Misery doesn't want any company.......

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

It's taken me the better part of today to catch up on all the posts

I've missed since I went up to Lake Placid last week for Father's

Day and a school reunion. That's okay, though, because I've

been going through several days of relentless abdominal pain,

and haven't felt well enough to do anything else. I've been able

read for a while, get up and lie down, and thencome back and

read some more, not being able to stay comfortable sitting for

too long.

My pain problems started last Friday, ruining most of the reunion

plans, (for me, anyway), and bringing to a halt any of the planned

reunion activities while I was there. My brother and I had been

talking about this weekend for the last 4 years and I missed most

of it!! I I dosed myself well and managed to attend the Friday night

dinner for all the classes from the '60's, and was glad I could,

because it was lobster, clams, chicken, ribs and all the trimmings,

and I'm a big lobster lover. There was so much food, but all

I could handle was the lobster and a couple clams......my appetite

clearly reflecting my physical discomfort. There were school

friends there that I hadn't seen in over 35 years and it was so

much fun seeing them again and talking about our old escapades.

I wasn't able to attend any of the other functions,except an hour at

an alumni hockey game, spending most of my remaining time laying

on the bed all day Saturday, regretfully missing the big banquet

Saturday night.

After sleeping 15 hours, I finally rallied on Sunday morning, (with

some help from my meds, of course), and my brother, his wife

and I took our dad out for a special Father's Day brunch at

one of the more exclusive hotels in town. It was another grand

feast, where everything smelled and looked delicious, but

I was only able to take a few bites off a small dessert sized plate.

Everyone else loaded their plates and returned to the buffet

two or three times, though, and we left feeling over stuffed

like you do at Thanksgiving. Dad enjoyed the attention and

the food tremendously, though, and that's all that matters.

With my pain continuing, I was fortunate that the flights back

weren't filled to capacity so there was no question of me being

bumped, and I was able to get back to Bluffton in less than

6 hours from Albany, NY. I couldn't wait to get home so I

could collapse on my own turf and stay in bed as long as I

wanted, without someone questioning what was wrong.

Even after all that's happened to me, my aging father still

doesn't " get " chronic pancreatitis, and doesn't understand

it when an attack lays me up.

Now it's been going on for six days and I'm wondering why.

I'd like to think that maybe it was brought on by the strain

of having to carry around a very heavily overstuffed

carry-on bag on a shoulder strap through the airports....but

I'm really not sure. It's so darned hard to figure out what causes

these episodes sometimes, especially now that it's only the

pseudocyst that gets riled up and inflamed, causing the pain.

This time it's so bad that I also feel that tight band compressing

around my ribcage and my back pain is as bad as the abdominal

pain, causing more pain if I try to breathe deeply.

Austin gets home from summer camp on Saturday night, so

I'm trying to take it easy and have it all go away before he

returns. So tonight, all I have left to say is that I hope

EVERYONE feels better than I do, continues to do so, and

that it all goes away everywhere! I promise to be in better spirits

tomorrow.

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.  

[Guest guest]

Heidi,

I am so sorry to hear you are not feeling well! I think you should call your

doc and let them know what is going on. Have you ever been to the docs in

ton? I couldn't remember if you had been to them or not. I love them! I

do

hope you pain relents and that tomorrow will be better. As Scarlett O'Hara

says, after all Tomorrow is another day! Take it easy, rest and I will pray for

you to have a pain free night so you can rest!

Take care,

Angie in SC

" The happiest of people don't necessarily have the

best of everything; they just make the best of everything that comes along

their way. "

[Guest guest]

Heidi I am sso so sorry that your trip was disrupted by having a bad

attack. If it is one of your cyst dont you think you should give

your doc a call. Maybe you should have a ct scan to chekc and make

sure that there has been nothing going on that would be serious. I

could have been from lifting the bags but you have lifted heavy

things before without too much problmes. Please give your doc a call

just to make sure.

I heard about that bad wreck in Gardens Corner on the news a little

bit ago. My first thought was that I hope to God it was not you or

yours involved in that. That is such a dangerous hiway.

Call your doc hon. Sorry for having taken so long to get back to you

about that. I have not been feeling well and have spent pretty much

ost of the day in bed. I am supposed to go to the clinic today but I

wll try for tomorrow. I need to get this abdominal binder. Maybe it

will help with the pain as it doesn't seem to want to let up much. I

really just feel lousy.

Hope to talk to you soon and I do hope that you will be feeling

better very soon.

Warmly,

Chrissy