Re: update for the group to

[Guest guest]

,

It sounds as though it's about time for you to have some longer acting

pain medication. The morphine tablets and vicodin are only short

acting meds, and won't cover your pain for any great lengths of time.

THe only result with this type of medication is that you start

needing to take more of it, or take it more often, to cover your pain,

and that's when the doctor's start to fuss.

Can you talk with your physician about switching you to a longer

acting pain med, either something like MS Contin, (oxycontin) or the

duragesic patch. These narcotics will cover your pain for extended

periods of time, (24 hrs. to 72 hrs.), and usually require a secondary

script for a short acting med for any breakthrough pain.

Secondly, your difficult bowel problems are being caused by the

narcotics that you take. All narcotics cause constipation, so most of

us also take medication to help with motility. Some people are able

to control it by taking daily doses of Metamucil or some other fiber

supplement, or taking daily doses of Colace, Senecot or stool

softeners. Others, like myself, found that these remedies didn't

work, so we now have prescriptions for a product called Miralax, which

works for both diarrea or constipation. It is a laxative powder that

is tasteless, colorless, and that can be mixed into any beverage

without affecting the taste. It's been a lifesaver for me, and the

good news is that is not harmful to your body. You need to talk to

your doctor about this problem before it becomes more than you can

deal with. I know it's embarrassing to discuss this with a doctor, or

anyone, for that matter, but if your doctor is experienced, he'll

understand your situation and should be willing to help you with it.

Those are the only suggestions that I can think of at this time. I

hope this helps.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

www.pancassociation.org/anthology#Heidi.html

Bluffton, SC

SC State & SE Regional Representative

Pancreatitis Association, International

www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/pancreatitis/

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

not be substituted for professional medical consultation.