Preparation for pain control

Do you live somewhere you can get a second opinion?  Have you asked your doctor your question about the cyst? they should give you an answer.  Ask them if they can recommend someone you can get a second opinion from.  

I'm learning, through my own doctor visits and procedures, that pancreatitis is different in just about everyone.  There are things even the best doctors can't predict or conclude about some individual issues (could be the case with your cyst).  

Just because you may be going to a pain consultant doesn't mean you won't be requiring further care from your GI or even your GP.  I pressed for and got explanations from both my GI and my GP about opiates, for example.  For me, throughout my life, the best nonopiate pain reliever has been aspirin.  Tylenol (acetaminiphin)  just never brought down fever or eased muscle pain as quickly as aspirin.  Ibuprophen works better than Tylenol, but not as well as aspirin.  But aspirin is harder on the digestive system, which makes is both the LAST choice of any of my doctors.   Opiates work well in masking pain.  And that is all it does, it masks the pain.  So if the pain is caused by inflammation, an opiate is only going to make it not hurt -- and do nothing to address the inflammation.   So, that is why it is important to have the pain management "consultant" and yourself, have the proper directions from your GI as to what will work best for you.  Opiates also usually cause constipation, so part of your treatment plan will likely include what you should take to manage that as well.  If there is a specific reason you can not take opiates, that also must be spelled out and held to by your pain consultant.  

ASK as many questions as you need.  If you need to have it in writing to remember, email and have them spell it out, so you can be certain the pain management people can help you most appropriately.