Scared family - 27yr/old wife and mother got some bad news.... help? - Gallbladder Message Board

kerry4 · 08-27-2008, 07:03 AM

My loving wife has been having issues off and on for the past 2-3 years with stomach issues - primarily caused from H.Pylori bacteria which causes ulcers, inflammation, etc.

Well, she had been having terrible pains in her lower abdomen for the past 5-6 months. She had the typical visits with her GP and he speculated that her bladder may have "dropped" and her uterus ma do the same indicating that she may need a hysterectomy. Well, that was speculation and he hasn't verified. He basically said that if the pain gets too bad, go to the ER.
What a guy.

One evening the pain got so bad she went to the after hours clinic and they referred her to the nearby ER as they were concerned that it may be the appendix. Well, they did a CT without contrast, and apparently found no issues. Then they did a barrage of urine and blood tests and found nothing. She was still in pain and they just said go see a gastro doc.

Well, she got a referral to her gastroenterologist and they did some urine and blood tests and set her up with a colonoscopy (next Tuesday) and sent her on her way.

The assistant called my wife yesterday and told her that within the blood test that they found some reading that was high - carcinoembryonic which could indicate cancer. I got more details and it seemed that on a scale from 25 - 115, she ranked at 124. The aid on the phone mentioned the elevated readong could be from being pregnant or have something to do with her gastro system or even her pancreas. I hear/read pancreas cancer is frightening as the mortality rate isnt good.

They told her to come in tomorrow (today) and they need to do a pregnancy test and more blood work.

Since this news, i have been so clingy to her. I cannot foresee a single day without my wife.

To me, on a scale of 25-115 and getting 124, that doesnt seem to drastic.

I have read that peptic ulcers could raise these numbers. h. pylori causes ulcers.

Basically, we are hoping for a fluke reading. False positive. Anything to say that this is not what we are fearing.

She called me at work in tears telling me what she had just been told and I just had to leave work as I couldnt focus at all. I am worried sick; my jaws are so tense, my head is foggy, my stomach is turning, i have no appetite and hardly any sleep.

Anyone have any input? Own experiences? Anything to help us through this?

I just needed to get it out. We are all frightened, but we are optimistic that it is just a fluke (fingers crossed).

Thanks for reading this.

Mel52 · 08-27-2008, 09:15 PM

I feel bad you are going through this scary time. I can only say your wife is kind of young to have pancreatic cancer. It's possible but not real common. My girlfriend had pain in the upper back, diagnosed with diabetes and was extremely fatigued when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
I had a scare many years ago about your wife's age. Alot of pain in my lower side, lost weight etc. I don't know much about any lab work, didn't pay attention back then if they even told me. I had an ultrasound and they found a solid mass. It freaked me out too. I had surgery 3 days later and it was a dermoid cyst that was removed. I had the scare of it being the big C but it wasn't. Hopefully things will be ok for you guys. Let us know.

Vicki99 · 08-27-2008, 10:11 PM

Sounds like you all have been really going through it. Waiting is a hard thing to do - Pray and know that you have HOPE. It could be a number of things. Try not to worry. I will keep your family in my prayers.

kerry4 · 08-28-2008, 06:00 AM

Thank you Vicki99 and Mel52. The support is great!

We went back to the doc yesterday so that she could do testing again. But all they did was a pregnancy test. Apparently that CEA should only be there if you are pregnant or if there is a carcinoid of come type lurking. Well, she's not pregnant.

However, from what it sounded like, the gal that originally called my wife and told her to come back may have slipped up and wasnt supposed to say anything regarding CEA to my wife as nothing is confirmed and it would be the doctors job to share such information.

We did get a copy of her test results while we were there. There was NO results involving carcinoembrionic antigen. So either they didnt give us ALL the test results or the nurse that called at first was reading something else or drawing conclusions of her own.

The tests included a hepatic panel, and other various items. The only out-of-range item was Amylase.

The Amylase is the one with the normal range of 25-115 U/L and she had 124 on and not the CEA like i mentioned in my previous post. After reading about it, the numbers could be elevated for a number of reasons. Including ulcers, inflamed GI tract, bile ducts, pancreatitis, etc... Which h. pylori can be the root cause of most.

She did have her gallbladder out last year and the surgeon had been concerned about her bile ducts. She claimed that immediately after having her gallbladder removed, she had relief, but only for about a month, then the her pre-gall bladder removal issues seemed to come back, and that may have been due to blocked ducts.

I am pointing my finger at the h. pylori and residual effects from the gallbladder removal/ bile duct issue. Both of which can be resolved.

Keep us in your prayers. The support is very, very appreciated.

Thank you!