Guest guest Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 Hello lyn, Heidi has given you such a lot of excellent information that I'm sure you feel in a much better situation to speak to your docs now. I just wanted to add a couple of things from my own experience. It really is difficult sometimes to diagnose chronic pancreatitis in its early stages. (I'm not sure why, given your history, you doc thinks your pain might not be pancreas-related. I presume there must be reasons.) I have had CP all my life but only received my diagnosis last May. In 1988 my then gastroenterologist was unable to diagnose the disease despite an ERCP and CT scan. The tests were inconclusive. Damage does not always show up although I expect diagnostic testing may well be better to-day. Pancreatitis is rare and even gastroenterologists don't see cases on a daily basis. Research does indicate that pancreatitis patients, especially when any kind of surgical intervention is required, do best at specialist pancreatic centres. Now, I'm sure your specialists are good. There will be facts about your condition that we cannot possibly know and only the docs treating you can properly understand your case. EVERY CASE IS DIFFERENT. The gastroenterologist (physician)I see to-day is superb, not only supportive but also experienced in carrying out all the diagnostic tests Heidi refers to. I have great faith in him and would be very happy if he were the only specialist I had seen so far. However, he also referred me to a pancreatologist (surgeon) to have his opinion as well. A pancreatologist obviously deals only with pancreatic disease, all the time. I am fortunate in that my hospital, which is a large teaching university hospital, has a very experienced pancreatic team (both practising and researching) so it was easy for me to be referred. In the end, they both broadly agreed on my treatment although there are one or two significant differences. I do think it might be worthwhile for you to ask about a referral to a specialist pancreatic unit if that hasn't already happened. I know distance may be difficult (my specialist sees many patients from out of area) but it's just something you might want to think about. Good luck with your condition, Best wishes, Fliss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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