Colleen
Hello, First let me say that my thoughts and prayers go out to all of the people and their families who are battling with cancer. I hope it's ok to post this messages here. I can't find anywhere else where there is a forum like this. I don't want to waste anyones times, but I would appreciate some feedback since you all know so much more than I do about the Pancreas. I am 35 years old and back in July I started having upper abdominal pain the week before my menstrual cycle. It was painful and I immediately made an appointment with my family doctor. I asked him to send me for an ABDOMINAL CAT SCAN, to be on the safe side. The report came back stating that my pancreas, liver, spleen, adrenals were normal. The radiologist wrote that there was a 1cm area, which he diagnosed as a lymph node or less likely a lesion. He wanted to follow up with an ultrasound. I went back to have the ultrasound the next day. The radiologist who read the CAT SCAN report was there along with the technician. The BOTH looked at all my abdominal organs again, specifically concentrating on the pancreas and surrounding area. They both said it looked great and that there were no abnormalities whatsoever. The radiologist said I did not have pancreatic cancer (because I asked him straight out. I ask the radiologist what he thought he saw on the CAT SCAN, and he said that the CAT SCAN usually gives the clearest picture aftre injecting the patient with iodine. Since I am allergic to shellfish, they could only give me the barium. The radiologist said that if I had the iodine he probably would have been able to say the CAT SCAN was normal. He also said because I am thin, and do not have a lot of body fat, the scans are sometimes not as clear (which I had already read somewhere). Last month I had an upper GI, which was normal also. My doctor is satisfied with the results of the CAT SCAN and ultrasound, but is sending me to a gastroenterologist this week to find out why the pain comes and goes. I am curious if most of you have been diagnosed by the use of CAT SCANS or what???? I know there are other tests, but I would think that an abdominal CAT SCAN along with the ultrasound would show a tumor (even if it were a small one). I guess I'm just looking for peace of mind, so I'm sorry if this sounds selfish, I don't mean it to be. I'm just curious if anyone was diagnosed just by having the Abdominal CAT SCAN or ultrasound?? I appreciate you taking the time to read this. I appreciate your feedback. Sincerely, Colleen