some advice please

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I have just come back from the 3rd specialist I have seen since I have

been diagnosed with Severe Chronic Pancreatitis (Idiopathic), four

years ago. After shaking my hand on 3 different occasions, NEVER being

seen in an exam room, and reading the result of 1 ct scan done, he has

decided that the 2 previous University doctors were wrong in their

diagnosis and I DO NOT have ANYTHING wrong with me. He has never

examined me, or so much as touch my stomache area. He said that he

thinks that after my gallbladder operation, I had some problem with my

pancreas, but that has resolved itself and I am fine. That I no

longer need to see a doctor, or return for any type of check up with

him, or anyone else. Did I mention that this man is on the medical

reveiw board for my

insurance?

I never wanted to see this doctor in the first place as I thought

there would be some conflict of interest there. But after the last

doctor only wanting to do surgery on me every other month, I decided

to seek this 3rd opinion. I have clinical papers documenting the fact

that I have chronic pancreatitis, but now this doctor is writing down

that there is nothing wrong with me. That my pancreas has " healed " on

it's own and that I need no treatment for it. I am worried for my

meds, enzyme suppliments and for proper future treatment.

I have no other doctor to see that specializes in the pancreas as far

as my insurance goes. I either go back to this guy (who says I don't

even need him) or I go back the " surgery happy " doctor. There no

regular GI that will accept me as a patient. I have been to PLENTY.

They all say that my case is far more advanced than they can deal with.

And my extended family (mom and sister, etc...) are happily in

agreement with the doctors findings today. They also are in denial

about my health condition. Reminds me of Patty's position with her

family. I tried talking to them about it and all they could do was be

mad at me because I throw a damper on their party this saturday

because of what I can and cannot eat. I offered to just make a

sandwich of some sort, so that I wouldn't be a bother and I was being

put off as being a martyr (sp).

My questions: Is this a possibility at all? I know the pancreas

cannot get better on it's own once it has gone chronic. So what's up

here?

The other doctors made their findings through surgery, blood work,

fecal fat test, amalyse and lipase levels that never rise anymore and

other tests to come to their conclusions. Just because a CT Scan

doesn't show any abnormalities...well, does that necessarily mean

there is nothing wrong with it? That is the finding of the doctor.

Because the CT Scan didn't show calcifications, cysts or strictures

(but all surgery and ERCP's reports these things) he says there is

nothing wrong. How accurate is a CT Scan?

I am so confused and feeling very lonely here. If this doctor is

right, then all the surgery's I have gone through were for nothing.

Perhaps not at first as he acknowledges a problem 4 years ago, but I

have just had 3 surgeries last year. If he's right, they were for

nothing and that surgeon lied on the reports I have copies of. He is

the head of the GI dept. and a teaching professor.

Do they do that? The doctor who first diagnosed me was also a

teaching professor at the Unversity. DO they lie just because?

Oh, may I add that this 3rd doctor also said he based this finding on

the fact that I DO NOT take pain meds everyday. He said if there was

something wrong with my pancreas at all, I would be taking pain meds

on a daily basis.

I am waiting for any opinions PLEASE! I don't know what to make of

any of this.

Thanks,

Sandy