› Forums › General Melanoma Community › GI oncologist
- This topic has 28 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 4 months ago by
lhaley.
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- April 19, 2011 at 9:01 pm
I've been having stomach pains and had an ultra sound by a local Doctor. It showed possible calcification of the gallbladder or stones that had adhered to the gallbladder. He set me up with a local surgeon. Meanwhile I sent a copy of the scans to my melanoma specialist to compare.
I've been having stomach pains and had an ultra sound by a local Doctor. It showed possible calcification of the gallbladder or stones that had adhered to the gallbladder. He set me up with a local surgeon. Meanwhile I sent a copy of the scans to my melanoma specialist to compare. It really irritated me that the local hospital said they had nothing to compare to and I had handed them my scans from 2 months ago….. Anyway, the surgeon seemed wary to operate on me because of my history and wanted to wait till my next PET. Just got a call from my melanoma specialist that they agree that the ultrasound is not clear cut. They are setting me up with a GI oncologist that is part of their team. Here's to hoping that this is just a strange way to present gallstones!!
Linda
Stage IV since 06
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- April 19, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Praying for you, Linda! Glad you sent your info to your melanoma dr and that the GI onc finds nothing. Hopefully you've just got really unphotogenic guts. Lord, in Your mercy, look after Linda. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Carol
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- April 19, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Praying for you, Linda! Glad you sent your info to your melanoma dr and that the GI onc finds nothing. Hopefully you've just got really unphotogenic guts. Lord, in Your mercy, look after Linda. Amen.
Grace and peace,
Carol
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- April 19, 2011 at 10:00 pm
Looking at your picture, you're what may internist would have called the perfect candidate for gall stones. No offense here but light skinned and slightly overweight (that describes me too). Here's hoping that's what it is. A gall bladder removed laparoscopicly is a piece of cake.
Good Luck!
Mary
Stage 3
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- April 19, 2011 at 10:00 pm
Looking at your picture, you're what may internist would have called the perfect candidate for gall stones. No offense here but light skinned and slightly overweight (that describes me too). Here's hoping that's what it is. A gall bladder removed laparoscopicly is a piece of cake.
Good Luck!
Mary
Stage 3
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- April 19, 2011 at 10:56 pm
Linda,
I had my gallbladder out 6 mos. before my mel. diagnosis. My ultrasound showed I believe calcificaiton and enlargement of gall bladder. They went in laproscopically, and ended up doing an old fashioned open gallbladder removal because I had an egg sized stone and my gallbladder was like leather because I'd had symptoms years earlier that I ignored and it just got worse over time. My sister's gallbladder was full of stones, and it showed up weird on the ultrasound too. I guess I'm just trying to give you our experience because gallbladder problems are really common. My mom has hers out too.
I really hope that's what yours is. I know it's a pretty uncommon place for mel to go. I remember thinking after my mel diagnosis that maybe the "stone" was mel, but I know they sent it out to pathology, of course they probably wouldn't have tested for mel.
Good luck and I'll be praying for stones.
Amy S. from Michigan
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- April 19, 2011 at 10:56 pm
Linda,
I had my gallbladder out 6 mos. before my mel. diagnosis. My ultrasound showed I believe calcificaiton and enlargement of gall bladder. They went in laproscopically, and ended up doing an old fashioned open gallbladder removal because I had an egg sized stone and my gallbladder was like leather because I'd had symptoms years earlier that I ignored and it just got worse over time. My sister's gallbladder was full of stones, and it showed up weird on the ultrasound too. I guess I'm just trying to give you our experience because gallbladder problems are really common. My mom has hers out too.
I really hope that's what yours is. I know it's a pretty uncommon place for mel to go. I remember thinking after my mel diagnosis that maybe the "stone" was mel, but I know they sent it out to pathology, of course they probably wouldn't have tested for mel.
Good luck and I'll be praying for stones.
Amy S. from Michigan
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- April 20, 2011 at 12:31 am
Linda,
Four weeks after my IIIa diagnosis and four days before my CLND, I had big pain in my lower abdomen. When it moved to the left side, the doc said it was probably an appendicitis. That seemed just too coincidental to me, and I was convinced it was really melanoma spread to the bowel. But…it actually was just an acute appendix. Odds are yours is just gallstones. I am praying that is true and holding you in the light.
Warmly,
Lear
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- April 20, 2011 at 12:31 am
Linda,
Four weeks after my IIIa diagnosis and four days before my CLND, I had big pain in my lower abdomen. When it moved to the left side, the doc said it was probably an appendicitis. That seemed just too coincidental to me, and I was convinced it was really melanoma spread to the bowel. But…it actually was just an acute appendix. Odds are yours is just gallstones. I am praying that is true and holding you in the light.
Warmly,
Lear
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- April 20, 2011 at 1:00 am
Sorry to read that you have been experiencing stomach pains. When is the earliest that you
can have a PET scan?Frank from Australia
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- April 20, 2011 at 3:11 am
Frank,
I had my last PET/CT 2 months ago along with a diagnostic CT since they are watching lung nodules. Had another CT last Friday when the ultrasound wasn't certain. Next one is scheduled for May 8th but hopefully the appointment with the GI onc will move it up. One of my many concerns is that the CT did show some lymph nodes that were commented on but they were small (4mm). Not sure if these are of concern or not since the local hospital thought to mention them but then didn't bother to compare with the CD that I gave them…….. I know that my mel specialist did look at it today but I don't know yet what his thoughts are. In the e-mail the other day he felt that they could not be causing the pain that I am experiencing.
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- April 20, 2011 at 6:42 am
It is difficult to be 100% certain of what's causing the problem without knowing the
results of the next PET scan. Perhaps the nature of the pain might give us a clue. For
example, is the pain constant, is it localised or felt over a large area?Here is a detailed article about gallstones:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gallstones/This is a link to the symptoms:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gallstones/#4Hope this info helps.
Frank from Australia
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- April 20, 2011 at 10:41 pm
Thank you for the link. Mine is not presenting normally but I have to tell you that none of my illnesses have ever presented normally. ;-( Foods do bother me but not the ones you would think.
When I had a kidney stone my GP (before advanced mel days) was convinced it was my sciatica. I went through 9 months of physical therapy. Finally when I collapsed at work from the pain they figured out what it was. By that time the stone was the size of a ping pong ball and took major surgery. My pain was nowhere near the kidney!
When the dentist numbs my mouth for dental work I won't even tell you what part of my body also gets numb!! I'm just wired very strangely.
My pain is in the gallbladder area but my entire right side hurts. The CT scan only showed a few lymph nodes that were 4 mm and in another area they were subcentimeter (not quite sure why they didn't give a number). The ultrasound did show gallbladder issues but whether it's stones or mel is another question.
I do have an appointment for Tuesday with the Dr. that my mel specialist has chosen. I guess I will have answers then.
Thanks,
Linda
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- April 20, 2011 at 10:41 pm
Thank you for the link. Mine is not presenting normally but I have to tell you that none of my illnesses have ever presented normally. ;-( Foods do bother me but not the ones you would think.
When I had a kidney stone my GP (before advanced mel days) was convinced it was my sciatica. I went through 9 months of physical therapy. Finally when I collapsed at work from the pain they figured out what it was. By that time the stone was the size of a ping pong ball and took major surgery. My pain was nowhere near the kidney!
When the dentist numbs my mouth for dental work I won't even tell you what part of my body also gets numb!! I'm just wired very strangely.
My pain is in the gallbladder area but my entire right side hurts. The CT scan only showed a few lymph nodes that were 4 mm and in another area they were subcentimeter (not quite sure why they didn't give a number). The ultrasound did show gallbladder issues but whether it's stones or mel is another question.
I do have an appointment for Tuesday with the Dr. that my mel specialist has chosen. I guess I will have answers then.
Thanks,
Linda
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- April 20, 2011 at 6:42 am
It is difficult to be 100% certain of what's causing the problem without knowing the
results of the next PET scan. Perhaps the nature of the pain might give us a clue. For
example, is the pain constant, is it localised or felt over a large area?Here is a detailed article about gallstones:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gallstones/This is a link to the symptoms:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gallstones/#4Hope this info helps.
Frank from Australia
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- April 20, 2011 at 3:11 am
Frank,
I had my last PET/CT 2 months ago along with a diagnostic CT since they are watching lung nodules. Had another CT last Friday when the ultrasound wasn't certain. Next one is scheduled for May 8th but hopefully the appointment with the GI onc will move it up. One of my many concerns is that the CT did show some lymph nodes that were commented on but they were small (4mm). Not sure if these are of concern or not since the local hospital thought to mention them but then didn't bother to compare with the CD that I gave them…….. I know that my mel specialist did look at it today but I don't know yet what his thoughts are. In the e-mail the other day he felt that they could not be causing the pain that I am experiencing.
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- April 20, 2011 at 1:00 am
Sorry to read that you have been experiencing stomach pains. When is the earliest that you
can have a PET scan?Frank from Australia
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- April 20, 2011 at 2:56 am
my oh my we are a strange bunch … praying for the recommendation to be gall bladder surgey – 🙂
Sorry just couldn't help myself on that one!
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- April 20, 2011 at 5:03 am
Yes, I've often commented on the strange things that mel makes us hope we have. ///////pneumonia?, Infections, Stones, Yep ANYTHING BUT—-.
lINDA, PULLING FOR YOU.
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- April 20, 2011 at 5:03 am
Yes, I've often commented on the strange things that mel makes us hope we have. ///////pneumonia?, Infections, Stones, Yep ANYTHING BUT—-.
lINDA, PULLING FOR YOU.
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