Re: advice wanted for dealing with old school family

[Guest guest]

Donna:

you are going through what everyone of us has gone through. It

stinks doesn't it. I don't know how others handle it, but I just

had to get " tough " in the sense I ignore them. Not always easy to

do but you do what you have to do.

You know the pain and you know you have to take the meds. Nothing

they say can change that. I have had my own parents also who have

seen me literally at " deaths door " pull articles out of the paper or

wherever about " pain management " i.e. the OxyContin controversy and

give them to me. I can tell you where they went....in the trash. I

use to take Stadol which is a pain med you spray up your nose and my

dad told me if you spray it up your nose you will be addicted and

are a drug addict! I don't have the energy to argue. Now that I

have injectable pain meds I guess that makes me a " hop head " too!

From one to another I say! ha-ha.

I just had to learn to ignore it. Believe me it was not easy as my

personality does not tend to go that way. I know the whole family,

aunts, uncles, cousins, etc think this is all " crap " no pun intended

and I don't care. As long as they don't say anything to me I don't

care what they talk about among themselves. I figure if their life

is so boring this is an interesting subject then I am happy to give

them something to talk about!!!!!!!! You gotta take care of you the

best way you know how!

Take care

Kaye

[Guest guest]

Donna,

I'll ask my husband tonight what it took for him to cross that line

from " hospital again? Are you SURE? " , to " how are you today? Do we

need a really lite dinner tonite? "

When I was first diagnosed, he really didn't get it. Not until the

third or fourth trip, when the pain and dehydration both got so bad

that I was literally in shock, he realized that this was really

serious, life threatening even. Then he talked to my specialist,

who is great, and he understand even more clearly.

I'll send HIS answer in the next couple of days.

Anne

[Guest guest]

What do you say to family ( & a few friends) who just don't get it?

For instance, my dad and mom keep hounding me about the

pain meds Cameron (my 10 yr old son) and I take on almost a

daily basis.

Any suggestions? Oh yeh, they tend to believe anything I can pull

off a website and show them...so maybe something IN WRITING

that explains we are actually some of the luckier PC sufferers?

Also - my husband still voices thoughts of maybe Cameron and I

were misdiagnosed and this will all just go

away. <sigh>

Donna Womack

Donna,

In my research files I have several good comprehensive, yet

easy to read and understand literature about pancreatitis, acute

pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis. I'll sort through the articles

and email them to you. Some of them are material that I sent my

Dad, who is almost 80, to read so he could understand what I'm

going through.

Seems to be that the only way with family members is to educate

them, usually with literature that has a lot of important doctor's

titles, medical university lables,etc., so they realize this isn't just

something written up by some quack.

As far as what your husband thinks about misdiagnosis......oh,

don't you wish?

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

Bluffton, SC

State and Regional Representative

Pancreatitis Association, International

Note: All comments are personal opinion only, and should not

be a substitute for professional medical consultation.

[Guest guest]

You are better to take the pain meds every day if needed and keep the pain

under control instead of trying to tough it out and have it out of control.

You do not become addicted to pain meds if taking them for real pain only if

you are taking them when you dont have pain. Which I doubt any of us do.

Ignore them you do what you have to do to have a life and thats the bottom

line. I mak no excuses for the fact that I have to take narcotic pain meds

everyday, I want a life not a lay in bed curled up life but a functioning

one. I do will do what ever it takes to achieve that and so should you and

your son. I grew up in a hang tough family to but thank God my own children

and my late husband are understanding. from Canada