First of all the doctor I had in the ER was excellent. He really seemed genuinely concerned and I was very happy with him. (Guess there's a first time for everything)
He walked in reading my list of symptoms and tests I thought might be useful. He said he'd be with me in just a minute, he had to finish reading my novel first, lol.
He told me that he could do some of the tests today but not all of them, since some of them required fasting and/or scheduling with a certain type of doctor.
He ended up doing blood-work and a cat scan. He came back in when the results were back and to my disgust, told me they all came back normal. He told me maybe my problem could be adhesions. I explained that I really thought it had something to do with my gall bladder/pancreas because of the location and he agreed but said he didn't know what the next step was, since these tests didn't show anything wrong.
When I read copies of the results, after he left, I saw that my Lipase levels weren't listed as normal, they were listed as high on the chart, but I guess not high enough for him to be concerned (59) My amylase was listed at 91.
The only other thing blood level listed with a problem was my 'MCV' which says "80.7 - Low"
I have no idea what any of those numbers mean, lol.. off to Google. Any input about those numbers would be appreciated.
The ER doc called my surgeon but it turns out he is unavailable even for a phone call until Monday. I assume there must be some sort of emergency because this is the first time that's ever happened.
The ER doc told me my best bet would be to call my GI on Monday and have HIM call my surgeon. I called my GI and left a message but since I already have an appointment with my surgeon for this coming Wednesday, I don't think it's that big of a deal.
I want to ask my surgeon about having an ERCP or something like that to check out the pancreas and surrounding area. Isn't that where they put an endoscope down your throat to check things out? Sound like this is a good next step? I can't imagine they'd miss a problem if they are looking at it on the inside.
Something else that worried me: In my cat scan review, I read this: "Uterus is deviated to the right side. There is a cyst seen in the left ovary measuring 2.5 by 2.4cm. Small amount of fluid is seen in the cul-de-sac"
I snagged a different doctor on my way out and he told me 'everyone with ovaries has cysts' so I decided to just wait and ask a doctor who gives a crap. I assume it's nothing or my ER doc would have mentioned it. I will have it checked out later when I'm feeling better.

Well.. I'm upset to be home again but at least now I have good nausea medicine and enough pain medicine to last me until I see my doctor. Hopefully I won't need to use the pain medicine much (He gave me 2mg Dilaudid pills. I didn't even know that came in pill form. I will pick them up tomorrow)
I was very proud of myself because I didn't need to ask for pain meds in the ER until they had me drink the prep for the cat scan. Eating/drinking really bothers me and within a few minutes I was hurting a lot. I was also gassy as heck from the soda they mixed it with. I guess I just can't drink the stuff anymore. Half way through the first can and I was so bloated with gas that my belly became hard as a rock. Fortunately, the gas was just uncomfortable, not painful! You should have heard the burps coming from me, once I was finally able to get it moving!
Thanks for reading, again!
Hope your all doing good!

Sarah

I would view this as a good thing. Your lab values are not something that screams emergency surgery and your CAT scan was pretty normal.

One thing to keep in mind that just because a lab value may be out of range of normal, it does not mean it is of any serious signifigance. Since your lipase had already been elevated, any sort of drop would be a good thing and that gives you time to reevalate in a more relaxed setting. The MCV is a red blood cell volume and again, it is a matter of degree and when compared to other labs, that the signifigance is gleaned.

Regarding the CT. Yes, every ovulating woman has cysts. This is what the follicle becomes just before ovulation. So, not to worry about that. A uterus deviating from midline is likely due to your surgery and the affect of adhesions. So, again, not necessarily anything to be concerned about.

You really do not want to have emergency surgery unless it is really an emergency because shortcuts are taken that can make a difference. So, it is better to sit and suffer a bit more and then tackle this in an orderly fashion. An ERCP may well be a good idea. Better yet, ask about a MRCP, which is noninvasive and uses MRI to visualize the biliary ducts. Can't do biopsies, but it is a very good first step. No anesthesia, prep, or pain, and it only takes a few minutes to scan. An ERCP or MRCP may or may not reveal pancreatitis because only the ducts are well visualized. If you have inflammation in the pancreas unrelated to duct obstruction (not very likely, but possible), these test may also come up clean.

Jan

Sarah,

Hope you get some answers on Wednesday with your surgeon. My last ER doc have me IV pain meds and let me watch the season finale of ER.

quote:

So, it is better to sit and suffer a bit more and then tackle this in an orderly fashion.

But I don't wanna! lol.
I will try to be patient. It's just .. I REALLY want this to be the problem. I want to get rid of it!! I SO want to get back to my life.. Important things are coming up and I want to be there to experience them.
Thanks for the info Jan, I'm relieved to know that the cyst thing is normal. (and now I feel bad for thinking that doctor was a jerk) I will mention both of those tests to my surgeon and see what he thinks.
Thanks for the well wishes, Cataja! I used to love watching ER! Don't watch it anymore since they killed almost all the original cast members off.. Jerks!

Sarah

Well, if I was not a muggle, I'd send over some charm or spell to rid you of this pox! But, alas, I am a lowly human and can only empathize...

Jan

Hi,
Hope you start feeling very much better very soon. Good to read Jan's reassuring words re: the cyst etc. I'm crossing fingers for you!