Well, I got the results back from the x-ray and bloodwork yesterday.
The x-ray revealed nothing else horrible or serious, so they were fortunately able to rule out a blockage of any sort. Here is the bad, slightly puzzling news. The bloodwork did not reveal anything wrong with my liver or ... anything else. Including pancreatitis. As I was explained 20 years ago when I had surgery to correct the root cause of my pancreatitis (pancreas divisum, which caused stones to clog my pancreas and thus cause problems), they told me that amylase and lipase blood tests might not properly reveal increased levels, even if I actually do have pancreatitis. So yesterday, the blood results seemed to have confirmed that. I have every other possible symptom of pancreatitis, even it's signature stabbing from the front-to-back pain (not seen in many, if any, other abdominal type of pain), but didn't have the diagnostic test to match. So we're hoping that simply treating it anyway with only drinking fluids for a few days should give it time to let things settle down.
So far my pain today is much, much better, thankfully. I know it seems like all my blogs of late are about pain. I didn't mean to come out of the gates that way... it's just the timing this past month. Despite all appearances, pain is not all I talk about, even though I'm in quite a lot of it with Ehlers Danlos.
On that topic, I discussed my across-the-board increase in joint pain with my doctor yesterday as well, and he thankfully agreed to up the dose of my long-acting pain meds, so I can stop chugging my oral breakthrough pain meds as if I were Dr. House. I think this will make for a much happier, less cranky, and less bitchy Sevenstars. Then I can write about rainbows and butterflies and ... something.
The x-ray revealed nothing else horrible or serious, so they were fortunately able to rule out a blockage of any sort. Here is the bad, slightly puzzling news. The bloodwork did not reveal anything wrong with my liver or ... anything else. Including pancreatitis. As I was explained 20 years ago when I had surgery to correct the root cause of my pancreatitis (pancreas divisum, which caused stones to clog my pancreas and thus cause problems), they told me that amylase and lipase blood tests might not properly reveal increased levels, even if I actually do have pancreatitis. So yesterday, the blood results seemed to have confirmed that. I have every other possible symptom of pancreatitis, even it's signature stabbing from the front-to-back pain (not seen in many, if any, other abdominal type of pain), but didn't have the diagnostic test to match. So we're hoping that simply treating it anyway with only drinking fluids for a few days should give it time to let things settle down.
So far my pain today is much, much better, thankfully. I know it seems like all my blogs of late are about pain. I didn't mean to come out of the gates that way... it's just the timing this past month. Despite all appearances, pain is not all I talk about, even though I'm in quite a lot of it with Ehlers Danlos.
On that topic, I discussed my across-the-board increase in joint pain with my doctor yesterday as well, and he thankfully agreed to up the dose of my long-acting pain meds, so I can stop chugging my oral breakthrough pain meds as if I were Dr. House. I think this will make for a much happier, less cranky, and less bitchy Sevenstars. Then I can write about rainbows and butterflies and ... something.
Puzzling indeed...you know your body best though. I hope that resting your GI system helps the pain....glad your doc listened to you about your other pain as well, hopefully the increase will make things more bearable on that front. Sometimes I wonder which is harder to deal with, CF stuff or chronic pain, as if I could separate the two to deal with one at a time. Most times they intersect, they buddy up with each other, I think that is what overwhelms me at times. Sending prayers and hugs your way.
Jenn
Posted by: Jen Holst-Grubbe Roussel | 05/21/2010 at 08:31 AM