Am a 45 year old otherwise healthy female. Post menopausal x 4 years. Healthy weight, non smoker, 2 adults kids. Chronic ibs symptoms x 20 years. Poor bowel motility. Extreme distention, gas, mild dyspepsia.
Good diet, plenty fruit, veg, dairy. v low fat. No weight loss, have had headache, intermittent sweats with occasional low tempx 2 weeks. Sleep well. No pain at night that I can tell. Starts when I get up.
Currently on Pariet 40mg 1 a day. Have been on Somac - no help. Nexium long term, minimal help. Pariet seems to be helping the dyspepia now; lessened sense of choking, globus and trouble swallowing.
What concerns me is the abd pain. Have been light headed, very tired unable to excerise as usual. Sleeping during day. Generally feeling very very tired - with some periods of almost normality.
No family history of pancreatitis or cancer of stomache or pancreas. Mother had gall stones removed. No stones noted on my Not depressed, family history of generalised anx disorder. taking Pristiq 50mg 1 day. Very good results.
Having an upper/lower gi end next month. 2 past upper/lower gi end 1 in 1997 - ok, one in 2006 was also normal. No pylori noted there. Have been worked up this week for upper central, left & right abd pain with some lower rib pain going around the left to the back behind the left shoulder blade. Full blood panel was normal. Ultrasound of pelvis and upper abd considered normal. No biliary disease/stones etc.. Ct of abdomen noted
a bulky pancreas but no evidence of pancreatitis. No evidence of mass.
My questions are these:
Can a bulky pancreas occur without pancreatitis or are the two always seen together? Does pancreatitis always cause a bulky pancreas?
Is the CT a definitive tool to rule out pancreatitis and or ca of pancreas?
Should I be suspicious of an alternative and possible problematic condition that is not
immediately obvious?
How common is a bulky pancreas in people my age?
Do bulky pancreas' resolve over time in most people or are they always an indicator of
cancer or pancreatitis.
Given my history, should I consider myself to be in a higher risk category for occult ca?
Many thanks for your response.
I am having upper abdominal pain on my left side. I have also been having problems for the past six months with my stomach as well. I have been vomiting and am nauseous all the time. I had a colonoscopy and a CT scan but everything came back normal. The upper left side abdominal pain is just recent and I am worried that something is wrong. If anyone could help me that would be amazing thank you.
Coronado,
I'm sorry you've suffered with upper to mid left abdominal pain and nausea and headache for 3 months after eating. Although colonoscopy and endoscopy and CT scans are good to look at reasons for these symptoms, you should ask your doctor about the possibility that this is related to migraine headaches which can lead to these symptoms as well.
Enoch Choi, MD