Help,not eating/diagnosis unclear/quick action needed [long post]

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I am in need of help and advise. I have been sick for 3 weeks and

have gone to three doctors and the ER and still they are not sure

what is wrong.

I knew I had a gallstone, I had an attack about 3 weeks ago. I went

to the primary care doc, he had me make an appt with a surgeon and

have an ultrasound. In the meantime, a week had gone by and I was

now getting pain on both the right and left side. I didn't get good

answers from the surgeon about the left sided pain and it was decided

I would see a gastro doc.

I got a fairly quick appt with him, but he wanted to go on a fishing

expedition. He wanted me to have the gamut of tests. I wanted just

an MRCP. He wanted me to have upper GI and colonoscopy too. They set

up an appt for 2 weeks later for the MRI, 4 weeks later for the

colonoscopy and 5 weeks later for a return visit with the Gastro

doc. I couldn't beleive they thought I was going to be able to wait

that long, when I wasn't able to eat at all and I was in pain. The

Gastro doc said it wasn't an emergency because my enzyme levels

weren't elevated.

Well, I have other health problems and not being able to eat is a BIG

problem and if I wait to be an emergency, I am going to be in BIG

trouble. So I struggled and pushed and pushed until I got quicker

appts. I had the MRI, upper GI last Friday and blood work. They

told me they don't know what the problem is, that the MRCP

looks normal and the upper GI showed a small problem in the stomach

that they believe is not causing my symptoms and of course the

gallstone.

I am convinced, that my pain is from my pancreas. I just KNOW it

is. Yet my MRCP apparently shows nothing. My enzyme levels are not

elevated above normal limits, so they are sure it is not my pancreas.

If they are wrong and it is my pancreas, and they think it is not,

couldn't they be giving me advise and treatment plans that would

further hurt the pancreas?

Because I suspect it really is my pancreas, I am trying not to eat

much at all, because everytime I eat anything it starts the pain on

the left sometimes along with the right side. I am eating

watermelon, some clear chicken broth, made without the skin,with some

cantelope, grapefruit, a few dates thrown in. Yesterday I was feeling

so awful and weak, that I tried adding soy milk with a banana in it.

I was able to tolerate it ok, if I took three sips every half hour,

but it still started up the achy pain again. Now all the fruit is

hard to take because I tend toward hypoglycemia. I have tried green

veggie drinks and they start the pain up.

I get these ridiculous suggestions from the doctors. One gastro I

spoke with on the phone, started suggesting I try eating small pieces

of fish, cream of wheat, veggies etc. I was flabergasted. I just

got through telling her I couldn't eat any solid food. Every doc I

have talked to, doesn't seem to be concerned that I am not eating.

Is it that they don't believe me that I can't eat?

On Friday night after the doc called me with my test results, he left

me with the decision to make about which direction I wanted to go, I

could just have the gallbladder surgery or do more testing. He said

since the test results are normal, I should start trying to eat

more. I knew that wasn't going to work out, but I was really weak

and feeling awful, so I tried a baked potato with nothing on it.

Three teaspoons full and I ended up in the ER.

The problem is, now it is 3 weeks from the time the attack first

started and I have been eating the above for about 10 days and

believe me I am feeling it. I am uncertain about what to do at this

point. I can't see having more tests. I am thinking about having the

gallbladder surgery, but am afraid that I will either have to have an

ER surgery with a doc I don't want or have to wait 2 weeks for

surgery with the top docs I really need. As a matter of fact, I

don't think they will schedule me for emergency surgery as they don't

consider it an emergency due to my test results.

I asked them, how can I keep going like this without eating for two

more weeks and then have surgery in that weakened condition. The

primary care doc I asked this of, said that can be addressed with the

surgeon. I don't know what that means.

Does this scenario sound familiar to anyone? Should I be still

thinking it is the pancreas, after my test results look ok? Do I

need to find a good pancreas doc or just have my gallbladder out with

a surgeon and see how it goes? If I do have gallbladder surgery, is

there anyway I can get nutrition without eating? LOL I know that is

a stupid question.

If they put me in the hospital and needed to give me nutrition

without eating, are there any ways they can do that? I have seen

patients with tubes through their nose but I wonder, isn't that just

getting food into the stomach another way and wouldn't your pancreas

still have to do the digesting. Doesn't seem that would help.

IVs are just water, sugar and electrolytes, aren't they?

I am sorry for this long post. I have had a lot of questions and

either my docs are short on time, or they haven't been giving me the

answers I need.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Slvr