Chrissy - thanks

[Guest guest]

Hi Chrissy,

Thanks for your response - you gave me alot to think about. I am

almost convinced to make an appointment with Dr L for the week

between christmas and new years. I have that week off from

work and my absence will not disrupt our patient flow to any

extent I hope (always my biggest concern when taking off as I

have no one to cover for me when I am gone). I live in

southeastern wisconsin so indiana is not that difficult of a trip for

me as long as I avoid driving near chicago (I am choosing to go

around it - it will add a few hours onto the driving time, but it is

worth it for the avoidance of big city driving). To answer your

question concerning my last pancreas eval...that was about a

year ago when I had my second stent removed. I think he did an

ERP at the time but no EUS.... at my final and unscheduled visit

with that GI doc a week later, he mentioned (among other things

not worth repeating) that I may have developed a pseudocyst

from the procedures but that I didn't need to worry about it unless

it began to give me trouble (didnt say it in those words, but that

was the meaning). I never bothered to confirm or rule it

out...mainly because there are no doctors in this area that are

willing or able to do this for me. So this is another thing in the

back of my head that is pushing me to see Dr L. as well as those

things that you brought up.

Thanks too for telling me about your journay with surgeries and

CP. What I am greatly interested in is what caused you to have

the first surgery? Did you have SOD, PD or biliary / gallbladder

problems that led the doctors to suspect you had a blocked

duct? Do you feel that one surgery led to another? in the manner

of " once you fiddle with something it never stops " type of thing?

That is my biggest fear...that I have caused this in a chain

reaction sort of way...that by having the first surgery it led to the

second one, which caused the acute attack, which caused the

scarrig of the duct, which caused the gallbladder surgery, which

caused the SOD, which caused the CP which led them to find

the PD which caused the stenting, sphincterotomy and two more

attacks of AP, which may have caused a pseudocyst, which may

cause me to go to Dr L which may cause me to have another

ERCP with more attacks of AP, etc....I know that all medical

treatment is a risk, no doubt....and I am a firm believer that you

have to do what you have to do.....because both of those original

surgeries were emergencies and I would have died without

them immediately, but my decision making after that becomes

quite shakey and on hindsight, there is much to be regretted,

despite my philosophy of no regrets.....And I am sensitive to this

kind of flaw in my character because my last GI (the one who did

the incomplete stenting series) basically accused me at our last

meeting, of causing all of this by insisting that he stent me when

on his hindsight, it was apparent that I didn't need it - he

basically accused me of being munchausen without saying it

outright.....(even though he told my husband that I had the most

stenotic minor papilla that he had seen in years and that he was

convinced at the time of the first stent that this was my problem,

etc) Anyways, those are my personal psychological

hangups...that I don't expect you to fix! LOL!!!

Oh well, thanks for taking the time out of your preparation for

Cincy to answer all of my questions in these last few days. I will

make it up to you I promise! At the least, maybe I can take your

mind off from things! Are you going to go home being a bengals

fan? Oh scary!

Laurie