No cancer, No Barrett's (apparently)

I could hardly believe my ears. I was going in to get testing set up for sleep apnia, and the doctor was telling me the results from the Friday tests were back almost a week of '7-10 days' early; and the tests showed NO cancer and NO Barrett's Esophagus.

Biggest news of my adult life, and the doctor went on as if he had just stated that another ant had been run over by a car.

Well, OK. I'll wait until a little later to get excited.


To make it officially CP forum 'stuff', I've been having a lot of breakthrough pain; a lot more than usual even. How do we figure out what is to blame for the breakthrough? What is the primary pain prevention medication? My pain is pretty much 100% neuropathy. No broken nothing, no bone spurs. Just that good old imagination pain.

Lyrica or Methadone or Morphine or Cymbalta?

The Pain Clinic is managing Methadone and Morphine.
My Primary Care Physician is managing the Lyrica and Cymbalta.


I've been given to believe that Lyrica is #1, with Cymbalta 'helping' it.
Then Methadone is #2, with Morphine 'helping' it. Additionally, Morphine I take as the breakthrough defense; as I get pain coming through I take the Morphine 'as needed' to prevent larger flareups.

I take very small doses of Methadone, which my Pain Manager described as correct. Methadone works differently, and so the smaller dosages. Then Morphine is there to step in to fill in any holes.

This is how I remember my Pain Management working. But I could have it totally screwed around.

Does that sound like a likely process?

Congrats Tony,

And Pa Lady is right. You can post what you want on here, to share good news or to keep us up to date on what is going on in your life. Not a problem.

Anyway, I am so grateful to God that there is no Barretts. You have been blessed.

Have a great day, my friend.

Lindaloo

What wonderful news, Tony! That must be a huge relief!

Skeye

Thank you, one and all.

Yes, a reliefandahalf at leasts.

As to the Sleep Apnea (sp!), I don't know. They believe I have a fairly sever case with what I tell them, have been telling them for over a year actually. Well, have been telling them for about 5 years if truth be told. Oh, wait, I left off a 1; make that 15 years.

Anyway, I've been trying to get help with my stomach for a loooong time now. And it seems to be that my stomach and my sleep have been going around in circles hurting me and baffling my doctors for all that time.

So now I have an appointment for an echocardiogram (another test I've never heard of (Google!)) and am waiting for a callback from the Sleep Center to be tested for the Sleep Apnea. Both of these came up out of the air from an appointment I set yesterday to brief my Primary Care Physician on everything I've been working on with all the other doctors. I've learned that my doctor thinks that he should be the central physician, and direct me to all the other physicians for the various specialty works. Which, when you think about it kinda makes sense. So I go along, and report back to him about all the other goings on - even though he has all the information come to him via computer the computer doesn't tap him on the shoulder after each of my appointments or procedures.

So, a long story short would be:

• Had 2nd Endoscope - biopsy and photos; 7-10 day wait results
  
• Went to podiatrist, appear to have caught virus short; come back 2 weeks
  
• Went to PCP to report above and more; given results a week early of biopsy - no cancer!!!
  
• While at PCP, got appointment for echocardiogram and will get callback for Sleep Apnea testing.
  

What surprised me was Liz's lack of reaction. I think she is waiting to be overjoyed when the Sleep Center stops my snoring. I'm glad I masked my concern from her; I was ready to break from worrying about the probability of cancer.

Thank you, sincerely, one and all for giving me your support. I hope your great news is waiting around your corner, and that you will share it with me when it comes.

Chartreux said...
...but I'm wondering if it might be a side effect from all the medications
your taking and maybe you should ask that from either your PCP or GI doc....

Unfortunately, best as I can figure from the various times we've changed/reduced/raised the various meds, if we drop any of the main four (which is where the side effects appear to be coming from) then the pain comes back full force (which is a hard 10 at least).

Maybe things will calm down or change in a few years; no way of knowing. For now it is pain or side effects of drugs, apparently. And unless they get worse, I'd rather try to find a fix for the side effects (if that is truly what it is) than to try to find a different fix for the pain. Or maybe a fix for both as we go.

I have brought it up to both the PM and PCP. PM sends it back to PCP as side effects of the Lyrica, mainly. At least the mental stuff. PCP is trying to work on a different angle. He now believes the Sleep Apnea is a main issue, and many of the physical side effects are side effects of the Sleep Apnea. Everything from the acid reflux to the huge water weight gain (30+ lbs in less than 3 weeks). But the way he describes it, it also makes sense. (I sit here and can almost SEE my fingers grow thicker and FEEL the increase in typing difficulty; good thing I took off my ring earlier.)

Tony

Sleep Apnea can cause a whole bunch of different things, from High BP, to diabetes, to night sweats, and nocturia (frequent urination during the night) it can also cause low O2 saturation, and can result in memory problems. If the sleep apnea is severe enough and it causes very low O2 saturations, that can result in heart attack or stroke during your sleep. Sleep Apnea can also cause weight gain, and host of other symptoms.The treatment is simple, CPAP, BiPAP, or VPAP ASV, depending on the type of apneas you have and the severity, But I will warn you as simple as the treatment is, it can, for some, be very difficult to adjust to!

 When you go for a sleep study they will wire you up, like for an EEG, and a EKG, and also put a couple of other monitors on you, then you will go to bed, as you sleep they will monitor your sleeping both with the instruments, and they will also visually monitor your sleeping with a camera that watches you sleep. If your sleep apnea is bad enough and they get enough data, they might wake you up, and fit you with a mask and hook you up to a machine and then have you go back to sleep and they will do the titration study on you. This is known as a split night sleep study. Other wise they will just do the first part, and then have you come back for a second study to do the titration. Actually the 2 night study is better, because they have more time to get all the data, and more time to do a really good titration study to get your sleep apnea under control. Anyway after the titration study, they will set you up with a XPAP machine,which is a usually CPAP machine, and they will fit you with a mask. Then you will have an new bed partner, that you will sleep with forever! and you will become a Hosehead, like many of the rest of us! When and if you have a titration study they will usually let you try different masks on, try as many as you can, til you find one that is comfortable for you, this is very important, and I can't stress this enough! a proper fitting mask can make or break your successfull adjustment to CPAP treatment! Believe me I do know what I am talking about when it comes to Sleep Apnea. I was first diagnosed with it in January of 2007, in the first 18 months I had 6 sleeep studies done, before they finally got my treatment right! I went from CPAP to CPAP with Oxygen to BiPAP to VPAP Adapt SV with Oxygen which I am on now! The proper treatment does work, but it does take time to reap the benefits of the treatment, it doesn't happen over night, some symptoms will go away in a matter of a few weeks, for me the severe night sweats and nocturia disappeared in two weeks or so. But the tiredness and constant fatigue took 3 or 4 month before it finally let up! So you do have to be patient!

Anyway if you need any information about it or any advice feel free to E-mail me. I firmly believe the more involved you are in your treatment the more successful you will be. So I would encourage you (if you do have sleep apnea and need CPAP) to get a data capable machine so you can monitor  and get involved in your treatment! With CP issues, sleep apnea can be a bit more of a challenge!

Good Luck to You

White Beard

Mom9Mom, I did NOT get your e-mail.

But that is likely because I missed it amongst the 200 or so I get each day that are SPAM.

Please send again, with TONY in capital letters in the subject so I can find it easier and not delete. My e-mail is in my profile, or just click on the icon here to the leftmost side of the icons. Or use tonyATparadoxcommunityDOTcom.

Tony

I had been complaining to my Doctor of severe night sweats for years, I mean having to get up and change my cloths and sheets because I would be dripping wet from sweat, and sometimes 2 or 3 times a night, my Doc ran every test imaginable on me, but never once asked about snoring or anythng about how I sleep! Heck  I would often  wake up gasping for air and  be choking during the night but he never connected the dots!. Same with my nocturia, heck the urologist even scoped my bladder, but no one ever asked about my sleep, I finally talked to my pain doctor about it because I was so sleepy all the time and when driving thru the neighborhood one night  looking at christmas lights in Dec 06,  I feel asleep and nearly hit a tree, so my pain doctor prescribed Provigil which is a medication to keep you awake. Well at that time it was so expensive (600 dollars for 30 days supply) and my insurance would not pay for it, so I didn't get it and my Pain Doctor then sent me to a Sleep Apnea specialist, and I was scheduled for a sleep test! And my first Sleep Doctor was a "quack", he was a neurologist but ( and I did not know this at that time he was not board certified in sleep apnea studies), so make sure that what ever sleep doctor you go to, that he is Board Certified in Sleep Apnea Studies! That is very very very important! Being Board certified means he/she has been through extra training and has had many hours working with sleep apnea patients! Believe me it makes a difference, because allot of Doctors are getting into the Sleep Apnea business, (it is a real "Cash cow" right now,) and allot of Doctors do not know much about it, and the patient is always the one that suffers. It took me 18 months before I finally got the proper treatment, and it was 18 months of pure H***. My first Doctor did not believe in the VPAP Adapt SV technology he said it was to new and unproven! It wasn't till after I got a new Board Certified Sleep specialist that I found all this out and my Sleep center had been recommending this treatment for me for the last 18 months and last 5 sleep studies! But my first Sleep Doctor would not prescribe it! After I finally got put on this ASV treatment, it was literally a Godsend for me, what difference it has made in my life! So it is important to have a Good sleep Doctor!

 Anyway just let me know, I will give you as much help as I can with it!

Good Luck to You

White Beard