Re: Severe Abdominal Pain

Posted By HFHSM.D.-rf on June 02, 1998 at 06:55:27:

In Reply to: Severe Abdominal Pain posted by Joanne W. on May 27, 1998 at 22:56:41:






I am 48 y/o woman who had my gall bladder removed because of gall
stones about 1 & 1/2 years ago.  Since then, I have had minor,
infrequent episodes of abodominal pain that seemed to be due to
the foods I ate.  Gradually these atttacks have been getting
worse and recently I have had to go to the emergency room twice
for severe abdominal pain.  (It felt like I was giving birth to
"The Alien").  This last emergency room visit, they had to give
me 15 mg. of Morphine to finally relieve the pain.  (The attack
lasted about 4 hours.)  They did blood tests and found nothing
unusual.  Today I had an endoscopic examination of my stomach
done and they found nothing abnormal.  I have been on estrogen
provera for about 8 years and I am over weight at this point in
my life.  They have not performed an ultrasound.  What is your
opinion and what would you recommend I do next?
   Thank you for your help,  Joanne.
_______


Dear Joanne W,
You do not provide sufficient details regarding your abdominal pain.  Is the pain crampy, sharp? Where in your abdomen is it located?  What makes the pain better? worse?  Do you have other symptoms with your pain? nausea? vomiting? diarrhea? fever?
An ultrasound of your bile duct and pancreas is an appropriate next step.  Intermittent partial small intestine obstruction, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's Disease are possible causes for your pain.
This information is provided for educational purposes only. Always consult your personal physician for specific questions regarding your health.
If you are in the Detroit area, we would be happy to see you at the Division of Gastroenterology at Henry Ford Health System. To arrange an appopintment call [phone] and ask for Dr. fogel, one of our experts in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with abdominal pain
HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords: abdominal pain, gall bladder surgery
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