Having proceedure at IU next Monday!!

[Guest guest]

This past summer my health has started to drastically decline again.

I did quite well after the intrathecal pump was placed thanks to a

nerve nick and some IV steroids, about a year to the date I started

waking up screaming again, and have had the inability to eat since

this summer. I started noticing I was avoiding food again, and not

eatting until around 4pm and it was usally something small like a

protein bar which caused considerable pain. I kept going and got to

the point it was taking 7-9 actiq plus the pump. I have lost over 20

pounds since June and have been running intermitten fevers never

above 100.7 with advil taken. Having chills at night in the summer

time with a big heavy winter robe on and 3 blankets at night.

Anyway, I saw Dr. Lehman on Monday. I have an annular pancreas with

pancreatic divisum this is what I was offered

1. Stay the same

2. Stay the same and place a J-Tube- bypass the whole system with

the tube and no more symptoms.

3. ERCP with the specific intention of cannulating the minor papilla

not the major as usally done with ERCP ( that is not where my

problem is) trying to go through the minor papilla and clearing it

out.

4.Surgery to correct the defect and take the whole thing out and

severe the nerves leading to and from.

I told them to schedule #3. Monday morning at 8:30 I will have this

done and they will attempt to open the minor papilla if it is

possible and also take a look at the rest of my pancreas, since I

have the defect(annular) which never separated from the small bowel

no one has ever really been able to see anything but what is

contained around the bowel. There are some problems that can happen

with this and one is that down the road the minor papilla will go

shut tighter than they found it and if that happens then an open

surgery would be done to sew it open permanently.

I have fought this disease process for 9 years and there have many

times that I thought it would get me. I have fought chronic

potassium loss to the point of critical levels and even heart

attacks. I refuse to go back to being a lump of flesh in bed all of

the time, one would be better of dead than in that state. There were

times I should have been in renal failure from dehydration and for

some reason it didn't happen. I am terribly afraid of what will

happen during this, but am terribly afraid of what if I don't.

I know each and every one of you have had to face these situations,

and mine is maybe anatomically different but it is all the same.

Pancreatitis is pancreatitis. I will post back when I return from

this, I have much to do before for my family.

Atwell LPN