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Anyone with the same symptoms please help

I am a 22 year old female who in the begining of Sept started getting really uncomfortable feelings in my stomach.  I was nauscious all the time and then I started getting really sharp and dull pains in my upper left abdomen which then radiated to my back.  I couldn't sleep at night.  I finally went to the emergency room, where they admitted me because my lipases where elevated into the 200's.  They did a CT, US and found nothing.  I got out of the hospital and then a month later I finally saw a specialist.  He had me do an MRI.  The MRI showed a small abnormality to my pancreas, but not something he would think is pancreatitis.  I am not at the point where I can't really eat anything.  I either throw up after I eat or I have to literally force it to stay down.  I burp so much after I eat something.  Anything it doesn't matter what it is.  The pain has come back also and is just as bad and mostly in my left upper abdomen area.  I have lost over 15lbs and am still losing.  I was told to go to the emergency room if it doesn't get better by tonight, but I am so frustrated with everything.  Its hard, I am in the miltary and can't really see who I choose.  Is there any ideas anyone can give me please.  I would greatly appreciate it.
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Avatar universal
FINALLY!! I saw a gastro-enterologist who is convinced
my LUQ pain is the pancreas!  Don't need to have colonoscopy-
but am being set up for a procedure that puts a tube through the stomach to view the pancreas.  Anyone ever heard of it?

Oh, and my barium series showed my GERD has increase greatly.
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Avatar universal
Find a different doc!!!  Any doctor who says something is just related to stress when you are having so many problems needs to be smacked upside the head.  Even if the military insurance doesn't cover it, it may be worth while to seek someone else.  I don't think any "abnormalities" with the pancreas is something to blow off.
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Avatar universal
I have also been having left upper abdominal pain for the
past 2 months.  CT scan of abdomen shows 2 huge gallstones, but
surgeon is asking for more tests (colonoscopy, etc) before taking out the gallbladder.  CT scan also showed density on my lung.  

I have total sympathy for anyone else experiencing LUQ pain.
My experience has been that, unless your pain is on your right
side, most people and doctors are at a loss at to what's causing it.  

I am convinced that my pancreas is involved - CT and ultrasound of the part of the pancreas they could SEE looked normal, but
part is hidden by colon and intestines.
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Avatar universal
I don't know if this helps, and I sure do hope you know something by now. But I had some type of pains sorta  like this not long ago, and they kept recurring. The pains would come on suddenly, terrible terrible pains, and I would become very sick at my stomach. I happen to be working with a Nurse Practicioner who told me it sounded like I had Gall stones. I was just wondering if they did and an MRI if it would show stones or not. I am not saying this is what it is. I work in an ER and know that symptoms cna vary from one person to another, and the pain you desribed sounded alot like what I had. I had it off an on though, and thank god I havn't had it for at least a month now. But please don't put off going back to the hospital, and don't ever let a doctor tell you something is in "your head". You know your body a whole lot better then him. And beleive it or not they don't know everything. So good luck. Dejsa
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Avatar universal
Dear Irishblondy,

I agree 100% with the good advice of these other nice people! Follow their advice. Ignore the ignorant remarks of the doc who is too lazy to find out what's wrong. It's too easy for that doc to say it's all in your head. Stress may be a factor, but you may have physical problems, too, which need to be diagnosed!

I have some ideas for you to consider, while you work on going to see BETTER DOCS! (SPECIALISTS):

1)If it's your pancreas, you may need to take pancreatic digestive enzymes (buy from a good health food store).

2)Being of Irish descent, you might have Celiac Disease, which is more common in people of English, Irish & Scandinavian ancestry.

Celiac Disease is a type of "gluten" intolerance (like a severe allergy).

One thing you can do right now, is to put yourself onto a Gluten-free diet, immediately, and stay on it for a month. If you feel better, you will know that you probably have a gluten intolerance.

Gluten is found in wheat, rye, oats, barley, and buckwheat. A Gluten-free diet means that you avoid all foods containing wheat, rye, oats, barley, & buckwheat.

This means, avoid all wheat breads, wheat pastas, pizza (wheat crust), breaded fish, breaded chicken, etc.

You can eat NON-GLUTENOUS foods, such as (organic)BROWN RICE. Health food stores sell brown rice pastas, brown rice cereals, brown rice cookies, brown rice flour (to bake cakes with), etc.

Also gluten-free are: vegetables, fruits, meats, fowl, fish, nuts, seeds, & beans.

Corn is gluten-free, but many are allergic to corn, so temporarily avoid corn & corn products.

Avoid grain alcohols (may have gluten in them), including vanilla extract in grain alcohol. Use a non-alcohol vanilla extract.

Avoid gravies unless you make them, because most gravies have gluten in them.

3)Try some PRO-BIOTICS (edible, beneficial bacteria found normally in the large intestine), which are killed off by antibiotics & by other medications. A very gentle, yet healing type of pro-biotics is called BIFIDUS INFANTUM. It's related to Acidophilus.

The Ethical Nutrients company makes a powdered milk-free form of this Bifidus infantum, with only "rice maltodextrin" (supposedly gluten-free) as the only "additive".

This preparation is gentle enough for infants, yet can help to settle & heal a damaged digestive system.

4)If you might have a milk-sugar intolerance (lactOse intolerance), try avoiding all milk products, or, use lactAse enzymes with the first bite or sip of milk products.

I'll also post some GASTRIC REFLUX TIPS for you, (which deal with several conditions, in addition to "reflux"), in case these tips might help you. See next message.

Don't give up! You can conquer whatever you have! Keep looking for better docs!

Sincerely, Concerned lady
http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com
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Avatar universal
Some GASTRIC REFLUX TIPS (without acid blockers):

Please check with your doctor, first, before trying these tips to be sure they are safe, in your particular situation.

GER=Gastro-Esophageal Reflux. (Gastro=stomach. Esophagus=food tube.)

LPR= Laryngeal-Pharyngeal Reflux. (Larynx=voice box, containing the 2 vocal cords. Pharynx=throat, above the larynx. The larynx is above the trachea/windpipe.)

Reflux=acidic or alkaline stomach material that backs up into the esophagus (food tube), causing any of these problems (at least): VCD/Vocal Cord Dysfunction/Laryngospasm attacks, cough, voice problems, asthma, globus (feeling of lump in throat), constant need to clear throat, much extra throat mucus, worsening of sinus condition, sore throat, laryngitis, voice problems, pre-cancerous conditions of throat &/or esophagus, etc.

SOME GER/LPR CONTROL THINGS WE DO, that we learned from the excellent book: STOMACH AILMENTS AND DIGESTIVE DISTURBANCES, by Michael T. Murray, N.D. See page 9, References, in my website: http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com   and, also see GER/LPR info on page 5, and on LINKS page.

PLEASE READ THIS GREAT BOOK. It may possibly be bought on-line, from Michael T. Murray
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Avatar universal
Dont' drop it.  I know that his remarks to you are offensive.  I went through the same thing.  Believe me where I live, in Canada, I have to wait a whole year just to get an MRI. In addition, it must be referred by a specialist.  To get one done privately is over $1000.00.  So be glad that he is pursuing the problem and not just writing it off to stress.
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Avatar universal
Well I went back to the doctor the other day and I asked him what I can do to make this stop.  He said "see a therapist" he said he thinks all of this is due to stress.  I am under some stress right now, but when everyhting started I was really not under any stress and pretty happy with everything.  So I don't understand that.  He is having me do another MRI and he said if that still shows an abnormality with my pancreas then he is going to send me up to Boston to a doctor up their.  I just want to stop everything now though.  If he doesn't believe me then why should I even go.  I really think I am just going to drop it and just deal with the pain and the nausea.
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Avatar universal
One other test you might ask for is a gastric emptying test; one of the easy ones. You eat a small amount of food that with an isoptope (can't taste it, won't harm you) then lay on a table while a camera takes pictures of how long it takes for the stomach to empty. anything less than 50% in 90 minutes is considered abnormal. The condition is called different things; stomach dysmotility, stomach motility disorder, gastroparesis. There are things that can be done to treat it, and it may only be temporary. But you have many of the symptoms. In the meantime, I would suggest low fat, low fiber diet. (including things like oatmeal) because they are more difficult to digest.
See if that helps any.
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Avatar universal
BTW, I meant to mention in relation to how frustrated you are, from what my doctor has told me on a number of occasions, pancreatic disorders can be VERY difficult to figure out, mostly because even the best diagnostic tests (spiral CT, EUS, ERCPs) can miss things.
Sadly, there are plenty of people who have tolerated every test you and I can imagine two, three, or four times each, who continue to go undiagnosed despite demonstrating every symptom of pancreatitis.
If it gives you any peace of mind, I've been told that despite my symptoms, due to my relatively young age (I was 27 when this started a few months back) and good health, a pancreatic malignancy (cancer) would be extremely rare, and obviously since you're only 22, that goes for you too.
While hopefully that might help ease your anxiety a bit, ANY pancreatic disorder is a serious one that needs to be treated as soon as possible. And don't let anyone blow you off, or tell you it's in your head like you were saying. Make sure the doctor listens, understands the pain you're in, and treats it.
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Avatar universal
hey, I'm happy I can be of any help at all to you; you may want to scan this board for further info on pancreatitis too, there's quite a few postings here from knowledgable people who are coping w/this problem (and a number of confused people like myself not quite sure what's wrong yet). I'd really recommend doing a Google search (www.google.com if you're not already familiar) on pancreatitis for info on treatments, diets, etc. Keeping yourself hydrated again is pretty important from what I understand. Feel free to keep in touch via e-mail (***@****), and I'm sure that those on this board with first hand knowledge of pancreatic disorders will be happy to provide help/advice too.
Lastly, from first hand experience (and I'm sure you can relate), if you're young and in relatively good health, your doctor might want to blow off your concerns - just don't let him. Take care! R
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Avatar universal
Thank you!  I really do appreciate it. I am so happy I came across this board today.  Its good to finally have someone to talk to that understands what I am going through.  I am going to go to the ER tonight.  Hopefully this will make my GI talk to me a little more and I can get information about the abnormality.
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Avatar universal
Rick's comments were comprehensive and excellent, and I really can't add much to say that I strongly urge you to find a pancreatic specialist or another gastroenterologist who will consider all your physical symptoms, your elevated lipase levels, and your CT-scan results and dig deeper into what this "abnormalty" is in your pancreas.  All of this is associated with pancreatitis, either acute or chronic, and should not be taken lightly!

I have had acute pancreatitis and am diagnosed now with chronic pancreatitis.  I've had it over two years.  I also have pseudocysts in my pancreas, which were initially viewed as an "abnormal mass in the pancreas".  Does this sound familiar?  Fortunately I was treated immediately by an experienced and caring gastroenterologist. Both conditions need aggressive medical supervision.  Hopefully you have gone to the emergency room, but if not, I urge you to see a specialist ASAP!  If you get to read this and have any more questions,  please post again.

Nanny
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Avatar universal
I know it's really tempting to try and just put it out of your mind and hope it goes away, but unfortunately that could have some pretty severe consequences if you're dealing with an acute/chronic pancreatitis attack, or something else. Your objective here should be to obtain a definitive diagnosis, because once you've done that and you at least know what it is you're dealing with, you'll be able to get the treatment you need. On the other hand, the longer you wait and try to ignore the symptoms, it's quite possible that more damage is being done. I don't recall seeing in your posting if you're currently on a military base or not, but regardless, please strongly consider getting over to whatever medical treatment center is available to you asap. If you literally can't eat because you're so sick, and you're in pain, this really needs attention now. I know it's scary when there's something wrong w/you and you're not sure what it is (which is why there's so many boards like this one on the Net, I guess), and having total strangers telling you to drop everything and run to the hospital doesn't help your anxiety level, but you obviously realize that something is very wrong or you wouldn't be posting - so please, get checked out asap.  Lastly, it's important to keep the pancreas well-hydrated, so try to drink plenty of water. Take care.
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Avatar universal
The Gastrointerologist (SP) is the one that told me there was a small abnormality on my pancreas.  He didn't tell me what though.  I am just getting so frustrated.  I talked to him yesterday day and he said that if it was still as bad tonight to go to the hospital.  I tried eating soup last night and it all came back up.  He also told me there was another procedure but he didn't know if he wanted to put me through it.  He didn't tell me what the procedure was though.  I already had the one with the camera down the throat, so I know its not that one.  I am just getting to the point where I feel like they think I am making it up or something cuz they can't pinpoint what it is.  So it makes me feel stupid when I tell him my symptoms are still there.  Part of just wants to try and ignore it.
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Avatar universal
Hi,
If a pancreatic abnormality was detected on the MRI, did the doctor or radiologist provide ANY explanation for it, other than to tell you it wasn't pancreatitis? (For example, pseudocyst? growth? etc?) Did they refer you to a GI for an ERCP or EUS?
I don't want to seem like an alarmist, but I would strongly recommend that you go to the emergency room for this. I've been coping with pancreatic-type pain for nearly three months, nowhere near as severe as you have described, and have done a fair amount of research on it as well as spoken with myriad doctors and a radiologist. The consensus is, if there is ANYTHING odd or wrong up w/the pancreas (which obviously there is here), run, do not walk, to the emergency room, and have the checked out immediately.
Again, having been freaked out about this stuff for months now, I know how little anxiety helps when you're already in pain, and I'm not trying to scare you, but you need to take care of yourself a.s.a.p.; please do.
Take care and keep us posted. -R
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