Hmmm….morphine!
As I said in a previous post, my oncologist wanted to start me on a slow release morphine based drug, MS Contin. I have had 3 doses so far and whether it’s a placebo effect or not, I feel like the pain is somewhat better moderated. Unlike other people, oxycodone (and other similar narcotics) do not seem to give me a “high.” If I have enough doses, I get sleepy, but never really “high.” When I was using oxycodone to manage the pain after the surgery and more recently with this new pain in my abdomen, the medicine would take the “edge” off the pain, and then make me not care about the remaining pain. This new morphine based medicine seems to do a better job of taking the edge off (I still use the oxycodone for “breakthrough” pain).
So, at this point in time, the pain is more tolerable.
Today I met with Dr. Landry, my radiologist. As my oncologist did last week, Dr. Landry check me over this afternoon, focusing on the pain in my abdomen. It seems as if there is a little swelling in the area associated with the pain and a little bit of redness. Dr. Landry did not have any ideas off the top of his head, but he was going to talk with Dr. Kauh about my situation. One thing Dr. Landry did suggest was the possibility of having an appointment with Dr. Sarmiento. For those of you (relatively) new to the blog, Dr. Sarmiento was the surgeon here in Atlanta with whom I had been working. Dr. Landry thought it might be worth while to have a surgeon’s opinion about my situation.
Where does this leave me? Well, I have several different doctors who have looked at the tests that have been run and feel certain that the pain in my abdomen is not associated with my liver, my spleen, a blockage in my intestines, or unexplained fluid leaking into my abdomen. That is, they agreed one what my problem is NOT. I am expecting (hoping) that my appointment with Dr. Kauh tomorrow will focus not only on whether I can have my biweekly chemo tomorrow, but also to try and better understand the cause of my pain.
On a happier note, this evening, my family and I are going to the musical concert of my younger son (he plays the base violin in the middle school orchestra). I’m really looking forward to this concert. He really enjoys his music and is excited about being in the concert. If you’ll recall, I got really upset last year when I went to his final elementary school concert (I spent a lot of time thinking about the future and how I may not be around to see future concerts). Whether it’s the medicine that I’m taking (Welbutrin) or just my having come to grips with my condition (or a combination of the two), I don’t feel as if I am going to have the same reaction. I am planning to enjoy the concert with my family and celebratin my younger son’s accomplishment.
We are in the last week before the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s PurpleStride Atlanta walk. I appreciate all the donations I have received thus far. In fact, I have once again increased my fund-raising goal to $3,000. This week I will be making one last push to raise this money. If you would consider doing so, please click over to my personal PurpleStride webpage to make a donation. Finally, I want to make sure that everyone knows that if you are in the Atlanta area, you are welcomed to come join my family and I to walk or run in the event.
I’ll have more to say about my abdomen pain after my appointment tomorrow. Thank you for checking in with me.
Merle