I checked back in to Chateau de MGH last night. Yup, they just couldn’t keep me away!
Over the last couple days, I had been getting increasingly worse sharp pain in my upper left abdomen. I joked to Keith that my spleen and pancreas were duking it out. But I hadn’t pooped in three weeks so it could just be constipation, right? We started pushing mag citrate through the tube. 3 bottles over 30 hours, to be exact. No success.
It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe, it hurt to sneeze and cough and burp. I laid on the couch in the fetal position all day on Tuesday with the occasional moan or whimper. Keith threatened to take me to the ER on numerous occasions. I resisted. I had just escaped; there was no way I was going back so soon. I gave in to pain medication and took 4mg dilaudid PO. I didn’t even get a slight buzz… there was something wrong with that. Four hours later, I crushed another 4mg and put it through the tube. Still no relief. No wooziness even. What was wrong? Why wasn’t my body absorbing it?
Well, still no answer on the oral dilaudid front, but I did get some answers to the pain. After only four hours of sleep, I woke on Wednesday with even worse pain – I didn’t think that was possible! – and I finally succumbed to Keith’s pestering. So we packed up our gear and headed in to Boston. The ER was a madhouse and it took a good hour just to get to screening. I curled up on two chairs in the fetal position and napped to pass the time. We finally got to see the screening doctor who felt around and guessed that my tube was out of place. So we went in for a tube study. Afterward, they got my blood and urine. We waited another 2 hours. While we waited, I vomited a few times. Oops, I thought, I forgot my afternoon Zofran! They hooked me up with IV Zofran. They stopped by to take my vitals. My heart rate, as usual, was doing the cha-cha-cha. And my temperature went up 100.2. Yep, I had a (low-grade) fever now. We waited another 30 minutes or so. My tube study was normal. And the doctor asks casually, “have you ever had gallstones?” “Uh… no. And my gallbladder is on the other side from the pain.” “Yes, but your lipase came back incredibly elevated. I think you have pancreatitis.”
Brilliant. Well, they kept the morphine coming as we waited to be taken to ultrasound to see if I had gallstones. The two main causes of pancreatitis – accounting for 80% to 90% of all cases – are excessive alcohol intake and gallstones. Considering that I’ve never even had a single sip of alcohol, we decided to pursue the gallstones theory. If it’s gallstones, they you wait for the acute pancreatitis to pass and then remove the gallbladder to prevent future episodes. And this episode would resolve as soon as I passed the current gallstone. Simple, routine, easy. Two hours later – nearly 2 am – I was taken back to have my ultrasound. The tech took forever because, she said, I was full of gas and stool. But good news: no gallstones! Also bad news: severely inflamed pancreas. And no known cause of the pancreatitis.
So the doctor sat us down with these results. First, she mentioned that I am still quite young for pancreatitis – but when do I ever follow the rules? She also said it’s unlikely that any of my particular medications are causing it and incredibly unlikely that it is caused by my diet. Unfortunately, some cases of pancreatitis are idiopathic – meaning “there’s no known cause.” But without a known cause and plan of action, they’re admitting me for at least a couple days. The hope is that they can take care of a few things while I’m in, including getting my metabolic panel under control and cleaning me out once again considering the sitz markers from over FOUR weeks ago are still in my cecum. Unfortunately, it appears that I once again have a pretty severe pseudo-obstruction in my colon which is making imaging of and treatment for my pancreas difficult.
Last night, we were stuck in the Emergency Department because there were no open beds. And the ED was packed. I got very little sleep last night. This could have simply been due to the sharp stabbing in my left side accompanied not by waves, but by tsunamis of nausea. Or it could have been due to the ED environment. The lack of solid doors, the 24-hour fluorescent lights, and the serenading beeps, bloops, and BEROOOONs. Or it could be attributed to my sick – and likely highly contagious – neighbor on the other side of way-too-thin cotton curtains who sounded as if he was gargling the air rather than breathing it and had a snore rivaling that of the Underworld-dwelling, three-headed giant Cerberus. I think my stay may be prolonged by another month due to whatever bug this caring and sharing man decided to spread throughout the ED. And his wonderful gift was accompanied by the screaming residents who determined that the solution to a Spanish-speaking patient was SPEAKING LOUDER in a language he doesn’t understand.
It would suffice to say that I’m tired. I’m hoping they can get us into a room soon because there is no rest on the horizon as long as we’re still in the ER. Twenty-one hours and counting. I pray the “open bed gods” decide to bless us with a room soon. Otherwise, I’m going to go mad from pain and sleep-deprivation. 😛
Sending all my love, hugs, and good thoughts your way Chelsea. I’m sorry that you are going through this and I will be praying that you are moved up to a more peaceful place ASAP so you can get the rest your body needs. We are praying for you sweetie – the kids and Beast send all their love and kisses. HUGS
Stef
I don’t normally say stuff like this on account of I Am A Man, but your resilience and apparent optimism throughout (and despite) the past few months has been beyond inspiring. With that said: “I hadn’t pooped in three weeks” is a Chelsea quote that will haunt me oppositely.
Thinking of you as always, Chelsea. Hope you have been moved to a more quiet place and that your pain is under control soon! Please give Keith our love and remind him of how fabulous we think he is for always being by your side! We love you both soooo much!
I am so sorry Chelsea, I hope and pray they find you a room really fast. I also pray for a speedy recovery. Your attitide is really amazing, you are so strong and brave. xoxo
Camping out in the ER is no fun, AT ALL! I once spent 36 hours in the hallway of the ER with sepsis and the raging mirgaine that seems to come with it for me, torture! I PRAY that you are now tucked up in a nice comfy (who are we kidding it’s a hospital…somewhat comfortable) room and are getting caught up on the sleep you missed.
Pancreatitis is very painful and I hope that they find something to help with the pain quickly. I also pray that they can get your lower GI moving again…like I often do for myself at the 3 week marker…I will pray for poop for you! Jeez, only those of us that LIVE life with chronic illnesses like mito would so easily talk openly about poop 🙂
Hang in there girl. I pray this is a short visit and you are out of there quickly.
Thinking of you,
Sheridan
PS….at least they gave you stars again….
The ED nurse hunted them down for me! I love my nurses! 🙂
ahhhh I hope you feel better and get a bed fast!!!! hugs!!!! also have you been eating much and doing tube feedings at the same time???? that is how I ended up with pancrititis the last time cuz they over stuffed me and it over loaded my pancreas and it just completley shut down ;0( I had to be on clear liquids only for almost three weeks before it went away and then only on 1/2 strength tube feeds for a while after that. It was crazy! I was soooo glad I already had a tube though cuz that is usually the treatment for it…liquid diet and tube feedings to give the gut a rest.
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