Re: Saying Hi to the group to Laurie

[Guest guest]

Dear Laurie,

Of course, you belong. Anyone that is having any kind of

pancreatic difficulty, or the spouse or caregiver of anyone with

pancreatic problems is always welcome here. From what you

have already told us, you certainly have valid reasons for

suspecting chronic pancreatitis as a cause for your pain.

It always upsets me when physician's use IBS as an excuse for

what often turns out to be a pancreas related problem. Many of

our members here were originally diagnosed with IBS, and then

found out with further investigation, that they actually had chronic

pancreatitis. Their doctor's just didn't look far enough into the

source of their symptoms. An acute pancreatitis attack would

certainly be enough of a cause....that's how a high percentage of

us became chronic.

My diagnosis of CP was after my second acute attack. I had one

attack without a doctor's consultation or hospitalization, then 6

weeks later the second, which was documented. My chronic

condition was confirmed two weeks later. If you don't feel that

this physician is thorough enough in his diagnosis, you might

consider getting another opinion from someone who is.

I have had both an MRCP and 11 CT-scans. My CT-scans have

shown clearer and more thorough images of my pancreas

abnormalties than the MRCP did, so I am not convinced that the

MRCP is all it's claimed to be as a better diagnostic tool.

Please keep us posted on your condition.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI, Intl.

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

should not be substituted for professional medical consultation.

[Guest guest]

Hi Heidi,

Thanks for saying hi and reassuring that I belong here. All of this

is fairly new to me as I have been lingering on the IBS board,

trying to figure out how to reconcile what I am feeling to what is

being posted on that board. The more I read, the more I noticed

that I related more to the posters that stated they had SOD,

gallbladder or chronic pancreatitis. The publications that I have

read concerning CP have mentioned that single acute attacks

are rarely the cause of CP, which is why I was hesistant to

consider this as my initiating event. But your information about

yourself and others has, at the least, given validity to my

assumption and may give me more confidence to raise this

possibility with the GI guy. I was also interested in learning

about your impressions with the MRCP. This was always one of

the weaknesses in my argument: " But the MRCP did not show

any changes consistent with CP " . I have not had a recent CT

(last one was fall of 2001 I think). So it is possible to have CP

without MRCP evidence?

I am in the process of possibly getting a second opinion from the

doctor here known as " doctor sphincter " because my current

doctor left his practice suddenly without transfering my case for

the upcoming ERCP. I am not sure what ultimately will be found

but am hoping for a definitive diagnosis so that we can begin

therapy based on logic instead of the " go home and learn to deal

with it " thing.

Laurie