questions about dvt and ovarian cysts?
Any help is appreciated!
Below is a copy of the document my mother sent to her Doctor. She is 80 years old and was making a plea for help to her provider of 20 plus years. She has lived with rheumatoid and osteoporosis for many years and tolerates pain well. Since mid November, the situation has added many other things. We cannot get questions answered out of any of the doctors involved and her life is not good. Any suggestions on what we should do? We are at a dead end and she cannot continue like this.
I would like to discuss some of my questions. I am not sure if an appointment is necessary or the questions could be answered on the phone. I have compiled a list of the recent events. Due to all the changing symptoms and different tests, I get nervous. I cannot immediately think of my questions, or details that might help the doctor, so they are listed at the end.
SYMPTOMS SINCE NOVEMBER 15, 2010
PAST
Pain lower back and running up from right knee up to the groin.
For several days, I experienced unusual bowel movements, sometimes explosive then constipation. I thought this might be stopping the morphine pills, but I do not actually know this for a fact.
When the leg pain stopped (not the lower back) extreme pain arrived horizontally across entire lower abdomen for the week.
After the vetebroplasty, I had relief of back pain, except left side.
CURRENT AND CONTINUAL
I am EXTREMELY weak and tired. During the past 8 weeks, I rarely leave my house. December 7th, I had stomach cramping and terrible heart burn.
I am not normal or functioning in any kind of usual way. I do not eat, and I feel nauseated constantly. Food has a nasty taste. In the above period of time, I have lost approximately 18 pounds. A few times, I have had an hour or two where I feel slightly better, but 98% of the time I just feel awful. Everything I do wears me out and I am short of breath.
I still have left side pain above the hip joint. This is reoccurring and can be intense. We discussed that we should worry about this later.
TESTS
11/14/2011
I had a routine appointment with Dr. Miniter. He did x-rays of the hip and knee right side.
11/19/2011
X-ray at 7th Street campus for extreme lower back and leg pain. I was told I had no broken bones or anything out of place and this was arthritis. I was given 2 morphine pain shots with no results.
11/21/2011
I received the MRI ordered by Dr. Miniter.
11/18/2011
I went to the ER west campus. A CAT scan revealed a cyst in right ovary, and hernia. The blood work did not indicate infection according to Dr Sowyers, ER physician.
12/5/2011
Appointment at the Pain Center in Moline. Dr. Wagle gave an injection in the back. No results.
Next, you found L1 compression fracture.
12/23/2011
Vetebroplasty at Trinity west. After the procedure another CAT scan.
12/28/2011
A visit to check eye pressure with Dr. Wayne. Due to problems with second eye, I have an appointment in IA City in February. Dr. Wayne has never experienced this sort of problem after 5 laser treatments in her office.
1/4/2012
Ultrasounds various views at Trinity east campus. I will schedule another ultrasound to check cyst in 6 weeks.
1/8/2012
Mailed this document to the Doctor.
1/12/2012
Doctor called back. I went next door and missed call. He left message stating he would call back.
1/18/2012
Still no call back. In the morning called office to remind him. That afternoon nurse called back and said he did not have any further need to talk to me. I asked her a about the cyst. She said we would see at the next 6 week ultrasound. End of conversation.
QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE CYST
Is this liquid or solid?
Do you have any indication this is cancer?
Do you feel any treatment will be required in the future?
ABOUT THE BLOOD CLOT
What indicated a possible blood clot?
Any symptoms I should watch for in the future?
Has this resolved itself or do we need to treat this?
GENERAL
Are any of my past or present symptoms related/typical of a blood clot, the ovarian cyst, or the hernia?
Are any of my current problems due to taking Fosimax for eight years?
Any other ideas on why all these symptoms are happening in this short period of time?
Will a pain patch, such as xylocaine (not sure of the spelling), help the reoccurring left side pain?
I need help to feel better. This is not easy and has lasted greater than 8 weeks. I feel something is very wrong.
Filed under: Ovarian Cyst Treatment
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Unfortunately, much of what she wrote is of little use to me. There’s much that’s missing. An MRI was performed but no body part was mentioned and no report included. Dr. Wagle gave her an "injection in back". Was this an epidural? Why is morphine sulfate the drug of choice? Yes, I know it’s the gold standard but what other analgesics were used first? So far as the oral form of morphine is concerned, was she taking MS Contin or Oromorph SR? What was the dosage and how long had she taken them? Why did she discontinue? How long has she had pain? What other conditions has she been diagnosed with that haven’t been mentioned here? (I already see one — osteoporosis as manifested by the L1 compression fracture. Picked up on that when she mentioned Fosamax but suspected it with the type of fracture). The vertebroplasty will have corrected the lumbar vertebra’s (L1) position and repaired the fractured vertebral body (still talking about L1). Is she still experiencing pain in her lower back? About the ocular issues, these are vaguely described but may be about glaucoma in one eye (which one?). The laser procedure that helps reduce fluid and therefore intraocular pressure sometimes has to be done more than once and it doesn’t work for all kinds of glaucoma but it should be used in conjunction with other methods. I expect that Dr, Wayne (who "has never experienced this sort of problem before") got some continuing education. Happens to us all. But this account doesn’t tell me what sort of problems the ophthalmologist encountered. I have no information about the hernia, it’s size or it’s location.
"QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CYST: Is this liquid or solid? Do you have any indication this is cancer? Do you feel any treatment will be required in the future?" — Cysts are liquid-filled or semi-solid. If ultrasound has shown this to be cyst, then in all likelihood that’s exactly what it is. Ovarian cysts are fairly common and usually don’t require any special treatment and can go away on their own. Cysts form when there’s inflammation. Does it matter if it’s liquid-filled or semi-solid??? Cysts aren’t cancerous (malignant). They’re cysts, not tumors.
"ABOUT THE BLOOD CLOT: What indicated a possible blood clot? Any symptoms I should watch for in the future? Has this resolved itself or do we need to treat this?" — Where in this post was a blood clot mentioned? They tend to form in large veins, which are deeper and can be in either the upper extremities (arms, neck) or lower extremities (legs, pelvis). Was she told she’s at risk for one? What are her risk factors? Symptoms of a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are pain, swelling, redness and warmth.
"GENERAL: (1) Are any of my past or present symptoms related/typical of a blood clot, the ovarian cyst, or the hernia? (2) Are any of my current problems due to taking Fosimax for eight years? (3) Any other ideas on why all these symptoms are happening in this short period of time? (4) Will a pain patch, such as xylocaine (not sure of the spelling), help the reoccurring left side pain?" — (1) No to the first, possibly to the second and third. Insufficient info. (2) No. (3) Your advanced age is a big factor. Your concurrent conditions. I don’t know all your diagnoses but I suspect it’s more than I’m seeing here. You may have inadvertently contributed to all this over the the years. (4) The primary use of a lidocaine 5% TD patch is to treat neuralgia (nerve pain) but it’s also used to treat other chronic local pain. (You spelled xylocaine correctly but to my knowledge there’s no patch) Ask about this. Will it help? Can’t know until it’s been tried. But better to find out WHY you have the pain to begin with.
"I need help to feel better. This is not easy and has lasted greater than 8 weeks. I feel something is very wrong." — Conditions left unaddressed or untreated can last longer than 8 weeks. They can last a lifetime.