Another weird CT-scan

[Guest guest]

Hi y'all,

It seems I've got a vanishing pseudocyst! My CT-scan of March

25 said: " Today's study again shows chronic calcific

pancreatitis. There are two large pseudocysts: now present in

the pancreas, one anteriorly in the mid epigastric region

measuring 6 x 5 cm. in diameter and a smaller in the uncinate

process measuring 3 cm. in diameter. These are both

considerably larger than the study in December. My ultrasound

report, done at a new hospital, on April 17 said: " 1. Large

complex cysts at the tail of the pancreas, most likely related to

pancreatic pseudocyst rather than neoplasm. 2. Simple right

renal cyst. "

An MRCP was done a week ago at the same " new " hospital, and

a CT-scan this Tuesday. The result of these reports were: " 3.5

x 3.1 cm. sharply defined pancreatic fluid collection abutting the

anterior margin of the pancreas at the junction of the head and

body of the pancreas. This is most compatible with a pancreatic

pseudocyst. There are changes of chronic calcific pancreatitis

noted. Dense irregular vascular calcium within the abdominal

aorta. " ABSOLUTELY NO MENTION WHATSOEVER of the 6 x 5

cm. pseudocyst in the tail which has been seen on 9, yes NINE,

previous ct-scans. What do you make of this? My doctor and I

are both dumbfounded, so much so that he called the radiologist

who interpreted this scan and asked him to look at it again. The

doctor called back while I was in the office and told my GI that

" no, there wasn't anything there " . My GI even told him that both

he and I had felt it by manual exam. So understandably, I am

very perplexed and so is my GI. He gave me a form to get the

films of the nine earlier CT-scans done at Hilton Head Island

Hospital from the past two years. We have all the radiologists

written reports, but no films. Soooooooo, I don't know what to tell

ya! Has anyone ever heard of anything like this before?

Both the GI and I feel that the best course of action with the

smaller cyst in the head, which has already matured and shows

a thin wall incasing it, is to let it go and see if it will resolve on it's

own, as it did before. He naturally said that should I have any

increase in pain, or raise in temperature, to call him

immediately, but at this point we're at a standstill about the

elusive softball sized " here today, gone tomorrow " pseudocyst. I

am going to get the films tomorrow, and will take them to the GI

for my next appointment in two weeks.

I've been feeling pretty good, actually, so I've decided to just let it

all go and not worry about it until something happens. I don't

know what else to do. The GI did another blood test today, geez,

I'm running out of places to stick, I was still sore from the IV from

the CT-scan Tuesday....to see if it could be a hormone deficiency

causeing these every night, night time sweats. Everything else

has been eliminated. And he also told me to stop taking the

1,000 mgs of calcium that the internist put me on for my

osteopenia, for the time being, because the additional calcium is

harmful to the pancreatic pseudocysts. I don't know WHAT my

internist is going to say about that when I see her in two weeks.

That's sort of a darned if you do, darned if you don't situation, but

since the cysts grow faster than bones do, I guess I have to favor

the cyst in this case.

Well, that's my perplexing report. Let me know if anyone has

ever heard of anything like this before.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

Bluffton, SC

State and Regional Representative

Pancreatitis Association, International

Note: All comments are personal opinion only, and should not

be a substitute for professional medical consultation.