Re: the short of a long story

[Guest guest]

derwent surgery to remove a lobe of his lung but the piece tested

during surgery was negative for cancer but suspicious for TB.

So, only a portion of the lobe was removed and he was in

isolation for TB til he was released a week later. Well, the culture

never grew so after 5 or 6 wks he was taken off the awful meds.

We will never know, for certain, what he had.

My frequent doctor visits have been frustrating because we have

no solutions. We think the problem is my mutated cf gene and/or

my hepatitis C. But he wants me to go to Boston to see Dr.

Banks at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Even though I will definitely be making the trip to Boston I am still

interested to hear if anyone has any comments on this doctor.

Jill

Dear Jill,

My son recently twice tested positive for TB infection after flying

the Afganistan prisoners to Cuba last May. Some of the

prisoners who were on the C-17 had tuberculosis. He's had to

take all that preventative medicine and says that it makes him

feel really horrible.....but you do what you gotta do, I guess!

In case you haven't already seen this, here's a little bio I found on

Dr. Banks. I have " heard " of him also, either through this

website, or through someone else sometime talking about CP,

and I know he's well thought of professionally, but I don't know

anything about the personal/patient side of him.

It sounds as though he really might be the kind of specialist that

you need to find out about yourself.

A. Banks, M.D.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Director, Center for Pancreatic Diseases 

Director Clinical Research Track

Dr. Banks joined the Division in May 1992, after 19 years as

Chief of Gastroenterology at St. 's Hospital.  Dr. Banks

is Past President of the American Pancreatic Association,

President-elect of the International Association of Pancreatology,

Past Chair of the Pancreatic Disorders Section of the American

Gastroenterological Association, and Vice Chairman of the

Executive Committee of the Digestive Disease National

Coalition.  Dr. Banks has taught regularly in the post-graduate

courses of the American Gastroenterological Association and

the American College of Gastroenterology.  He was awarded the

Distinguished Educator Award of the AGA at its annual meeting

in 2000.  Dr. Banks is an international authority in the field of

pancreatitis.  His main research interests include the

identification of risk factors and new markers of severity in acute

pancreatitis, newer treatment for fulminant pancreatitis and

newer modalities to treat pain in chronic pancreatitis.  He is the

author or co-author of numerous publications, including

chapters in major medical texts.  He has authored one book on

pancreatitis and co-authored with a colleague from Germany a

second book on pancreatitis.  He is an Associate Editor of the

journal, Pancreatology.  In collaboration with Dr. Carr-Locke and

other members of the Center for Pancreatic Disease, Dr. Banks

has initiated several randomized prospective trials on the

treatment of acute and chronic pancreatitis.  In addition, in

collaboration with members of the Center for Inflammatory

Bowel Disease, Dr. Banks is conducting randomized

prospective trials on newer treatments in inflammatory bowel

disease. 

I found this on the Brigham and Women's Hospital website. I

hope that this appointment will be successful for you, and that

you get some conclusive diagnosis....finally!!

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC State & SE Regional Rep.

PAI, Intl.

Note: All comments and advice are personal opinion only, and

should not be substituted for professional medical consultation.