Re: Appt today to

[Guest guest]

" Maines " wrote:

today was my appointment with my Gastroenterologist, and it left

me feeling like my emotions are in a ball... He said that

unfortunatly the stents are only effective in about 50% of the

people with Pancreas Divisum and that he would not be

surprised if this leads to a major attack again..... He started me

on enzymes today (Ultrase MT) with all meals.......I have actually

gained weight 10lbs, UGhh ~ The Dr said I need to lose 20-25

lbs, so I guess thats a positive considering the other side of the

coin.

Can anyone tell me what to expect from taking Ultrase the side

effects or benefits?

,

It's not uncommon to leave the doctor's office feeling confused

and with as many or more questions than you had originally. At

least that is the way I find myself after a visit to my GI. While he

does a great job of explaining as much as he can, it seems the

discussion always opens more doors and brings further

awareness, which prompts even more ???

The best you can do to avoid another major attack is to keep on

your low fat diet, take your enzymes, and avoid any known

triggers, I guess. Sometimes I have no idea what causes a bad

attack. Some have happened without any explanation, the others

I have had can usually be traced back to a meal with too much

fat, and one attack was likely caused by a bad reaction to the

barium in one of my many CT-scans. So just do your best, and

try not to worry about it.

Some of the benefits in taking the enzymes is that they helped

me from having abdominal cramping and pain after I eat. They

also make my bowels more regular and normally formed,

instead of diarrhea or loose stools. They also, with time, helped

me to regain some of the weight I had lost. But not

always.....since I have lost 10 pounds now in the last month or

two, and am still on the losing side. Very confusing!

If the doctor is wanting you to lose weight, I do admit that the

enzymes may make this a bit more difficult, because they are

supposed to help the nutrients to be absorbed into the system.

They caused no diverse side effects for me. I have heard that

they have not worked for some people, but do believe one needs

to give them a try for at least a couple months to determine this.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

Southeastern Representative

Pancreatitis Association, Intl.