RE Whipple procedure and pain management

February 5, 2005

" A whipple procedure may not help you with your cyst as it is the

resection of the head of the pancreas part of the stomach and

duodenum. Is your pancreatitis caused primarily from the cyst or

are there other issues with your panc? I didn't think you could

have an ERCP but you can have a MRCP. Do you still have your

gallbladder? "

Thanks for your reply. I had my gallbladder out 9 years ago. And began

having problems after that but did not recognize it as pancreatitis. I had

gastric

bypass surgery in 2002. After that things began to get much worse. The docs at

MUSC will see me the end of March but they cannot perform the endoscopic

procedures due to the gastric bypass. After almost a year of telling me I should

be getting better after an MRCP showed nothing they did a CT SCAN and it showed

a cyst in the head of the pancreas.

My pancreatitis is Ideopathic. So the cyst has come after 2 years of chronic

pancreatitis. I don't want to have the surgery until the last option has been

tried but I hate to go on all of the strong pain meds. Some days I don't feel

like I need them but then others I would kill for something besides Darvocet

for the pain. If they can't do the endoscopic procedures I was wondering if

anyone had other things done instead of that.

Thanks again for replying! I really appreciate it. I am trying to learn as

much as possible before I go to MUSC in March.

Angie in SC

" The happiest of people don't necessarily have the

best of everything; they just make the best of everything that comes along

their way. "

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