cancer? Many questions (risky medicine/sphincteroplasty/pain pump)

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

Well on Thursday (4-3-03) I had a test, I think it is called an

endoscopy, the dr. put a tube down my throat with a little camera

attached to the tube. They said everything looked good. Went back

to the dr. today for a follow up and they scheduled me for a

colonoscopy this coming Thursday. I just had one a few months ago,

so I am not looking forward to it. Well the test isn't so bad it the

prep that is the worst!

My dr. is doing all of these tests because I am still hurting, I

have been hurting for over a month now. The pain has got to the

point now where even the demerol shots don't help. I cry most of the

time because the pain is so bad.

Today I asked the dr. why he is doing all of these tests again, he

said that he is looking for cancer. That is a BIG SCARE!!! I asked

if the pain was just caused by my pancreas but he said that he didn't

think so. So then I asked him what if he doesn't find anything with

this colonoscopy, he said then we'll try a different pain medicene

but that it can be risky. I had a puzzled look on my face and he

said that we would talk about it when I come in for my next

appointment which is the 15th. Does anyone have any ideas on what

this new but risky pain med. could be?

Also, I wanted to ask you if you could tell me what a sphincter or

sphincteroplasty is? Also, can anyone tell me about a pain pump?

I'm really scared, and maybe this info would help me to be not so

scared.

Thanks for being there-

Louise () in " Way up North " Minnesota

[Guest guest]

Dear Louise,

Is this doctor that you're seeing a gastroenterologist? I was

surprised to hear that he scheduled an upper endoscopy for one

day, and then a colonscopy for a week later. Generally, both

procedures are scheduled for the same day and time if the

doctor wants to check both ends, so to speak, so that the patient

only has to do the prep and be sedated one time. I just had both

of these procedures done together two months ago. Neither one

are really very good tests to diagnose pancreatic problems, but

do check other trouble areas such as the colon, small intestine,

esophogus and stomach. They really don't go near the

pancreas.

I learned a trick from the endoscopy nurse that may help you

handle the prep for your upcoming colonscopy. The nurse called

me the day before my colonscopy and suggested this to me, and

I will say that in my case, it worked great and I was able to

swallow the whole gallon of NyLTLY without too much difficulty or

discomfort within 2 hours. You might want to try it. What she

said to do was to get a cold 16 oz. bottle of Coke. After each 8 oz.

swallow of the prep liquid, take a mouthfull of Coke and swish it

around in your mouth like a mouthwash, then swallow it. The

carbonation and taste of the Coke seems to neutralize the taste

of the prep. Repeat this after each 8 oz's. of the NyLTLY until you

finish the gallon. Of course you live in the bathroom for those

two hours, LOL, so bring a good book or magazine along with

your Coke! I started at 5:00 pm and was finished by 7:00. The

whole process really tired me out though, so by 8:00 I was in bed

and asleep, not waking until morning when it was time to go to

the hospital. The docs said the colon was perfectly clean and

clear, making their job much easier.

Have they done a CT-scan with contrast on your abdomen and

pelvic area? This is an excellent imaging test to check for

chronic pancreatitis and is also the standard diagnostic

procedure to check for pancreatic cancer. Both of my doctors

recommended the CT-scan to check me for cancer, and I have

found medical research material that supports this. Since I have

pseudocysts in my pancreas, tissue samples from the cysts

have also been biopsied to check for cancer. Fortunately all

tests have come back with benign results.

I'm not really sure what kind of risky medication your doctor was

referring to. Perhaps it was sandostatin. Maybe someone else

will have some ideas about that.

I will also ask others with SOD to explain what the sphincter is, if

you have SOD this could be the cause of your pain, also. We

have several members with Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction, and

they would be more experienced to answer these questions.

Same response about the pain pump, perhaps Louie will be

able to tell you all about hers.

You might want to ask your doctor about a CT-scan, if you haven't

had one already. I know they have been very beneficial for me.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

Southeastern Representative

PAI, Intl.

Note: All advice or comments are personal opinion only, and

should not be substituted for professional medical consultation..

>> Well on Thursday (4-3-03) I had a test, I think it is called an

endoscopy, the dr. put a tube down my throat with a little camera

attached to the tube. They said everything looked good. Went

back to the dr. today for a follow up and they scheduled me for a

colonoscopy this coming Thursday. I just had one a few months

ago, so I am not looking forward to it. Well the test isn't so bad it

the prep that is the worst!

Today I asked the dr. why he is doing all of these tests again, he

said that he is looking for cancer. That is a BIG SCARE!!!

I asked if the pain was just caused by my pancreas but he said

that he didn't think so. So then I asked him what if he doesn't

find anything with this colonoscopy, he said then we'll try a

different pain medicene but that it can be risky. I had a puzzled

look on my face and he said that we would talk about it when I

come in for my next appointment which is the 15th.

I wanted to ask you if you could tell me what a sphincter or

sphincteroplasty is? Also, can anyone tell me about a pain

pump? Louise () in " Way up North " Minnesota