An update on my pseudocyst situation

[Guest guest]

Good Morning Everyone!

Last Thursday I took 45 pages of CT-films (10 CT-scans) to my

new-since-April Gastro. If you remember, there were questions

about the presence of a 6 x 5 cm. pseudocyst in the tail of my

pancreas. This pseudocyst has been my companion for the

past two years. It was this large in April 2001, was partially

drained and then slowly resolved to 2 cm. by Dec. 2002. Then

after an attack and my DKA in March 2003, it showed up again on

a film, filled back up to 6 x 5! A CT-scan was done a month later

at a different hospital and the radiologist said it wasn't there, all

he said was that there was a shadow in the left quadrant of my

bowel, possibly some obstruction, but no pseudocyst. So

naturally my Gastro ordered a bowel X-ray that was done

Thursday, and guess what.....no obstructions in the bowel at

all....just a little cloud of gas.

The 45 pages of CT-films normally cost $16.00 per page.

Fortunately the first release is free, and mine to keep. My

husband and I spent some time studying them before I took

them to the doc and there was certainly clear imaging of this

large pseudocyst...bright as day, big as a softball, and you could

see how it made my abdomen swell out. The smaller

pseudocyst (3 x 5 cm.) buried in the head of my pancreas was

actually harder to pinpoint, but that is the only one that this

Savannah radiologist acknowledges.

So my gastro plans on reviewing these films with the Savannah

radiologist this weekend. He still negates the presence of the

large pseudocyst based on the Savannah radiologist's report,

and only mentions the 3 x 5 cyst in his office notes. This is so

frustrating! I was in his office from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm ..THREE

HOURS, and really felt I was losing my cool after the first hour

and a half. Every visit is this long, half of it is spent waiting in the

examing room with nothing to do except stare at the walls, (I've

already memorized all the charts of the GI tract, lol)....so I need to

take a book with me, and from now on I plan to pack a lunch, too!

Well, back to my story.....My pain continues, and since the doc

saw some gas on that x-ray, now he's started me on an

aggressive antiacid regimen, with 30 mg.Prevacid at breakfast

and 30 mg. at dinner, and 300 mg. of Zantac before bed. Oh

no....not more pills.......I think I'm up to taking something like 20

different pills each day and it's the pits trying to keep track of

them all! He also renewed by duragesic patches and Percocet.

I am still on a " wait and see " schedule about the pseudocysts,

right now the plan is to recheck by CT-scan in three months, but

after my Gastro sees those other CT films this weekend

The best news of the whole appointment was this great three

page letter that he's signed certifying my disabilities for the SSDI

application. I'm calling for my interview appointment on Monday.

A little prayer for my success with this would be welcomed!!!

I desperately need some help now, even with the insurance we

have presently, my monthly pharmacy bills are staggering.

So this is my update. I've suddenly had some horrifically

extreme BG swings and problems with my diabetes this week,

so disappointing after thinking I had it all under control, so that's

been keeping me busy, too.

It's a beautiful day in Bluffton, the sun's shining and my 11 year

old is anxious for me to take him and his buddies to the beach.

He graduated from elementary school this week and is burning

up with excess summer energy! It will take all my strength and

smiles to keep up with them today, but I'm going to give it my

best try. Hope you all enjoy the day.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SE and SW Regional Rep

PAI, Intl.

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

should not be substituted for professional medical consultation.