Re: I'm new to this.......long - to Marcy

[Guest guest]

Marcy wrote:

> My name is Marcy. I live in Divide, Colorado, a small town about

an hour west of Colorado Springs. I'm 51, have four children and

just got home from the hospital with a diagnosis of pancreatitis.

Dear Marcy,

Welcome to the fold. Your story reminded me much of my

initiation to pancreatitis. I didn't think I had an ulcer, but I thought

I'd developed a sensitive stomachm and probably had several

months or more of CP before an acute attack sent me to the

hospital. My admission day CT scan already showed

pseudocysts in my pancreas, so it was evident that I'd had an

undiagnosed acute attack before this first admission.

Although an ulcer would have been easier for you to treat, and

not such a chronic pain condition as CP is, it's good that you

finally know what's wrong and are prepared to learn what you

need to know to best care for it.

First of all, say goodbye to the Adkins type of diet (smile)! Our

first lifestyle adjustment with CP is to adopt a strict low fat, low

protein, high carb diet. Go to the " Files " section in the box of the

left side of the screen on the Yahoo PAI message board, click on

that, and when the next screen opens, click on " Nutrition " . On the

next screen, click on " Diet Tips " . You'll find a very thorough

compilation of diet suggestions and tips to help make your

adjustment to this type of diet as pleasant as possible. Most

GI's recommend no more than 25-30 grams of fat daily, and

many of us do better with even less. You also will find that it's

easier on your digestion if you eat several smaller meals each

day, limiting each one to about 6-8 fat grams, than the traditional

three large meals. Like a small breakfast, a snack mid-morning,

modest lunch, a mid-afternoon snack, and then a scaled down

dinner. This method of eating seems to cause less pain after

we eat.

You need to speak with your physician about getting a script for

digestive pancreatic enzymes. Almost all of us take them, and

find they make a big difference in our tolerance of food. The

enzymes are pills that contain amylase, lipase and protease that

once injested, break down in the small intestine, thus doing the

work that the pancreas enzymes would normally, in a well

functioning pancreas, do. These enzymes let the pancreas

" rest " , resulting in proper digestion with less strain on the

damaged pancreas. This will also mean less pain for you.

Some people find that certain foods or activities trigger an attack.

I recommend that you keep a daily diary of what you eat, what

activities you participate in, and how you feel. You may be able to

identify what triggers your pain most often, and then you'll know

to avoid it. This diary is also great to refer to when you meet with

your physician, it will help him/her to understand your particular

case with more clarity. I think if you can document what triggers

your pain, you will have less problems with doctors who say " it's

all in your head " .

Speaking of doctors, it's imperative that you find a

compassionate, experienced gastroenterologist who is familar

with chronic pancreatitis patients. Your specialist will become a

very important person for all of your health care considerations.

Many of us have had to search hard, and even change doctors a

few times, to find the right professional to look out for our

individual needs.

For resource material, one excellent site is a website that one of

our members', Mark Armstrong, developed. It is undoubtedly the

most comprehensive library of pancreatitis related subjects that

you'll find on the web. The link to Mark's website is:

http://www.top5plus5.com/

We also have excellent reference materials in our " Files " , " Links "

and " Database " sections in the box on the main page of our

Yahoo site. Peruse and learn! If you have a question that you

want to find other member's answers to, you can also type in the

subject matter in the " Search Archives " box on the upper right of

the screen, and it will bring up all messages relating to that

subject from thousands of earlier posts.

Or you can always just post your questions....!!!....and get an

up-to-date, real time answer! We're here nearly 24 hours a day,

and everyone is more than happy to try and answer any question.

We've all been in your shoes at one time or another and we're

here to help you in any way possible to make your life easier,

whenever we can. Please let us know how we can help.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI, Intl.

Note: All comments or advice are personal opinion only, and

should not be substituted for professional medical consultation.