My Chronic Pain

Part Two "Medical History"

            I have had to deal with chronic pain for the past six years, and I still don’t have all the answers I need. My chronic pain is directly linked to my digestive system. Over the past six years I have been to many doctors’ appointments, and have had many tests done.

            When I first began experiencing problems, I was referred to a gastroenterologist to determine what the problem was. They ran multiple blood tests; it was hard for me because I have an extreme dislike for needles. They did x-rays, ultrasounds, and even a test that uses nuclear imaging. It seemed every week I was at the doctors’ offices. I also went through my first minor ‘’surgery’’. I had a scope inserted into my mouth and it went all the way into my stomach to take a look at it. The results came back and I had an erosive esophagus and I also had some erosions on my stomach liner. I also had acid backing up into my stomach which caused the erosions in my stomach. I was put on five different medications. They were to help protect my stomach liner, and help get rid of the excess acid. It was difficult to remember when to take the different medicines. One of the medicines was a nasty orange flavored powder, but despite that they actually helped. The seemed to fix the problem, and I was eventually taken off the medicine. I was fine for about a year, but then things took a turn for the worse.

            My pain came back, and so did my problems. I was again put back on medication, but this time it didn’t help. I again went through a minor surgery and had a scope look at my stomach. I had the same problem, but the doctors weren’t sure what to do, because the medicine wasn’t helping. So I had another minor surgery, but this time it was so they could take a look at my pancreatic duct. They thought that it might be the problem as to why I was in so much pain. When they examined my pancreatic duct they found it shut tightly, so they inserted a stint to open it up. However, after the surgery, I got pancreatitis. It was a result of the surgery. It was extremely painful, and it hurt to move. I was in the hospital for six days. I couldn’t eat anything for four days, or the pancreatitis would get worse. The last two days I was on a liquid only diet. My mom helped take care of me, and kept my spirits up. I was discharged the day before thanksgiving.

            My troubles didn’t stop there. A year later after many tests, I went to get an ultrasound again. The results came back that I had gall stones, and that I had probably had them for a while. My primary care doctor sent me to a surgeon to have my gall bladder removed. My surgery was to take place at the local children’s hospital. After the surgery, the first person I asked for was my mom. As we sat in the recovery room the surgeon came over to talk to us. He told us that my gall bladder should have come out sooner. He told us my gall bladder was larger than it should have been, and that I should feel better now that it’s gone. After the surgery, I was having breathing trouble, although I didn’t feel like I was. My mom had to keep me awake so that the doctor and nurses could monitor my breathing better. I had to stay overnight, so that they could make sure there were no major complications. My breathing was just fine, that night and next day. I was in a lot of pain after the surgery and it hurt to move. It took a few days for the majority of the pain to go away, but the pain never completely went away. The surgery didn’t help my pain. Today, I pray that soon I’ll get the answers I need.