Unsure what to do

[littlebird6180]

I haven't posted in a while and was doing really well. I have a history of kidney stones and have been having on and off left flank pain since about thanksgiving. I finally caved and went ahead and got the recommended CT scan. Before the scan, I noticed I'd been starting to cough a bit more but it was pretty mild. However, in June of last year, I had pneumonia which is why I even noticed the cough.

Anyway, two days before my CT scan, I got a stomach virus and the day of the CT scan, I'd been throwing up up to two hours before it.

Results come in and are pretty scary (to me, at least):
1. Nonobstructive left renal calculi measuring up to 0.4 cm.

2. Thickening of distal esophagus and stomach can be seen in setting of gastroesophageal reflux disease and gastritis; clinical

correlation and if indicated, upper endoscopy could be obtained for further evaluation.

3. Scattered areas of colonic wall thickening may be due to underdistention although correlation with recent colonoscopy is recommended.

4. Suggestion of uterine fibroid and a left adnexal cyst, which may be physiologic. Correlation with pelvic ultrasound is recommended for further evaluation.

In the observations, the following is also mentioned:
There are scattered areas of scarring and/or atelectasis within the lungs.
There is mild thickening of the urinary bladder wall. Uterus is present. Intrauterine contraceptive device is in place. There is a left adnexal density measuring 1.8 x 1.7 cm there is an area of heterogeneity within the anterior uterus measuring approximately 2.5 x 2.3 cm.

Before I even got these results, my cough had progressed and I'd developed chest pain along with it--like I feel this heaviness in my sternum area and it hurts when i breathe. I saw my GP last week, who said "oh it's probably anxiety from reading the results. Seems like you just have some scarring from pneumonia."

It's not anxiety, I know that for certain. And if it was scarring, why is it only suddenly bothering me?

I've been referred to a pulmonologist but every single one I've called has a 3 month waiting list. My GP can't see me again until the end of next week. Do I go to Urgent Care? ER? Can they even do anything? I have a CD with my CT images on it. Why is it so hard to find the right kind of medical care when you need it?

I see a GI doctor thursday but am hoping that finding was cause of the stomach virus. And I have a pelvic ultrasound on thursday as well. Hoping that is just a fibroid but I'm just feeling really scared. I'm 38 with two little kids and finally was feeling good after so many years of being held down by CFS/ME and POTS.

 

[jesse's mom]

@littlebird6180 I am sorry you have all this scary news and are feeling so horrible! I am sure people with more knowledge than me will weigh in soon.

If you go to Emergicare (which I do all the time) What do you want from them? Are you in a lot of pain? Do you need some medication for the vomiting? They are like a fast mini Drs office and I go there instead of the ER. They treat me nicer and will administer breathing treatments and can help with a shot for nausea.

Whatever you choose I hope all the best for you! That is a really scary situation!

 

[Shoshana]

Unless you have an emergency of a type that they address, like extreme pain or dehydration, high fever, non-stop vomiting, etc,
I too, am not sure what ER would do for you, but if you think it's an emergency, then of course, go.

I hope that the 2 appointments you do have this week, will help you a lot, with getting more info, and with interpreting all of those results.
I think if that GI doctor is concerned, he could advise you about going to the hospital and facilitate it for you.
That doc could decide if the hospital should schedule you quickly, for more tests, such as GI series, colonoscopy... other.
Same thing, if the ultrasound results show something emergency-like. The those results might bring about action from your doctor.

And, it might not be as serious as you are afraid of.
Try, if you can, to wait, before you get any more frightened. I know it's hard to do.

Though I comprehend that your body is sending you messages, it IS real, and that you ARE sick, and that you do need more help from doctors, and that fear is fear, and justified and very difficult.
The anxiety is justified and sensible to have, as a result, in this situation, not the cause.

We surely hope for good news for you, as you proceed, and would love if you want to keep us posted.

You are young, and your children are too, so you surely and understandably do have even more fears, and you do need to take the best care of yourself possible, and to get all of the medical help you need.

If you need to, you could call your doctor , and ask that they read all your results on Friday when they are all available to them, so they could advise if you need to be seen by your doctor or by someone else, they recommend, SOONER than they have you scheduled.

Sorry this upsetting episode is happening to you!

 

[Rebeccare]

Oh dear, I'm sorry that you got such distressing results. Here's the good news: you haven't had a phone call from your doctor. Usually if your scan picks up something big and scary, you get a phone call from the doctor instead of just a report via e-mail. Hopefully the things in this report are not as scary as they sound. Generally medical terminology sounds very intimidating, but often those big scary words are used to describe ingrown toenails or something like that.

I'm glad that you have some more appointments lined up, which will hopefully give you some more clarity (and hopefully reassurance). The GI doctor should be able to help explain what some of these things mean. I think that #2 and #3 are in a GI doctor's wheelhouse.

The cyst sounds like it could possibly be the cause of your pain, so hopefully the pelvic ultrasound will shed some light on that situation.

As for that cough and chest pain, even though they're unpleasant and lingering it sounds like you're not in an emergency situation. If they get worse, if you have trouble breathing, if you cough so hard that you throw up, or if you spike a fever, you definitely should get checked out quickly. But if those symptoms don't change for the worse then I suggest you make that appointment with your GP for next week. Or could you possibly make an appointment with another clinician in the same practice who could see you sooner (and who preferably does not think that you're overly anxious)?

I'm sending you hugs. I'm currently dealing with my own medical anxieties (ultrasound on Thursday), so we're in similar boats.

 

[Wishful]

I have no idea whether any of the findings are significant. However, if doctors look for potential problems, they'll find them, because most of us have 'potential problems' if you look hard enough. A good book about the pitfalls of overly sensitive diagnostic tools is: 'Seeking Sickness: Medical Screening and the Misguided Hunt for Disease' by Alan Cassels. I particularly liked the bit about: 'Most men will die with prostate cancer, but very few will die from it.' In other words, many medical tests will show results that appear scary, but really aren't significant.

You'll have to decide which results are worth following up on, and which you feel comfortable ignoring.