Well It Was Not A Hernia

[sarct]

I had a cat scan, because the doctor was convinced that I had an internal hernia causing me horrible abdominal pain. You have no idea how embarrassed I was to have a test done only to, once again, have it show nothing wrong with me. It's so embarrassing. So I think I am getting a POTS tummy. Sigh!!

It comes and goes.

[MightyMouse]

If the pain is real, then there's nothing to be embarrassed about. I live with it most days and know how it feels... also, just b/c there was not a hernia, doesn't immediately mean that it's your POTS symptoms. Other things can cause belly pain too, such as GERD, inflamation, and a long list of other things. My doctor has me do a few tests every year or two b/c he worries he's missed something that might be contributing to either my perpetual nausea or abdominal pain.

Nina

[Sophia3]

Don't be embarrassed.

Sorry if this has been asked before..ever been checked for Celiac (gluten problems) or suffer from lactose intolerance? As women age, those issues can make an appearance as can IBS.

But abdominal pain is always good to get a scan to rule out things.

Sorry you did not get your answer.

[MomtoGiuliana]

Don't be embarrassed. CAT scans provide a lot of information which is especially critical in acute situations. In the future, you might ask your doctor if another procedure that would provide needed information but w/ less radiation is available, whenever he or she talks about ordering a CAT scan. These are commonplace these days, but also deliver a good dose of radiation--about the equivalent of the background radiation a typical person receives from the sun over a 3-year period. I would not be concerned about occasional CAT scans, but I would avoid getting too many if possible.

Here's a link to good info:

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy...h/catscans.html

(Be careful about material on the internet about CAT scans -- they may be inaccurate and cause unneeded worry...)

Katherine

[Randi Free]

Just a thought. Have you had a colonoscopy to rule out anything inside the colon which a CT scan would not reveal? I had a CT scan for abdominal pain which showed nothing. A colonoscopy found a 9 cm. tumor in the sigmoid colon. It's a long shot and in the absence of any other symptoms not too worrying. It's not a painful test and you are so sedated that you don't remember it.

I had a cat scan, because the doctor was convinced that I had an internal hernia causing me horrible abdominal pain. You have no idea how embarrassed I was to have a test done only to, once again, have it show nothing wrong with me. It's so embarrassing. So I think I am getting a POTS tummy. Sigh!!

It comes and goes.

[sarct]

I am going into the doctors on Friday to see where we go from here. I just felt so silly to go to the er only to be sent home hours later. I was glad it wasn;t somethign that needed surgery right then. I hope that it is somethign minor but I will keep you posted with what happens from here. I am still getting real gurgly in my stomach, loose stools, but not so much with the pain. It's so aggravating.

[mandasmom]

Randi how bad was the prep for the colonoscopy? Polyps run in our family and I have been told I should have one done. I am just afraid I won't be able to get the pre-procedure meds down. I have a very strong gag reflex and find it impossible to drink things that taste bad. I once needed a cat scan and I had to drink this thick, white stuff. I wasn't able to do it