He seemed concerned about either my gallbladder, or a problem with the pancreas head, and ordered another CT-scan as soon as it can be scheduled through the hospital, instead of waiting for my six month scan. I'm scared now that the gallbladder has suffered due to all my problems with the pseudocysts and chronic pancreatitis. I guess I'll know more after this CT-scan, which I hope to have this week. It was interesting to note where Lola said she felt better during her attacks without a gallbladder, than with one. I really don't want to have mine taken out, but of course, if there is a problem there, too, I will have to have it done. Wish me luck on this one! With hope and prayers, Heidi Heidi H. Griffeth SC Southeastern Representative Pancreatitis Association, Intl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2002 Report Share Posted December 18, 2002 Jerry/Heidi, My pain is always in the RUQ of the abdomen. Kind of under the rib, where I think my gallbladder used to be. It radiates straight through to the back most of the time. Sometimes, with a very bad attack I now also have pain sort of smack dab in the center of my abdomen, about 4 inches or so above the navel. My last attack was a few hours after I saw the surgeon who did my hernia(s) repair and took a look around for adhesions around my bile duct/pancreas (which he found none). He poked and prodded really good. I didn't even realize I was hurting most places til he poked on them as I had been having several really good days. Just after I got in the house after we got back from the 2 hour drive home, I began having an attack. This was about 5 p.m. Finally, at 1 a.m., I couldn't take it any longer and I drove myself to the ER. I only live 5 minutes from the hospital. I figured I'd leave my poor hubby sleeping and then just have them call him to come get me. My panc enzymes ended up being fine. They gave me a shot and called hubby to come get me around 5 a.m. The ER doc told me the labs were fine except my liver enzymes were mildly elevated. He said, " I assume your liver enzymes are always elevated since they put the stent in your bile duct in August. " I told him no, sometimes my liver enzymes were normal since the stent. That was the purpose of the stent to keep the bile flowing and prevent the liver and panc enzymes from becoming elevated. The ER doc just said OK, just make sure you follow up with your pcp or the surgeon tomorrow. Ends up when my PCP gets the labs, my AST was higher than it had ever been at 770 (normal is 10-30). My ALT was 314 (normal is 10-36) but it has been higher than that before. Prior to this attack, the highest my AST had been was 759. Every other doctor used the word seriously or significantly elevated any time the liver enzymes were over 500. Anyway, this was Wednesday night/Thursday morning (Dec4/5). The attack finally got better after my pcp gave me another shot on Friday afternoon. I had surgery the following Monday (Dec 9) and I haven't had a serious attack since. I had a small episode yesterday but once I threw up the pain went away. I feel sure that the last attack was brought on by the doc poking and prodding. I think it just stirred things up. I really didn't think of it when he was doing it as I've never really been able to correlate an attack to being poked and prodded before. However, he poked and prodded a lot more than any other doctor had done in the past. Have they done an ultraound of your gallbladder? What about a hida scan to see if the gallbladder is functioning? These were the two tests that revealed my gallbladder was bad back in 98. However, I think it was bad for at least 3 years prior to it showing up on tests. Then again, maybe the pain never was coming from my gallbladder at all since it is the exact same pain I now have. The only difference is that when it began in 95, the episodes only lasted a few minutes and never reached the level of intensity they now reach. The pain is in the same area. Back in 95, I'd have maybe 3-4 episodes a year that lasted a max of 10 minutes. My gallbladder obviously needed to be removed as it had stones, sludge, and was only functioning at 13%. during the month before the tests showed the gallbladder as bad, I really didn't have any of the bad pain episodes. My stomach just stayed bloated and I was nauseated all the time, even from water. I lost about 20-30 lbs during the month before my gallbladder was removed. I had the surgery on a Monday and on Thursday we went to IL (about 8-10 hours) for my niece's college graduation. Other than walking a little slow, I felt better than I had felt in months once the gallbladder was gone. About a year after the gallbladder was removed, I began having the short episodes of RUQ pain again. They only lasted a few minutes and I blew them off as bad gas pains til Jan 00 when the pain didn't quit. That was my first documented attack of acute panc and the rest is history. W Re: Gallbladder's > This new pain location is in the upper right quadrant of my abdomen, just below > and behind the ribs, and has lately been frightening in its > intensity. He asked me to lay on the table and did some > prodding around and I nearly jumped sky high at one point. Hi Heidi, First of all, I hope you are NOT having problems with your gall bladder. I had mine out over ten years ago, but I think their inability to diagnose my gallbladder problem led to my current case of pancreatitis. Oh well... Secondly, on the topic of Docs poking around on one's abdomen. Every time any physician tries to prod my abdomen, my wife (bless her caring soul!) explains to the examiner that boisterous exams cause me to have attacks. It usually takes a minute for it to sink into the doctor's head just what she is trying to explain. I do not relish upper abdominal pushing, with some idiot looking at my face to see if I grimace. There have been times when a too exuberant exam started pain which intensified over a day or two and landed me in the hospital. Best Regards, Jerry/NC PANCREATITIS Association, Intl. Online e-mail group To reply to this message hit & quot;reply & quot; or send an e-mail to: Pancreatitis (AT) Yahoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2002 Report Share Posted December 18, 2002 Jerry/Heidi, My pain is always in the RUQ of the abdomen. Kind of under the rib, where I think my gallbladder used to be. It radiates straight through to the back most of the time. Sometimes, with a very bad attack I now also have pain sort of smack dab in the center of my abdomen, about 4 inches or so above the navel. My last attack was a few hours after I saw the surgeon who did my hernia(s) repair and took a look around for adhesions around my bile duct/pancreas (which he found none). He poked and prodded really good. I didn't even realize I was hurting most places til he poked on them as I had been having several really good days. Just after I got in the house after we got back from the 2 hour drive home, I began having an attack. This was about 5 p.m. Finally, at 1 a.m., I couldn't take it any longer and I drove myself to the ER. I only live 5 minutes from the hospital. I figured I'd leave my poor hubby sleeping and then just have them call him to come get me. My panc enzymes ended up being fine. They gave me a shot and called hubby to come get me around 5 a.m. The ER doc told me the labs were fine except my liver enzymes were mildly elevated. He said, " I assume your liver enzymes are always elevated since they put the stent in your bile duct in August. " I told him no, sometimes my liver enzymes were normal since the stent. That was the purpose of the stent to keep the bile flowing and prevent the liver and panc enzymes from becoming elevated. The ER doc just said OK, just make sure you follow up with your pcp or the surgeon tomorrow. Ends up when my PCP gets the labs, my AST was higher than it had ever been at 770 (normal is 10-30). My ALT was 314 (normal is 10-36) but it has been higher than that before. Prior to this attack, the highest my AST had been was 759. Every other doctor used the word seriously or significantly elevated any time the liver enzymes were over 500. Anyway, this was Wednesday night/Thursday morning (Dec4/5). The attack finally got better after my pcp gave me another shot on Friday afternoon. I had surgery the following Monday (Dec 9) and I haven't had a serious attack since. I had a small episode yesterday but once I threw up the pain went away. I feel sure that the last attack was brought on by the doc poking and prodding. I think it just stirred things up. I really didn't think of it when he was doing it as I've never really been able to correlate an attack to being poked and prodded before. However, he poked and prodded a lot more than any other doctor had done in the past. Have they done an ultraound of your gallbladder? What about a hida scan to see if the gallbladder is functioning? These were the two tests that revealed my gallbladder was bad back in 98. However, I think it was bad for at least 3 years prior to it showing up on tests. Then again, maybe the pain never was coming from my gallbladder at all since it is the exact same pain I now have. The only difference is that when it began in 95, the episodes only lasted a few minutes and never reached the level of intensity they now reach. The pain is in the same area. Back in 95, I'd have maybe 3-4 episodes a year that lasted a max of 10 minutes. My gallbladder obviously needed to be removed as it had stones, sludge, and was only functioning at 13%. during the month before the tests showed the gallbladder as bad, I really didn't have any of the bad pain episodes. My stomach just stayed bloated and I was nauseated all the time, even from water. I lost about 20-30 lbs during the month before my gallbladder was removed. I had the surgery on a Monday and on Thursday we went to IL (about 8-10 hours) for my niece's college graduation. Other than walking a little slow, I felt better than I had felt in months once the gallbladder was gone. About a year after the gallbladder was removed, I began having the short episodes of RUQ pain again. They only lasted a few minutes and I blew them off as bad gas pains til Jan 00 when the pain didn't quit. That was my first documented attack of acute panc and the rest is history. W Re: Gallbladder's > This new pain location is in the upper right quadrant of my abdomen, just below > and behind the ribs, and has lately been frightening in its > intensity. He asked me to lay on the table and did some > prodding around and I nearly jumped sky high at one point. Hi Heidi, First of all, I hope you are NOT having problems with your gall bladder. I had mine out over ten years ago, but I think their inability to diagnose my gallbladder problem led to my current case of pancreatitis. Oh well... Secondly, on the topic of Docs poking around on one's abdomen. Every time any physician tries to prod my abdomen, my wife (bless her caring soul!) explains to the examiner that boisterous exams cause me to have attacks. It usually takes a minute for it to sink into the doctor's head just what she is trying to explain. I do not relish upper abdominal pushing, with some idiot looking at my face to see if I grimace. There have been times when a too exuberant exam started pain which intensified over a day or two and landed me in the hospital. Best Regards, Jerry/NC PANCREATITIS Association, Intl. Online e-mail group To reply to this message hit & quot;reply & quot; or send an e-mail to: Pancreatitis (AT) Yahoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2002 Report Share Posted December 18, 2002 Jerry/Heidi, My pain is always in the RUQ of the abdomen. Kind of under the rib, where I think my gallbladder used to be. It radiates straight through to the back most of the time. Sometimes, with a very bad attack I now also have pain sort of smack dab in the center of my abdomen, about 4 inches or so above the navel. My last attack was a few hours after I saw the surgeon who did my hernia(s) repair and took a look around for adhesions around my bile duct/pancreas (which he found none). He poked and prodded really good. I didn't even realize I was hurting most places til he poked on them as I had been having several really good days. Just after I got in the house after we got back from the 2 hour drive home, I began having an attack. This was about 5 p.m. Finally, at 1 a.m., I couldn't take it any longer and I drove myself to the ER. I only live 5 minutes from the hospital. I figured I'd leave my poor hubby sleeping and then just have them call him to come get me. My panc enzymes ended up being fine. They gave me a shot and called hubby to come get me around 5 a.m. The ER doc told me the labs were fine except my liver enzymes were mildly elevated. He said, " I assume your liver enzymes are always elevated since they put the stent in your bile duct in August. " I told him no, sometimes my liver enzymes were normal since the stent. That was the purpose of the stent to keep the bile flowing and prevent the liver and panc enzymes from becoming elevated. The ER doc just said OK, just make sure you follow up with your pcp or the surgeon tomorrow. Ends up when my PCP gets the labs, my AST was higher than it had ever been at 770 (normal is 10-30). My ALT was 314 (normal is 10-36) but it has been higher than that before. Prior to this attack, the highest my AST had been was 759. Every other doctor used the word seriously or significantly elevated any time the liver enzymes were over 500. Anyway, this was Wednesday night/Thursday morning (Dec4/5). The attack finally got better after my pcp gave me another shot on Friday afternoon. I had surgery the following Monday (Dec 9) and I haven't had a serious attack since. I had a small episode yesterday but once I threw up the pain went away. I feel sure that the last attack was brought on by the doc poking and prodding. I think it just stirred things up. I really didn't think of it when he was doing it as I've never really been able to correlate an attack to being poked and prodded before. However, he poked and prodded a lot more than any other doctor had done in the past. Have they done an ultraound of your gallbladder? What about a hida scan to see if the gallbladder is functioning? These were the two tests that revealed my gallbladder was bad back in 98. However, I think it was bad for at least 3 years prior to it showing up on tests. Then again, maybe the pain never was coming from my gallbladder at all since it is the exact same pain I now have. The only difference is that when it began in 95, the episodes only lasted a few minutes and never reached the level of intensity they now reach. The pain is in the same area. Back in 95, I'd have maybe 3-4 episodes a year that lasted a max of 10 minutes. My gallbladder obviously needed to be removed as it had stones, sludge, and was only functioning at 13%. during the month before the tests showed the gallbladder as bad, I really didn't have any of the bad pain episodes. My stomach just stayed bloated and I was nauseated all the time, even from water. I lost about 20-30 lbs during the month before my gallbladder was removed. I had the surgery on a Monday and on Thursday we went to IL (about 8-10 hours) for my niece's college graduation. Other than walking a little slow, I felt better than I had felt in months once the gallbladder was gone. About a year after the gallbladder was removed, I began having the short episodes of RUQ pain again. They only lasted a few minutes and I blew them off as bad gas pains til Jan 00 when the pain didn't quit. That was my first documented attack of acute panc and the rest is history. W Re: Gallbladder's > This new pain location is in the upper right quadrant of my abdomen, just below > and behind the ribs, and has lately been frightening in its > intensity. He asked me to lay on the table and did some > prodding around and I nearly jumped sky high at one point. Hi Heidi, First of all, I hope you are NOT having problems with your gall bladder. I had mine out over ten years ago, but I think their inability to diagnose my gallbladder problem led to my current case of pancreatitis. Oh well... Secondly, on the topic of Docs poking around on one's abdomen. Every time any physician tries to prod my abdomen, my wife (bless her caring soul!) explains to the examiner that boisterous exams cause me to have attacks. It usually takes a minute for it to sink into the doctor's head just what she is trying to explain. I do not relish upper abdominal pushing, with some idiot looking at my face to see if I grimace. There have been times when a too exuberant exam started pain which intensified over a day or two and landed me in the hospital. Best Regards, Jerry/NC PANCREATITIS Association, Intl. Online e-mail group To reply to this message hit & quot;reply & quot; or send an e-mail to: Pancreatitis (AT) Yahoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2002 Report Share Posted December 18, 2002 Heidi, I'm sorry you're probably having trouble with your gallbladder. I had mine removed as they were not sure if it was the problem, even though it looked normal. Unfortunatley, removing it didn't help any for me.I hope they are able to find what is causing the latest amount of pain and fix it if possible.You will be in my prayers. Kimber -- Kimber Vallejo, CA hominid2@... Southwest and California Representative Pancreatitis Association, International Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.