Re: --Calcium Channel Blockers

[Guest guest]

Chrissy,

Thanks for the info on the calcium channel blockers. I looked up some info on

the internet and it basically told me what you said, but you explained it in a

more understandable fashion. I have decided I am going to wait about two weeks

to start them because I really want to know if the celiac plexus blocks are

helping enough to warrant continuing to get them so often. My rheumatologist

feels that even though the blocks are 2-3 months apart, the steriods they are

giving me are adding to my fluid retention, weight gain which is mostly in my

belly, and also makes it harder to keep my diabetes under control. So, if I

cannot tell for sure that the celiac plexus blocks are going to keep me out of

the hospital and away from the ER, I'm probably not going to have any more. I

figured I've gone this long without the calcium channel blockers, so waiting

another 2-3 weeks to start won't hurt. That way, maybe I can tell if either one

or both are helping (block and/or calcium channel blockers). I'm having my next

block on Monday. Oh, the dose the rheumy prescribed is 180 mg of cardizem

daily. How long should I give the cardizem to see if it's helping?

thank you, also, for letting me know that I can still have the endoscopic celiac

plexus block. I just assumed that they would have to be able to get to the

pancreas to do it endoscopically! The spinal celiac plexus blocks have seemed

to help. Although, I'm not sure that one in July helped much. It's hard to

know if maybe summer was just tough for me or if the block didn't work as well

as in the past. The many attacks and hospitalizations I had since the end of

May could have been related to the stress of Nikki's wedding on May 29th and

then the trip to Mayo the last week of June. I had my last celiac plexus block

on July 1st. I think I have been in the hospital 4 or 5 times since July,

although it might have only been three times. I lose track on the number

sometimes! My last admission was the end of August and my lipase was elevated

with that admission.

I've been to the ER once since then on Sep 12th. I went to my local ER - for

absolutely the last time. I've had trouble with two ER docs at my local

hospital in the past. One just point blank told my local pcp that he does not

believe there is anything wrong with me and that he thinks I'm lying. My pcp

was furious and told me to never go to our local hospital again. I asked him

why this doctor does not like me and he said that he just has it in his head

that I am lying and he won't listen to anything that I or my pcp tell him! I

told my pcp that other than the two ER docs I'd had trouble with, the other docs

at the local ER were pretty good. So, my pcp said that it might be okay to go

there if those docs weren't the ones working at the time. However, there's also

about 2 or 3 of the nurses that I feel pretty sure think I'm just a druggy. One

in particular, I feel sure does not believe that I am having pain. She tries to

act nice and concerned but it's obvious she either is simply a b**** or just

doesn't like me. She's the one that's been working every time I've had to deal

with two ER doctors that are absolute jerks. Of course, it was my luck that she

was working when I went to the local ER on Sep 12th.

The ER doc that was working that night used to live across the street from my

sister-in-law and he was always very nice and remembered most of my history any

time he's treated me. However, I am now convinced that either those doctors or

the nurse that doesn't like me has tainted the opinion of even the doctor that

was always the very nicest! When they got me to a treatment room, the nurse

says, " You know , we don't want to have to access your portacath unless we

just have to, so the doctor may want to just give you a shot. " I told her that

would be okay, but that I was probably dehydrated since I'd been throwing up and

had not had anything by mouth the last time I threw up, which had been 6 hours

earlier by this time. I also told her I hadn't had much fluids all day because

I had not felt well the entire day. She checked my blood pressure lying,

sitting, and standing. I don't think there was quite enough difference in the

blood pressures to definitely show I was dehydrated. However, my pulse was

staying around 130, which could have just been the pain, but I think an elevated

pulse (at rest) also can indicate dehydration. The doctor came in and said,

" , is this one of those attacks where we can just give you a shot and send

you home or do you think we need to do blood work? " I told him that since my

lipase had been elevated with the last admission and also since I really had not

been able to tolerate much more than liquids since then and was not even

tolerating liquids at this point, I really felt labs were warranted. " He just

said okay. I waited over an hour and no labs, no IV, no med for pain or nausea.

I finally got up and walked to the desk. The doctor and nurses were all at the

desk and had just been sitting there joking around the whole time I'd been in

the treatment room. (it was right by the desk with only a curtain so I could

hear everything) I asked the doctor if I could please have something for pain

and nausea. He simply said, " not til your labs come back. " I told him they had

not even drawn my blood yet. The nurse just said, " I ordered the labs. " I went

back to my room and did hear the nurse call to check on my labs. About 30

minutes later they finally drew my blood. About 45 minutes after that, the

doctor came in and said my labs were okay. They were going to give me a shot

and send me home. By that time, I just wanted to go get in my own bed. At

least I had my oral meds and phenergan suppositories at home. As long as took

the phenergan and waited about 20 minutes for it to work, maybe I could keep my

pain med down at home if I didn't eat or drink anything else. They gave me a

shot of demerol and phenergan that couldn't have been much because it didn't

even touch the pain. I went home and managed to survive at home.

So, I will now have to go to the hospital in the next town that my internal med

and GI doc prefer for me to go to anyway. The thing is that the local hospital

is 5 minutes away and the other one is 45-60 minutes away. So be it, it's

probably for the best. My internal med doc has done a little 'chewing' on any

of the docs there that have given me problems. He used to be the chief of that

ER and he is very well known and respected at that hospital. It kind of sucks

that I have to make my family drive an hour away for me to be treated decently

and not like a lying drug addict, but I am not going to subject myself to the

treatment (or actually lack of treatment) I get at the local hospital.

Friday and Saturday have definitely been higher pain days even though I've

actually felt better and been able to tolerate food and liquids fairly well. My

pain med is keeping the pain to a tolerable level for the most part and I'm

really not nauseated, though I do take phenergan with my pain med most times.

The pain has not reached the level of going to the ER, but I'm afraid an attack

might be on the way. I am trying to be really careful about my food choices but

I have not knocked my diet down to liquids only. My GI doc increased my zelnorm

from 6 mg twice a day to 6 mg 3 times a day and increased my pancrease from 2

tablets with meals and snacks to 3 tablets with all meals and snacks. The

increase was on Wednesday, September 15th, and I have seemed to have an

increased number of 'better' days and have even had a couple of good days since

then. Maybe the combination of the increased zelnorm and pancrease, the celiac

plexus block on Monday, and then starting the cardizem in a couple of weeks will

have me experiencing many more good days and NO ER or hosp visits!

W

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

This message has been scanned for viruses and

dangerous content by PCLNET, and is

believed to be clean.

Visit www.pclnet.net and get a 3Mbps cable modem!

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

[Guest guest]

,

I know how hard it can be to wait that extra time, but I've been having

to do it as well. The last time I went to my local Kaiser hospital, I

also had pneumonia and the doctor I got just wanted to treat the

pnuemonia and then send me home the next day, completely ignoring my

pancreatitis. I had to call my GI doctor TWICE to get decent any

treatment of the pancreas and to get decent pain meds. At that point, I

decided going the extra hour was worth the wait just to be where my GI

and my other doctors are. Unfortunately, even at the ER with my GI

doctor, I've run into a couple of clueless ER doctors, but I managed to

get around them by having them call my GI doctor directly (in addition

to my note from her).

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.