New Concern

[Scared1234]

Hi! I hope it’s okay to start a new thread. I’d previously posted that I was worried about pancreatic cancer (burning abdominal pain, rib pain, lump in throat, weird stools, etc.). All those pains had been on my left side.
Today, my ride side has been terrible! I’ve had pain in the middle area of my back, pain in the ribs, and pain down to my hip bone. I still occasionally have pains on the left, but today it’s more the right. I’m SO worried and not sure what else this could be.
Does Pancreatic Cancer tend to have symptoms on both the right and left side? I thought normally left side.
I had a dream I posted about a few nights ago. In the dream I have two ladies talking about how to never ignore hip pain and to make the doctor take you seriously. The next day—hip pain began. So I’m worried why everything has moved primarily to the right side.
I can’t get to my chiropractor again for another week due to him being on vacation. Any help on what this could be or if you’ve had the same would be greatly appreciated. Sorry o started a new thread—-I wasn’t sure what the protocol was on that.

 

[Cuchculan]

The way I view things is that if something is said to be left sided and then you have things happen on your right side, that can rule out what you first assumed. One thing I read that baffled me is you mentioned a chiropractor. If you assumed this was some form of cancer why are going to a chiropractor? I know they adjust the body and all of that. Just if I thought, rightly or wrongly, that I had cancer, it would not be a chiropractor I would be wanting to see. Pains with anxiety do happen a lot. We spend a lot of our time tensed up. You ever see a cat that sees a dog? Hairs stand up and cat goes up on four paws. That can be us with our anxiety. Totally tensed up. Not relaxing the various areas of our body as we should be. I can understand an adjustment by a chiropractor for all of that. Your main concern seems to be cancer, which a chiropractor would be able to do nothing for at all. I would visit a doctor. Have a nice long chat. See what the doctor has to say. if you feel you are been ignored, speak up and say so. At least this way you can have some peace of mind. You won't get that same peace of mind visiting a chiropractor.

 

[Scared1234]

The reason I went to the chiropractor is because a few years ago when I had the same pains on my left side, I was told it was reflux, gastritis, and a hiatal hernia. The meds they gave me had terrrible side effects and I didn’t want to be on them anymore. After a month or so of adjustments, my GI issues went away. I thought I’d try the chiropractor again and see if the issues resolved before going to the doctor. Yes, I still worried about those same pains again this time because they are all also symptoms of pancreatic cancer. And I am too familiar with the symptoms as I have had two friends pass away from it and I’m not even 40 yet.
I completely understand that I should go to the doctor and I agree with you. However, I’m too scared to go and receive bad news. I typically run to the doctor at the first sign of something but for some reason, something is holding me back and that scares me too. I guess I’m going to have to go to the doctor eventually though. I was just hoping all these symptoms would go away and then I wouldn’t need to go.
I’m just worried that now maybe it’s a kidney issue since it’s my right side and back area. Or maybe my liver. Or maybe my whole insides has been taken over by cancer. Who knows but I’m very concerned and scared!! It’s the first thing I think about when my eyes open in the morning and then it continues until I go to bed at night. . I’m tired of the worry...

 

[Hurt&Hopeful]

The reason I went to the chiropractor is because a few years ago when I had the same pains on my left side, I was told it was reflux, gastritis, and a hiatal hernia. The meds they gave me had terrrible side effects and I didn’t want to be on them anymore. After a month or so of adjustments, my GI issues went away. I thought I’d try the chiropractor again and see if the issues resolved before going to the doctor. Yes, I still worried about those same pains again this time because they are all also symptoms of pancreatic cancer. And I am too familiar with the symptoms as I have had two friends pass away from it and I’m not even 40 yet.
I completely understand that I should go to the doctor and I agree with you. However, I’m too scared to go and receive bad news. I typically run to the doctor at the first sign of something but for some reason, something is holding me back and that scares me too. I guess I’m going to have to go to the doctor eventually though. I was just hoping all these symptoms would go away and then I wouldn’t need to go.
I’m just worried that now maybe it’s a kidney issue since it’s my right side and back area. Or maybe my liver. Or maybe my whole insides has been taken over by cancer. Who knows but I’m very concerned and scared!! It’s the first thing I think about when my eyes open in the morning and then it continues until I go to bed at night. . I’m tired of the worry...

Hey there - I'm going to go out in a limb here and say that you have got yourself stuck in a panic response to your health anxiety, probably based on your experience with your two friends that passed from PC. I'm so sorry for your loss - that sounds awful. But you have got to take some steps to get this under control - neither the fear not the pain will get better until you do. You need to 1) call a doctor. Get a thorough physical checkup. I know you're scared, but this is the only thing that will help put that fear aside. Even if you get bad news, at least the anticipation of it will be over, which is worse than knowing. 2) Once you get the physical checkup and know that you are ok, tell the doctor everything you are experiencing and treat the anxiety. When you wake up in the morning and your mind is racing with all the fears, treat those fears as intrusive thoughts and focus on strategies to make them stop. Get therapy to help with that. But once your doc gives you the all clear, you can tackle this underlying issue. You got this!

 

[Scared1234]

Thanks. With the flu going around, the drs office is so booked and it’s going to be a week before I can get in to see my doctor.
I’d love some insight on my new issue.... most of all the pain has now been on my right side but I also have that hip pain on the right side. I’ve been having some pressure pains in my very lower right abdominal area too. I also have short, stabbing pains off and on in my upper rib area. Just like I had on the left side and now it’s on the right. My urine is typically pretty dark (I have a job I can’t always get to the restroom much). The past few days it has been very light. I have not been drinking any more water or other liquids than usual so it can’t be from that. I read it could be kidney failure.
But I’m more concerned that maybe there’s cancer somewhere that’s gone to my kidneys or even my liver area since everything is on the right now. Since I’m not able to go to the doctor for awhile, what can you tell me about the latest issues? Has this happened to anyone else and if so, what was the cause. Thanks!

 

[Hurt&Hopeful]

Thanks. With the flu going around, the drs office is so booked and it’s going to be a week before I can get in to see my doctor.
I’d love some insight on my new issue.... most of all the pain has now been on my right side but I also have that hip pain on the right side. I’ve been having some pressure pains in my very lower right abdominal area too. I also have short, stabbing pains off and on in my upper rib area. Just like I had on the left side and now it’s on the right. My urine is typically pretty dark (I have a job I can’t always get to the restroom much). The past few days it has been very light. I have not been drinking any more water or other liquids than usual so it can’t be from that. I read it could be kidney failure.
But I’m more concerned that maybe there’s cancer somewhere that’s gone to my kidneys or even my liver area since everything is on the right now. Since I’m not able to go to the doctor for awhile, what can you tell me about the latest issues? Has this happened to anyone else and if so, what was the cause. Thanks!

My suggestion would be to just wait until you see the doctor. It could be a million little things, but speculating about it or reading about symptoms online will definitely making the anxiety over it worse. I know that's not what you want to hear right now - I know it is miserable and scary. But I would suggest focusing on calming the anxiety down instead of investigating the symptoms - you will find a lot of good tips on doing that online if you look, or here in the forum. We have all been where you are, where your brain fixates in something and won't let it go, but you CAN get through this.

 

[Scared1234]

I’m so worried because I’ve never had this pain before. It worries me because I had a dream about hip pain being cancer and then the next day—boom! Hip pain! And I know pancreatic cancer can spread to that area and to bones because that’s what happened to my friend. I am stopping myself from running to the ER so I can have immediate answers and not be pushed through different doctors and/or testing sites...

 

[Scared1234]

I feel like this nightmare is coming true... after having a CT scan, they found my biliary ducts are dilated (3 different one). This is a sign of Bililary duct Cancer. I guess when I was worried about the pain being on the right and it being my liver, I was correct. I will be meeting with my GI doctor to have more testing done, but there’s not many other reasons for this pain, as I don’t have a gallbladder to be causing the issues. Feeling very defeated right now. I just look at my kids and want to burst into tears. They have no idea that I’ve had testing done and how bad it could be!

 

[Scared1234]

I’m also considering taking the anxiety meds my doctor offered last spring. Does it seem like each new health crisis that comes up, makes your anxiety last longer and longer each time?

 

[stevet]

I’m also considering taking the anxiety meds my doctor offered last spring. Does it seem like each new health crisis that comes up, makes your anxiety last longer and longer each time?

In my experience, each new health crisis keeps the cycle going, therefore, preventing me from catching a reprieve.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Scared1234]

Yes, for sure. I just feel like this one might actually be “the one” where I really do have something major going on. I continue to get random pains throughout my right side, which is where this liver issue is at. So looks like I’ll be doing more testing. I have another dr appt tomorrow and it’s causing a lot of anxiety over what will be said and determined. I would much rather have anxiety than cancer...

 

[stevet]

Please post an update after your doctor’s appointment.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Scared1234]

I was able to see the results of my blood work today and my bilirubin is now in the normal range and back down to what it normally is. However, I’ve still had some of the right sided pains. I had felt very nauseous earlier today but noticed that has seemed to go away once I saw my blood work results. It’s so hard to know if it’s tied to my organs or if it’s from being anxious.
I know I had some right side pain but it wasn’t much until I started to worry it was my liver. Then it got to be more. Then I’m sure it pretty much went away when the lower abdominal pains started. Then it came back once I saw the CT report and such. I don’t want to dismiss everything as “just anxiety” but I really hope the dr says she doesn’t see any reason to look into this any deeper and that she is accurate in that. It’s just so hard to know. I always seem to jump at the chance to look into it depose because I have so much doubt. But it’s weird this time I don’t want to. I don’t know... maybe it’s because I know something bad will be found and I have so many plans that are upcoming (not to mention the rest of my life), and I don’t want to ruin them! I’m so up and down right now and I don’t know what to do.
I know I would get a little nauseous when I would get ready to eat back in December but I was also super aware of how that is what happened to my friends who had pancreatic cancer. I’d be checking myself to see if I felt ok and if I was going to be sick on water, like my friend. That feeling had gone away until last week when I really started worrying about my ovaries and then back to this liver and bile duct issue.
So many of my symptoms could be attributed to either a tumor or to anxiety. I know I’m the past, I’ve needed to have tests run to know I was ok. But in this case, I HAD a CT done and it didn’t show any tumors. I guess we will see what tomorrow brings...

 

[stevet]

I was able to see the results of my blood work today and my bilirubin is now in the normal range and back down to what it normally is. However, I’ve still had some of the right sided pains. I had felt very nauseous earlier today but noticed that has seemed to go away once I saw my blood work results. It’s so hard to know if it’s tied to my organs or if it’s from being anxious.
I know I had some right side pain but it wasn’t much until I started to worry it was my liver. Then it got to be more. Then I’m sure it pretty much went away when the lower abdominal pains started. Then it came back once I saw the CT report and such. I don’t want to dismiss everything as “just anxiety” but I really hope the dr says she doesn’t see any reason to look into this any deeper and that she is accurate in that. It’s just so hard to know. I always seem to jump at the chance to look into it depose because I have so much doubt. But it’s weird this time I don’t want to. I don’t know... maybe it’s because I know something bad will be found and I have so many plans that are upcoming (not to mention the rest of my life), and I don’t want to ruin them! I’m so up and down right now and I don’t know what to do.
I know I would get a little nauseous when I would get ready to eat back in December but I was also super aware of how that is what happened to my friends who had pancreatic cancer. I’d be checking myself to see if I felt ok and if I was going to be sick on water, like my friend. That feeling had gone away until last week when I really started worrying about my ovaries and then back to this liver and bile duct issue.
So many of my symptoms could be attributed to either a tumor or to anxiety. I know I’m the past, I’ve needed to have tests run to know I was ok. But in this case, I HAD a CT done and it didn’t show any tumors. I guess we will see what tomorrow brings...

Just curious...did your doctor possibly mention checking your gallbladder out?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Scared1234]

I had my gallbladder removed 7 years ago. That’s when all my digestive issues started. I guess that’s why they weren’t too worried about my bile ducts being dilated because that tends to happen in people who have had gallbladders removed.

 

[JustMe]

I was able to see the results of my blood work today and my bilirubin is now in the normal range and back down to what it normally is. However, I’ve still had some of the right sided pains. I had felt very nauseous earlier today but noticed that has seemed to go away once I saw my blood work results. It’s so hard to know if it’s tied to my organs or if it’s from being anxious.
I know I had some right side pain but it wasn’t much until I started to worry it was my liver. Then it got to be more. Then I’m sure it pretty much went away when the lower abdominal pains started. Then it came back once I saw the CT report and such. I don’t want to dismiss everything as “just anxiety” but I really hope the dr says she doesn’t see any reason to look into this any deeper and that she is accurate in that. It’s just so hard to know. I always seem to jump at the chance to look into it depose because I have so much doubt. But it’s weird this time I don’t want to. I don’t know... maybe it’s because I know something bad will be found and I have so many plans that are upcoming (not to mention the rest of my life), and I don’t want to ruin them! I’m so up and down right now and I don’t know what to do.
I know I would get a little nauseous when I would get ready to eat back in December but I was also super aware of how that is what happened to my friends who had pancreatic cancer. I’d be checking myself to see if I felt ok and if I was going to be sick on water, like my friend. That feeling had gone away until last week when I really started worrying about my ovaries and then back to this liver and bile duct issue.
So many of my symptoms could be attributed to either a tumor or to anxiety. I know I’m the past, I’ve needed to have tests run to know I was ok. But in this case, I HAD a CT done and it didn’t show any tumors. I guess we will see what tomorrow brings...

I hope you are feeling a little better now.

 

[Scared1234]

I hope you are feeling a little better now.

Not completely. I know I had a CT scan but what if I have a tumor that’s too small to detect? That’s my biggest concern right now. If the random “pains” would go away and stay away, if feel better. Dr appt this afternoon and I’m sure she will want to send me on to my GI dr. That will be another set of anxiety...

 

[matisworried]

Not completely. I know I had a CT scan but what if I have a tumor that’s too small to detect? That’s my biggest concern right now.

soooooooooo common with HA yet sooooooooooo unlikely. "what ifs" are traps for anxiety. this is where you need to trust your doctors. your scanned was reviewed by a radiologist, who's entire job is spotting abnormalities... it was then passed to the ordering doctor who, again, reviewed it and saw nothing of concern.

even if we play in to your concerns and pretend there is a tiny tumor - something that is so small that it was missed by not one but two doctors would likely be too small to cause symptoms. at this point, you might as well worry about getting hit by a bus or something. pain, specifically, isn't a super common symptom of cancer until it has grown to the point that it starts pressing on nerves, organs, etc. if your pain was being caused by a tumor, there's no way it could be overlooked on a scan.

 

[Scared1234]

Not completely. I know I had a CT scan but what if I have a tumor that’s too small to detect? That’s my biggest concern right now. If the random “pains” would go away and stay away, if feel better. Dr appt this afternoon and I’m sure she will want to send me on to my GI dr. That will be another set of anxiety...
[/QUO

soooooooooo common with HA yet sooooooooooo unlikely. "what ifs" are traps for anxiety. this is where you need to trust your doctors. your scanned was reviewed by a radiologist, who's entire job is spotting abnormalities... it was then passed to the ordering doctor who, again, reviewed it and saw nothing of concern.

even if we play in to your concerns and pretend there is a tiny tumor - something that is so small that it was missed by not one but two doctors would likely be too small to cause symptoms. at this point, you might as well worry about getting hit by a bus or something. pain, specifically, isn't a super common symptom of cancer until it has grown to the point that it starts pressing on nerves, organs, etc. if your pain was being caused by a tumor, there's no way it could be overlooked on a scan.

thats my hope and the only thing that is helping me hold on to hope! I ended up not getting to see my doctor today. Took 2 weeks to get in and then I got there 5 min early just to find out I had my appt time wrong and it had been 20 min past time. I now have to go back in the AM! I can’t see my dr for another week, so I took an appt with the NP.

 

[Scared1234]

So my Doctors appt didn’t happen today. They asked me to come tomorrow morning to see the NP bc it would be another week to schedule with my doctor. So I said ok. They called me back about an hour later and said the NP didn’t feel comfortable taking me on tomorrow. I asked why and the nurse said bc after looking at my ER papers, she felt I was “too complicated” and needed my PCP. She said it would still be next Thursday. I said the ER told me to follow up in 2-4 days regarding the kidneys. She asked me what my biggest concerns were and I said the bile ducts/liver, followed by the kidney cysts. She said after the dr looked at my papers she would call me if anything looked urgent and to come next Thursday. She ended up calling me and said the doctor looked over my papers and said my ducts being dilated looked consistent with gallbladder removal and my blood work was promising. She wasn’t worried. But is concerned about my kidneys so to see her next Thursday. As long as my kidneys are not full of cancer, I will be ok. I have had the cysts since at least 2013 so I’m hoping that means there’s no cancer. So here we go again, another week of waiting.
Oh.... also said they still can’t rule out my appendix bc of the CT not getting a good look but just to call them if I start with a fever. I didn’t really get to say anything about right sided pain but I guess they aren’t worried about the ducts/liver so I should try to give it a rest and hope that I’m doing the right thing!