pancreatic cancer - Pain in the right upper side of abdomen, bad headaches.

my sister has been going to a gasterologist because of pain in her upper right side of abdomen. He has ruled out cushing and chron's. He thinks it may be pancreatic cancer can that be causing pain on the right side since I know that pancrea's is on the left. She gets very bad headaches and he is ordering a brain scan. she has had the pain since 2004 and in 2005 she gave birth to her daughter when before daughter's birth she had abnormal cervix cells and after her daughters birth her Paps have been clean. she is scheduled for an endescopy this coming monday which he will be going into the pancreas. she did have a gastor barium xrays which revealed that the barium reached the cecum in 30 minutes and didn't see masses. she ended in the hospital a month ago very dehydrated and was given 3 bags of fluids by IV. Her regular bloodwork was ok except her b12 level was very low the specialist had prescribed nasal spray of b12 since she lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks and gets diar and was prescribed phobotic active pills. she got the weight up and now lost 4 pounds. she is really upset and it is so hard to go through the holidays not knowing what is going on. she doesn't look jaudice to me just feel so much for her she just 34 and fears so much not to be there for her daughter and her daughter is very attached to me but her husband is not working and avoids having the child around us. He is very controlling and my sister is working her but off to pay rent, car insurance for them both, all medical ins and copays and her daughter has asthama and is on medication which costs her monthly $50 I need all info I can get on this condition please

Follow up:

Fri 21, Mar 2008 08:04pm

As of today the gasterologist said her hormone levels are extremely high that is why he suspects pancreatic cancer. But my mother did explain that my sister's grandfather on our mother's side had fast intestines and grandfather's sister did too. they ended up with old age diabetes and my mother asked the doctor if that could be happening to my sister. She has also got insurance approval for brain mri because doctor worries of a pituritary tumor that could be messing up things... He also said that stress can mess up blood work results but I can't get her away from the stress because some reason she sticks with a guy who controls her and never talks to me about my sister kindly no kind words at all. I do have a question about a medical situation I have if you can maybe out of your field but maybe you can have some idea. I had a continual epidural in 2000 for two days confined to a hospital bed to rule out rsd now called complex regional pain syndrome before the insurance would approve my third knee surgery on the left knee. They did not use a floroscopy (I didn't even know that one should have been used for this procedure) like they do now. The first time the anesthisist stuck me I had extreme pain radiating from my spine across left side of my back to left side of waist to just below my left ribs and lucky me epidural blocked my right leg not the left leg which was suppose to be blocked. so he stuck me again and it finally went down to the correct leg. My question is I have still since that 2000 procedure I have that twisting pain under my left front ribs continuously and directly same spot in my back. I have had mri's and cat scans one of the mri's revealed thickening of my left adrenal gland but that is it. My blood work is good and even this past FALL went to a urologist and he did more blood work which I too asked for my cortisol level since I am treated with cortisone for allergies. I feel as if I could just throw up and throw up maybe it would go away(I don't do that but that is how I feel) and feel to that maybe area of my end of stomache and beginning of my intestines is blocked but cat scan shows no block. I have an endescope done in approx. 2003 and colonscopy there after nothing. If I just drink water slowly not glupping my whole stomach swells. Oh I forgot to put this in the beginning when I had the block and went home I was getting like fist size water lumps on my left side and they were cold I was told to try waterpills to try to flush out my body and drank a lot of water with those pills it made the lumps grow. I do not have that same lumping but I do still have the swelling I steer away from salty stuff and sodas but that is not helping. If I suck on peppermints or chew mint gum it relaxes me but problem still there meaning the pain twisting. I really wish I could get in control of this my gast same doctor my sister is seeing actually I sent her there had mri's of my back to see if I had a pinched nerve in my back (hernia disc) NO I do have curvature of my spine on top to right and lumber to my left thanks to cartilege loss in my left knee and it matches the measurements of each other. I have gone from 146 to 164 and have cut out foods I eat I mostly eat vegetables, salads, and fish. I have been diagnoised with complex regional pain syndrome in sept 2005 after left shoulder surgery for a labrel tear and buristomy pain doctor doesn't know if CRPS started when I got injuried or after surgery so I don't know if this is helping me keep the above problem Any help would greatly be appreciated

Sat 29, Mar 2008 10:37am

Hi, I am not an expert in anesthesia or in pain syndromes. Reflex dystrophy syndrome, now called CRPS, needs a highly skilled team to correctly diagnose and manage the symptoms. I am sorry that I cannot help you with technical advise on your condition. However, I will definitely advise you to keep a positive attitude. You have been through several surgeries and your optimistic outlook will see you through future challenges as well.

pancreatic cancer - Pain in the right upper side of abdomen, bad headaches.

Follow up:

Comments:

This question is open for comments. Please share your opinion.