Questions in the Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Forum have been answered by Dr. Kevin Pho who is board certified in Internal Medicine and by doctors from Henry Ford Health System.
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Subject: Re: Abdominal pain I am currently living overseas in Japan with my firm. My wife (35 yrs old) is currently suffering from abdominal pain in the area of the pancreas. She has had mild pain off and on for about the last month or so. We went to a respected hospital here, and now she is scheduled for a 'stomach camera' exam in about 2 weeks. She has pain centered in the upper abdominal area (and according to our medical books, this is where it could be gallbladder, liver or pancreatic problems). The pain comes and goes, but is usually worse when lying down. She has some of the main symptoms of pancreatitis, but not all. She traditionally has always had low blood pressure, but she claims it is on the low side even after she exercises (I believe she said it was about 90). She has a regular appetite, and does not drink alcohol at all nor does she smoke. She received some medication from her initial checkup for her stomach to take care of the pain, but the doctor assumed it was stomach related as opposed to the pancreas or gall bladder. The medication has not helped. She has no history of pancreatic or gall bladder problems in her family. She has had endometriosis about 4 years ago, and has successfully given birth to twins 3 years ago (using fertility drugs for about 2 months). She is taking birth control pills prescribed in the US, but is not on any other medication other than multivitamin and calcium supplements. During the January - February timeframe, she was on antibiotics for a while for a bad case of the flu. My question: Her exam is in 2 weeks. Is it safe to wait that long (I am not sure if we have a lot of choice if it is not an emergency)? ___ Dear KGS, Decisions regarding the pace at which physicians will investigate a patients symptoms are based on a number of factors. Some of these variables are related to the patients presentation. The perception of the severity of symptoms is one important variable. If the doctor believes that the symptoms are not incapacitating , he may not perform the investigations in a rapid sequence. A second factor is the physicians assessment whether the symptoms are caused by serious illness. Finally, there is the physicians guess whether the symptoms will worsen. If the symptoms are a) not incapacitating, b) not felt to be due to serious illness and c) felt to have a low probability of becoming worse, then the physician will not undertake a rapid evaluation. This is particularly true if medical resources are limited and there is a waiting list for the tests that you need. You do not provide details regarding the nature of your wifes pain. Pancreatic inflammation as the cause of the pain can be excluded by the appropriate blood tests. The other possible causes require x-ray or endoscopic tests to exclude. Best of luck. This response is offered for your general information and should not replace the conclusions drawn from a careful and complete evaluation by your physician. |
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