- edema / weight gain

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I totally agree about the worms. No way in Heck I would ever do

that. We are taught so much about safe handling of food

(cooking meat thoroughly, etc) that I cannot reconcile that with

the purposeful introduction of parasites into the body. That is one

reason why I don't eat meat - the whole thought is gross to me.

But that being said.........I guess it is proof that being a host isn't

the worst thing that can happen.

I looked upneurontin and found that peripheral edema is a

common side effect. So that could explain your legs and feet.

However, the abdominal swelling, if it is edema, isn't common.

In fact, the phramacology site didn't mention this at all. It did

mention weight gain as a side effect because in some people it

increases appetite (but in others it decreases appetite). But if

you are retaining fluid to a high degree this will explain a weight

gain. There are many causes of edema, from kidney disorders

to circulatory problems to liver diseases (changes your albumin

levels I think) to medication usage to inactivity to...... who knows?

I think even the endocrine system comes into play.......(blood

sugars? adrenal glands? thyroid? - all a guess on my part).

As far as the weight gain - it too could be endocrine related,

appetite related, less activity related, etc. I know that I have

gained weight since last year at this time too but that is because

my pain levels are getting more controlled so I am eating lots

better. At this point I am at the weight that I want to be but if I keep

gaining, then I will be disappointed and alarmed. I know my

activity level is down because my pain psych convinced me that I

had to curtail my activity in the interest of pain reduction. It was a

hard thing to force myself to do but I am seeing the truth to what

she advised. It is still hard to tell myself that I am not being a lazy

bum, or that I am caving in to the inevitable decline of aging........

The small duct disease that your one doc mentioned may be his

concession to the belief that there very well may be something

wrong with your pancreas but on the microscopic level. I am

assuming that he wasn't too enthused about it being small duct

disease because your major ducts are too small - something

that should be detectable on the various imaging studies you

have had. Was this mentioned by Dr Lehman at all? Or did he

address the blocked sphincter only (I can't remember if he

wanted to do progressive stenting on you.....) It would be

interesting if you could find out his opinion on that. Do you have

his discharge notes? or a copy of your chart? Especially the

dictation describing the ERCP that you had done last year. It

may mention his impression about the ducts themselves. Who

knows...maybe a surgical consult may be something to do at

some point. I know that there is a point when I will be doing

that....not to go under the knife but to get another point of view

based on my specific case in particular instead of the vague

generaliites that I have been given based only on statistics and

what other people experience. It would be nice to get an opinion

that is based on my anatomy and medical history. Doesn't mean

that I have to jump into the OR though....it will take a very

convincing surgeon and some awfully painful months if not years

before I will see me buck naked under the glare of operating

lights again.

Laurie