Re: LAURA

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Not to alarm you, but your story about how this all started and the symptoms

you were experiencing for two years prior to your hospitalization sound all too

familar to my own beginnings.

I had the occasion " flu " like days, a stomach that seemed " off " after eating

certain foods. It was just enough to be annoying but not enough for me to

think that it was anything more serious. I, too, very gradually lost weight,

not

as much as you, but probably 15 pounds then on an already slender frame. I

was dieting to lose a little, but it came off all too easily and then kept

going.

There was this occasional digging pain at the base of my sternum that came

and went, and I remember sitting at the drafting table when I felt it and

wondering what it could be. Then the diarrhea/constipation and off and on

nausea began, still not all the time, or even regularly, just every once in a

while, making me think " flu " again. I spent a whole weekend laying in bed

feeling this way and with stomach pain about six weeks before I had the

attack that took me to the hospital. Two pseudocysts had already formed by

the hospital attack, so it's believed that the sick weekend six weeks before

was actually my first acute attack.

All I can say that I hope you aren't chronic, yet your symptoms do sound

nearly identical to mine. Just take it one day at a time until you know what's

really going on. And also, I don't know if anyone mentioned this yet, but if

they did, please forgive the repetition. It's pretty much our standard advice

to

a newbie. Try to eat a low fat diet as much as possible, stay away from all

alcohol whatsoever (not even non-alcoholic beers and wines), drink at least

64 ounces of water daily, and make best friends with your heating pad.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI, Intl.

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

should not be substituted for professional medical consultation.

wrote:

..I first started noticing this pain probably about 2 years ago although it was

intermittent and always seemed to happen when I was driving for some

reason. Just attributed it to the ribs digging in or something and it would go

away. It would happen at work sometimes and lately seemed to be getting

worse.....I've been out with it and what I thought were " recurrent " flu-like

symptoms off and on since probably the end of September.

I've been on a diet for the past year or so and have taken off 70 lbs so didn't

seem to notice whether or not it was weight loss " coming from no-where

kinda thing. "

[Guest guest]

Hi Heidi......no, your story doesn't alarm me...at least not now.

Two weeks ago (as I said to my husband tonight, in fact) if someone

had asked me what the function of the pancreas was I probably would

have vaguely know it had something to do with digestion and was

located somewhere near the liver but that would have been about the

extent of my knowledge. Now, I know more than I ever wanted to know

but at the same time I'm the sort of person that feels that knowledge

is power so I am glad and grateful to you all for any and all advice

that you can help out with. I'm sure there are other " newbies " out

there that feel the same.

Your story sounds soooo eerily similar to what has been happening to

me. Someone else mentioned keeping a journal which is also probably

a good thing to do in order to know what some of the " precipating

factors " can/might be. The thing I found astounding though was that

(and I apologize that at the moment I'm not recalling who said it)

but that their temp would actually go DOWN right before an attack.

During one of my sick/flu days (or so I thought) -- my husband called

me at home at lunch time and asked if I'd taken my temp. I HAD taken

it and temp was something like 96 or thereabouts.....I thought it

weird at the time that someone's temp would actually go down but then

just (as I have alot of symptoms) tried to brush it off.

Anyway......as always.....thanks for the info.

> .I first started noticing this pain probably about 2 years ago

although it was

> intermittent and always seemed to happen when I was driving for

some

> reason. Just attributed it to the ribs digging in or something and

it would go

> away. It would happen at work sometimes and lately seemed to be

getting

> worse.....I've been out with it and what I thought

were " recurrent " flu-like

> symptoms off and on since probably the end of September.

>

> I've been on a diet for the past year or so and have taken off 70

lbs so didn't

> seem to notice whether or not it was weight loss " coming from no-

where

> kinda thing. "

[Guest guest]

Jerry: It CERTAINLY is a weird disease to contract. My doc has me

on Darvocet and I filled one today (this is the second bottle)...I

notice there are NO refills on it....so I s'pose I'll have to keep

calling him and bugging him and then I'll probably get the " drug

seeker " attitude. Little does he know that I try my best NOT to take

them and on some days take very little.....other days I'm taking them

every 3-4 hrs. Funny that the first prescription was take every 4

hrs and this one is every 6 hrs......huh?????

thanks again

> Hi ,

>

> Yes, it seems all of us have had that " gray " area when we first had

> pancreatitis. I think that most of us were misdiagnosed initially,

and most

> of us suffered quite a bit with pain before we knew what was going

on. It

> also took some time before each of us found a Doc with gumption

enough to

> prescribe adequate pain medication. What a weird disease to

contract.

>

> Jerry/NC

> ***********************************************

> Re: LAURA

>

>

> > Your story sounds soooo eerily similar to what has been happening

to

> > me.

>

> >

[Guest guest]

,

I wanted to reply on the prescription thing. None of my prescriptions

have refills on them anymore except for non narcotic ones. My

pharmacist told me it was the doctors way of knowing what was being

prescribe, filled and how often so he doesn't get into trouble with DEA

or anyone. Hope this helps in some way.

Sandy/California

she_remembers wrote:

>Jerry: It CERTAINLY is a weird disease to contract. My doc has me

>on Darvocet and I filled one today (this is the second bottle)...I

>notice there are NO refills on it....so I s'pose I'll have to keep

>calling him and bugging him and then I'll probably get the " drug

>seeker " attitude. Little does he know that I try my best NOT to take

>them and on some days take very little.....other days I'm taking them

>every 3-4 hrs. Funny that the first prescription was take every 4

>hrs and this one is every 6 hrs......huh?????

>

>thanks again

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Sandy: I'm sure that's what it is.....I guess they have to keep

tight control on stuff like that. What part of California are you

from? I grew up in Coronado, near San Diego, in case you didn't

know..which I'm sure you do. Wish I was back there

nowadays......it's been cold here in RI and expected to get single

digits at night for the next couple of nights......brrrrr.....

thanks

>

> >Jerry: It CERTAINLY is a weird disease to contract. My doc has

me

> >on Darvocet and I filled one today (this is the second bottle)...I

> >notice there are NO refills on it....so I s'pose I'll have to keep

> >calling him and bugging him and then I'll probably get the " drug

> >seeker " attitude. Little does he know that I try my best NOT to

take

> >them and on some days take very little.....other days I'm taking

them

> >every 3-4 hrs. Funny that the first prescription was take every 4

> >hrs and this one is every 6 hrs......huh?????

> >

> >thanks again

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

,

I grew up in San Diego near Jack stadium. OOOOPPPPSSS!!! Guess

that ages me as I think it's called something else now. I know where

Coronado is. I lived in Clairmont and Tierrasanta near Mir Mar Naval

Air Base. I also summered in Los Angeles with my Grandparents and Aunt

who seemed to move every summer. I now live in Fairfield, half way

between SF and Sacramento. I do like the warmth better than the cold.

Sandy/California

she_remembers wrote:

>Sandy: I'm sure that's what it is.....I guess they have to keep

>tight control on stuff like that. What part of California are you

>from? I grew up in Coronado, near San Diego, in case you didn't

>know..which I'm sure you do. Wish I was back there

>nowadays......it's been cold here in RI and expected to get single

>digits at night for the next couple of nights......brrrrr.....

>

>thanks

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Sandy: First of all, I hope your Dad is doing ok. I also lived in

Clairmont for a time when I was in ~4th grade. Small world I

guess...my grandparents are/were in the San area. Yes, I

believe Jack stadium is called something else now, but I can't

remember either. I, too, like the warmth better than the cold, but

alas, here I am and have been for the better part of 25 yrs.

Best wishes

>

> >Sandy: I'm sure that's what it is.....I guess they have to keep

> >tight control on stuff like that. What part of California are you

> >from? I grew up in Coronado, near San Diego, in case you didn't

> >know..which I'm sure you do. Wish I was back there

> >nowadays......it's been cold here in RI and expected to get single

> >digits at night for the next couple of nights......brrrrr.....

> >

> >thanks

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >