thank you,and another question

[Guest guest]

hello all,

i wanted to write in and thank everyone who wrote and

told me thier experience with ERCP.my very first one is fast

approaching,(sept.20) and i'm getting very nervous!but i will do as

someone suggested,hope for the best,but be prepared for the worst!!

i'm wondering about something my g.i. said to me about why he wants

to do the ERCP.it was alwats assumed that my pancreatitis was brought

on by drinking.i did used to drink alot in my 20's but was never

thought of as an alcoholic by any means,just liked to party and have

a good time occasionally with my friends.the only time i got really

bad was when my brother passed away in 96.and i had already started

having stomach pain before that.i remember him yelling at me for not

going to the dr.what my g.i. told me recently was for pancreatitis to

be caused by alcohol,a person is usually a heavy drinker,everyday

drinking,for 6-10 years.now,6-10 years,before i started showing

symptoms of pancreatitis,i was only 16-20 years old and i definetly

did'nt drink back then.i had my first acute attack in 98 when i was

29.my regular family dr.told me then that my pancreas looked like the

pancreas of a 55 year old man who had been drinking hard liquor

everyday for 20 years. and that is one of the reasons he wants to do

the ERCP he thinks there could be something else going on that only

ERCP will show.can you develop chronic pancreatitis from just

occasional drinking? i don't know i'm probaly hoping something else

will show up,and i won't have to live with this " i brought it all on

myself " felling i have about having cp.but you never hear of

pancretitis in association with drinking,you hear of liver

problems ,cirrhosis ect..but not pancreatitis..who knew??

another question i have is about

vitamins and antioxidants.what is the best 'brand " to take? i went to

by some and there are so many diffrent kinds i ended up getting

nothing because i was so confused.i really feel i need to take

something because my appetite has been really poor lately.if anyone

can suggest what kind to get id be grateful for any advice.sorry this

is so long.hope everyone is having a good labor day weekend!!

thanks again,cindy

[Guest guest]

oh yeah! ANY drinking totally kills the pancreas! Doesn't matter how long ago it

was or anything like that. Dr Sutherland says ANY drinking ever in your life is

a contributor, period. Once you get pancreatititis, It is my understanding that

even one drink can potentially kill you. Why risk it?-Kathleen

[Guest guest]

Cindy please dont think that you did anything to cause having cp.

Alcohol is only one cause of cp. There are many causes and some are

never quite figured out. Idiopathic pancreatitis has no known

cause. I to was a drinker. I never drank when I was pregnant,

nursing and very little when I was in college. But I did drink

socially for 25 years.

I have had cp since I was a child and I certainly did not drink

then. I was only diagnosed about 2.5 years ago and have had 10

surgeries in the last few years. I used to get myself so upset

thinking that I had caused this. But then one day it dawned on me,

it does not matter how I or anybody else got this dreadful disease.

What matters is what you do now.

As far as the vits and mins I took tons. So many that I swear I

rattled when I walked. I posted my list of vitamins in a

post " vitamins to Deb " I think. If you do a search you will find it

very easily. I got all of mine at GNC. A good multi vitamin is a

good start, I still take the generic brand of Centrum A-Z. I also

drank a lot of slimfast. Mainly for the protein. Slimfast uses a

soy protein source and that is a lot easier for those of us with cp,

and everybody for that matter, to absorb. Soy is a less complicated

protein molecule then animal or dairy proteins. I really and truly

feel one of the reasons I have done so well is because I religously

took the vits and mins. As I got sicker it did get more difficult to

tolerate them, but did try as often as possible.

I hope this helps.

(SC)

[Guest guest]

, the info on the soy is interesting. Especially since I am a

vegetarian. Thank you!

Eileen

Slimfast uses a

> soy protein source and that is a lot easier for those of us with cp,

> and everybody for that matter, to absorb. Soy is a less complicated

> protein molecule then animal or dairy proteins. I really and truly

> feel one of the reasons I have done so well is because I religously

> took the vits and mins. As I got sicker it did get more difficult

to

> tolerate them, but did try as often as possible.

>

> I hope this helps.

> (SC)