No fun for me!

I spent all afternoon and night in ER at OHSU yesterday. UGH! We had just left the movie theater. I was driving. Got several blocks from the theater and the pain hit SO fast! Really terrible, tight cramping pain involving my whole torso and chest. Starting in the back and radiating around front with the hardest hit part the right upper quadrant. The pain was about a 9. All I could tolerate without passing out. I was sweating profusely and couldn't breathe well. Very shallow. Couldn't get a good breath. Man I was scared. I pulled over right away and told my husband to take over driving and get me to the emergency right away. I literally thought I was going to die on the way there. After 10 minutes of this, it finally let up a bit. Pain down to about a 6. I got my wits about me enough to call my dr. and alert I was on my way to ER. I got cut off with bad reception when I was pulling in. I sat in the waiting room over 2 hours before they took me back. All the whole I'm in this terrible pain. Afraid to move. When I got back, they didn't give me anything for the pain right away. Did an EKG and send me for a chest x-ray then I got a whopping whole 5 mg. of oxycodone. I just weaned myself off oxycodone from my surgery, and that was at 30 mg. dosage, so I couldn't see how 5 mgs. would do anything. It did take the edge off every so slightly, But not enough to really even notice. My heart and lungs were fine, so we moved on to gall bladder. They sent me for a scan. Took forever. Lots of pics. Went back to my room. Sat for another couple hours. Got another oxycodone. Then the pain started to subside. Whew. So, they sent in a resident surgeon to explain what they found. I didn't appear to have any other gall stones in there, but they suspected I passed one and that it got stuck in a pancreatic duct because it was dilated. My white blood cell count and liver enzymes were elevated, indicting inflamation and possible blockage. So, no clear cut answer. So, I need to get my labs redone on Tuesday to see if my counts are coming down. Then I see my surgeon on Thursday and we will discuss this further. I will probably get scoped. I don't know, something called ERCP for some big long name procedure where they put a camera down there and look around, stretch stuff out if there are strictures, and pluck any wayward stones if they find any. At least that is what two surgeons and the attending doc said. We will see what Dr. Deveney says. They also want me to tell him about my trouble swallowing and the spasm like feeling I get when I swallow. Like something is stuck and trying to go down. So, maybe the ERCP can take care of that too. So, after 7 1/2 hours there, the ER doc left me saying it could happen again, but they were confident it was a passed stone. If it happens again, probably my gall bladder will be taken out. We got home at 1:30 a.m. So, I'm feeling way better today, and living in fear of that pain returning. I think I'll carry my own pain pills with in case they don't get me in for a long time again. I really thought I'd pass out from the pain.

Goodness! Life is never boring for you, is it? I hope they find the source of the problem. Hang in there and keep moving forward! You can't afford a setback at this point. Wanda

Kim - That is crazy! Can't you just have a few boring days????? You poor thing. Feel better and keep us posted, Britt

Kim, With all the problems you've had, if this does turn out to be the gall bladder, it's probably the least serious of all you've been through lately. Hopefully, that's the one and only gall bladder attack you'll have!!! Good luck, Kim. CeCe

((((((((((KIM))))))))))) So sorry you are going through this.... Wow, can you be hit with much more.... You poor thing.... If it is your gallbladder, I know the pain you are going though... I had mine out years ago.... It is one of the worst pains I had ever experienced.... I did not have stones though, my gallbladder was just not working AT ALL, so whenever I ate anything with fat in it, I was in PAIN!!!! I can't imagine going through that with all the other stuff you are going through though.... You are such a strong woman.. you have been through so much and you will get through this too.... Hope you are feeling better soon.... Hugs, Shawn M.