Re: to Joe

[Guest guest]

Hi Joe,

I will echo Heidi in saying that it is important for you to take care of

yourself. I would encourage you to continue learning about pancreatitis, and to

also learn about good, healthy foods to eat. There's so much we do not know

about eating foods that are good for us, and eating them in the right

combinations. I myself have only just begun to scratch the surface in the past

few months. It's good that you had the forethought to actually start

researching this after your first attack, and I imagine not having been given a

reason for why you had it helped motivate you. I will hope for you that you

never again have to deal with pancreatitis.

Take care of yourself.

Charmaine

Re: I'M NEW TO THIS

Welcome Joe,

Now that you've suffered through your first acute pancreatitis attack, your

goal should be to care for yourself so that you don't suffer another. There

are many occasions where a person has an acute attack, no damage is

found, and they recover and never again have any problems. My hope is that

you are one of the people who fall into that category. Since your attack

seems to be idiopathic (of unknown cause), but very well may be related to

the medication you were taking, there's every possibility that as long as you

avoid that medication, you may never have any more problems.

There's also a high percentage of people who have that first attack, then

another, and then they find that their condition has become chronic. You

should know within a few months if this is happening to you. You would have

an increase in periodic pain, have difficulty with diarrhea or constipation,

nausea and then chronic, annoying pain in the abdomen.

For anyone suffering an acute attack, the treatment that's usually

recommended is a low fat diet and abstainance from alcohol. Sometimes

pain medication is necessary until the pancreas has completely recovered

from any inflamation from the attack.

Please feel free to ask any questions that are of concern for you. Since you

didn't speak of any lingering pain or problems after your hospital stay, I am

presuming that you're feeling okay, just shaken by the confusing experience

of that unexpected acute attack. I hope this is true, and that you WON'T have

to get to know us too well. (smile)

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI, Intl.

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

not be

should be substituted for a professional medical consultation.

> Hi, my name is Joe and I live in Whittier, CA. I recently was

hopitalized

with acute pancreatitis. My doctors don't know what caused since I had no

gall stones, scirrosis, or high triglycerides. The only thing that can

identify as

the culprit was that I was taking prenivil for high blood pressure and that

and

that there is a very remote chance that a side effect is pancreatitis.