I'm better, and hope this won't jinx it.......

[Guest guest]

and send me crashing back into " paincreatitis " as Peg Bates calls it.

Last time I posted and said that I was climbing out of it was too

soon. As soon as I said I was doing better, it got worse and I was

slammed again!

Thank you, Mark, Chrissy, Jerry, Fliss and all others who wished me

well. Mark, you are such an old friend....hehe, not in age, but in

duration, I appreciate your concern and kind words, especially when

you've been unwell yourself....you, too, Jerry! Ahh, it's so fine to

have such great MEN worrying about me. Not to say that Chrissy and

Fliss's get well wishes are any less appreciated, either, you ladies

are the best!!

I'm back, let's just leave it at that and see how it goes, that's all

one can do. It's been too, too many days of just plain misery and

pain, and I'm trying hard to catch up on all too many posts that I've

missed while I've been curled up with my kitties the last 18 days,

except for a day or two when I was up and trying to do things with

Austin.

I've got two Maine Coon cats and one all white long hair, (she's the

one that's always featured in my Yahoo ID photo). If you click on my

Yahoo ID, and go to the my Yahoo ID page, that's Coconut in the photo.

Those of us who have dogs or cats as pets all know that these animals

are especially attuned to their owner's moods and health. I don't

know how it is, but they are, and I've been constantly monitored by my

lab outside and the three cats inside, to the point that all three of

these long haired kitties have been sleeping on the bed or underneath

it, for the past two weeks or more, doing their best to keep an eye on

their mistress. My oldest cat, Crazy Baby, is an outdoor cat who only

comes inside to eat and spend an hour or two of lap time when I sit

watching TV after dinner. He's never been one to get on our bed,

always distainfully ignoring the other two, who love sleeping on the

bed whenever they can. He'll lay in the doorway of the bedroom, but

never come closer than that, until this week. I woke up last night to

find that he'd chased Coconut and Blaze off the bed, claiming it as

his own, and he was curled up next to my knees, raising his head to

stare at me whenever I moved. They were my caretakers all through

this last long, miserable bout.

Austin's out in Seattle for the week vacationing with his dad and his

dad's girlfriend, who is stationed at McCord AFB. And Bob has been in

and out, flying four days and off three. He'll be home tonight and is

delighted that I'm finally feeling better and like a real person

again. He worries so much when I have a bout like this that I feel so

sorry for him. When he was home he kept asking me whether he needed

to take me to the ER, or the doctors, but he knew that I was going to

ride it out as far as I could, hating the hospital as much as I do.

It has run its course, and it's been two days now without my having to

take any BT meds. I wanted to get through those two days before I

started to say it was over, least I jinx myself again! So hopefully

tomorrow Bob and I can watch the fireworks over the water with

enjoyment and good health. We're located in a perfect spot where we

can see fireworks from Hilton Head, Bluffton and Tybee Island to the

south, so the 4th is a fun evening here on the river. We used to take

the boat out and down to and area where you could be right next to

where they launch the fireworks at the north end of Hilton Head, at

Hudson's. Chrissy and , that's the dock next to where we had

dinner when you were here....... Being older and wiser now, we don't

do that anymore, because there are too many drinking boat drivers out

there, unfortunately, and it has become too much of a risk to take our

own boat out. We were sitting on our dock last year and saw a

returning boat speeding up the river after the show and the driver was

laughing and you could easily hear them talking crazily over the

water. We knew what was going to happen before they did, and the

driver of the boat drove it right into a mile marker post! It was a

miracle that they weren't killed, we called the police on our cell

phone as soon as we saw the accident. Another boat came and picked up

the people who were thrown in the water. We went out the next morning

to look at the wreckage, the boat was totalled.

I didn't mean to launch into such a long story...haha, you can see

that I'm really back in action again. Have a safe and pain-free

holiday, everyone. Now I'll get back to catching up on the posts and

seeing how I can help anyone.

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]

Dearest Heidi. I am so happy to read that you are feeling better.

Isn't it funny how all of the sudden although joyfully expected

experiences out of our traditional norm can throw that panc into a tail

spin. You had a lot going on, anxiouxly expecting then entertaining a

12 yo boy, driving he and budy hither and yon, and then entertaining

them upon their return. Anyway a week or so like that would drive

anybody into a tail spin of multiple sorts.

I'm glad you are feeling better but the next time I do hope you email

me so that I can check on you more thoroughly. I hadn't realized

things were so rough until abit ago. I'm still having a rough go and

haven't checked the boards so much but I usually check my email every

day; at least once sometimes twice.

Talk soon,

Chrissy