Re: Hi, I'm new ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Guest guest]

Just a suggestion...Have your wife's physician prescribe another drug

besides Vicodin. It contains acetaminphen (Tylenol) which can cause liver

damamge with long-term use.

Best Regards,

Jerry/NC

******************************************************

Hi, I'm new ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

We are at our wits end at this point. Any ideas, suggestions are

appreciated.

Thanks.

[Guest guest]

> My 60 year old wife has had CP for about 4 years now. We live

> outside Phoenix, Az. In 2001, she had major surgery to open up

the

> pancreatic ducts enabling stones to pass thru without getting the

> pain. I keep a journal of her flareups and ;ately they are

becoming

> more and more frequent. In 2003, she averaged 4 months between bad

> painful episodes, now she is having attacks every 3 weeks. The

thing

> is, while in an attack she takes Vicodin to ease the pain. Usually

> the next day, her abdomen feels very bloated,uncomfortable and

> gassy. In the past this feeling has lasted 1 day , maybe 2.

However

> since she had an attack last Thur the 27th of Nov, she has had

this

> awful bloated feeling, today is the 3rd day with no relief.She

does

> take Gas X with very little relief. She will not go to hospital as

> all's they do is give her pain meds and IV fluids. We are at our

> wits end at this point. Any ideas, suggestions are appreciated.

> Thanks.

I forgot to ask one thing. We are willing to go back to a NYC

Regional Medical Center to find a good pancreatic specialist. Does

anyone have any suggestions or links to such specialists in NYC ?

Thanks Again, Fred.

[Guest guest]

Dear Fred,

Since I live in New Mexico, I'm not familiar with docs in your area.

But I did want to share a few thoughts with you.

Continue keeping the journal. It might come in handy in the future

if she keeps having problems. It's a good idea to have as much

documentation as you can regarding her nausea, pain, stress, & maybe

emotions. (I found a pattern with stress & painful episodes.) And

also, keep a record of how whe responds to her meds. I'm not sure

about the bloating, but in my case, I feel that way when my pancreas

is swollen. It would show up on a CT scan. Maybe that's where that

feeling is coming from? Be careful with the antacids b/c there's

been people who have had problems (electrolyte imbalnaces, I think?)

due to overuse. I also agree with the suggestion about the

Vicodin...watch out for Tylenol toxicity. Keeping hydrated is

important, so sipping on water all day has been helpful for me.

Also, eating very small amounts at one time, & avoiding high fat

foods is a good idea. In my case, fat is the hardest thing for me to

digest & will cuase me the most pain. If I'm having a really hard

time, I just let the pancreas rest by not eating. But I do try to

stay hydrated. Ice chips if nothing else. If I lie down flat on my

back, it'll make the pain worse. So the fetal position works best

for me. Be on the lookout for depression which is not unusual with

this type of illness. And obviously, find a really good, caring,

compassionate GI specialist. That's where others can help you

better. Ask a lot of questions & don't ever feel like you're asking

a stupid one. If you want to know, someone else has wanted to know

the same thing. For some people, who have never experienced this

pain, it's hard to really understand. Please continue to be

supportive & help others treat your wife with compassion. It's awful

when you're not treated with compassion just b/c you're in chronic

pain. Any of my suggestions are based only on my own experiences for

the past 10 years. Everyone's different, so stay connected b/c so

many people here have tons to offer.

I wish you & your wife the best!

Hugs to you.

Deanna

> > My 60 year old wife has had CP for about 4 years now. We live

> > outside Phoenix, Az. In 2001, she had major surgery to open up

> the

> > pancreatic ducts enabling stones to pass thru without getting the

> > pain. I keep a journal of her flareups and ;ately they are

> becoming

> > more and more frequent. In 2003, she averaged 4 months between

bad

> > painful episodes, now she is having attacks every 3 weeks. The

> thing

> > is, while in an attack she takes Vicodin to ease the pain.

Usually

> > the next day, her abdomen feels very bloated,uncomfortable and

> > gassy. In the past this feeling has lasted 1 day , maybe 2.

> However

> > since she had an attack last Thur the 27th of Nov, she has had

> this

> > awful bloated feeling, today is the 3rd day with no relief.She

> does

> > take Gas X with very little relief. She will not go to hospital

as

> > all's they do is give her pain meds and IV fluids. We are at our

> > wits end at this point. Any ideas, suggestions are appreciated.

> > Thanks.

>

> I forgot to ask one thing. We are willing to go back to a NYC

> Regional Medical Center to find a good pancreatic specialist. Does

> anyone have any suggestions or links to such specialists in NYC ?

> Thanks Again, Fred.

[Guest guest]

> > > My 60 year old wife has had CP for about 4 years now. We

live

> > > outside Phoenix, Az. In 2001, she had major surgery to open

up

> > the

> > > pancreatic ducts enabling stones to pass thru without getting

the

> > > pain. I keep a journal of her flareups and ;ately they are

> > becoming

> > > more and more frequent. In 2003, she averaged 4 months between

> bad

> > > painful episodes, now she is having attacks every 3 weeks. The

> > thing

> > > is, while in an attack she takes Vicodin to ease the pain.

> Usually

> > > the next day, her abdomen feels very bloated,uncomfortable and

> > > gassy. In the past this feeling has lasted 1 day , maybe 2.

> > However

> > > since she had an attack last Thur the 27th of Nov, she has had

> > this

> > > awful bloated feeling, today is the 3rd day with no relief.She

> > does

> > > take Gas X with very little relief. She will not go to

hospital

> as

> > > all's they do is give her pain meds and IV fluids. We are at

our

> > > wits end at this point. Any ideas, suggestions are appreciated.

> > > Thanks.

> >

> > I forgot to ask one thing. We are willing to go back to a NYC

> > Regional Medical Center to find a good pancreatic specialist.

Does

> > anyone have any suggestions or links to such specialists in NYC ?

> > Thanks Again, Fred.

[Guest guest]

Hi,

If someone else hasn't already suggested this, your wife may be having

gastritis, which is a common complication of CP. A lot of doctors

prescribe Reglan for this. Basically, it means that her stomach isn't

dumping the food in her stomach as quickly as it is supposed to, so the

food tends to ferment, causing gas and bloating. Reglan causes the

stomach to dump the food ontime, which keeps it from fermenting. Hope

this is of some help to you. I would recommend having your wife bring

this subject up with her doctors to see if they agree.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.