Chest and abdominal pain

[whatdabuck]

Hi. I have been having massive chest pain for 6 weeks which started along with shortness of breath which has gone away, and am now having pain where my gallbladder is located (1 of 3 ultrasounds I had show polyps in it).I had an endoscopy 2 weeks ago and was told I have chronic inactive gastritis. I have lesions in my stomach as well as my esophagus, I have been vomiting up blood and have had a small amount in my stool. None of my doctors can figure out what's wrong with me and they are trying to send me to a pain specialist. My PCP has put me on percocet basically 24/7 which is the only way I can function at all, however it makes me foggy so I cannot take it before going to work, so I have to just be in pain for my work day. I'm a 19 year old female in perfect health until the pain started 6 weeks ago and has now rendered me incapable of pretty much everything. I'm also a pre-med student and I work in a doctor's clinic so I know how the body works quite well, yet my doctors all refuse to run any more tests and I think are suspicious of me just trying to score pain meds. Does anyone have any input? The tests I've had have ruled out heart and lungs (cardiac echo in which I discovered I have mitral valve prolapse, chest x-rays/CT, lab work etc) so it's nothing life threatening so every time I go to the ER (4 times in 6 weeks because I have lost consciousness) they just send me home. What do I do? I'd completely desperate/frusterated and would greatly appreciate any input. Thanks so much.

[whatdabuck]

Sorry to take so long to respond. I'm still getting a feel for this site and I thought it would email me updates haha. That sounds pretty awful. I was scheduled to have the manometry in early August at UCSD but I just got bumped up on the wait list and am now having it in 2 days. What exactly can I expect? No one has really even told me what it is (so I of course did research) but what do they do exactly and will I need a ride to the facility like I did with the endoscopy? And I'm sorry to hear about your spams...is there any treatment for it? Or anything you can do to lessen the pain or frequency of the episodes? How have they affected your life exactly?

I'll do better at staying updated from now on =D Thank you!

-Andrea

[Tuckamore]

I've heard the same about UCSD but have no personal experience with that facility. I think that would be a good choice for you.

I've had the esophageal manometry... not pleasant. I also had an additional Upper Gut Motility test where they passed a measuring device through my nose and into my stomach where it stayed for 24 of the longest hours of my life.  I do have esophageal spasms. When they are acute it truly is some of the worst pain imaginable. Sometimes they become what physician's term chronic where we have them daily or several times during the day. Those spasms are shorter and not quit as extreme. These tests can tell a lot about what is going on with your upper gut functions...or mis-functions.

Good luck Andrea and I will look forward to your updates.
~Tuck  

[whatdabuck]

Thank you so much for your input. Even if there's no direct answer it's nice hearing that I'm not crazy or anything haha. I've seen a Gastroenterologist and 2 internal medicine doctors. The GI guy did the endoscopy and has requested a esophageal manometry (for esophageal spasms) because it's really hard for me to eat solid foods. I've been considering going to the UCSD hospital because I've heard that they're one of the top hospitals in CA...would you agree? Again thank you so much for your reply. I'll let you know if I ever get diagnosed =D

-Andrea

[Tuckamore]

Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. I am so sorry to hear about your pain... and no DX. What a shame, especially at your age.

Something has to account for your loss of consciousness and continued pain. Have you consulted a physician associated with a large teaching facility or one of our national clinics? I don't believe that a lot of physicians truly understand pain. Often you have to be there first.

Unfortunately there are so many "cheaters" or abusers for lack of a better words right now. So everyone that says "pain" is viewed with suspicion. However there are some awesome physicians that do get it... in my opinion that's what you need to find.

What specialists have you consulted? A top Gastroenterologist would be on my list as well as a Cardiologist. A good PMP will do well at controlling your pain but I think more then that, you want and deserve answers.  

Go outside your current clinic affiliations.... as I said consult the big guys. You don't want to see anyone with preconceived opinions based on your medical records/test opinions. So take the actual tests if requested, but NOT the opinions. A good physician will want to view them him/herself anyway.

I wish I had better answers for you, I don't. Obviously if a physician cannot give you a DX you won't find one here. Please don't give up. You know your body better then anyone else. Be assertive and demand what you think you require.

Additionally the undesired effects of the Percocet will decrease as your systems adjusts to the drug. So continue to take it and in a bit you should be able to tolerate it during the day. Discuss taking half the dose with your physician during working hours then go to full dose as your system becomes accustomed to the medication. But do not do that without discussing that with your physician. Never change a dose or medication based on what you hear or are told on the internet.... including from me. These decisions always have to be between you and your physician.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. I will look forward to hearing from you soon. I wish you the very best.

Take Care,
~Tuck