Re: Henry, smaller worlds still! To Continued @ Bert

[Guest guest]

Dear or Chrissy, and Bert

Hey! how are you feeling today? One more day of rest before your back at

good old MUSC! :-) I do hope that you will feel O.K. and that everything

will work out!

Well before we were interupted yesterday, I was telling you about my

pancreatitis history (what I can remember) that you had asked about the

other day. Thank's for the nice e-mail greeting Bert. Do you still play

music? What instrument? Yes, Piggly Wiggly has been in ton for a

thousand years. If you haven't been back to ton since 1980s, you

should come visit again, but in the off tourist season cause downtown and

parts of Mt. Pleasant have become a traffic-parking nightmare.

Anyway, first there was the pancreas divism. After Thanksgiving dinner

in 1990 I had the first real bout of accute pancreatitis. Went to E.R. at

MUSC and was admitted under the excellent care of Dr. Tarnarsky. (he's

long gone to Texas) Elevated enzymes, abdominal swelling & rigitidy, severe

pain (a 10), fever, nausea-vomiting, dehydration, diarrhea, and shock.

Stayed about three weeks first in ICU then on 10 West Digestive Disease

Center.

Basically that was the way it all began. The next several years with a

modified diet, Viokase enzymes, it was basically just trying to stay well

and be able to work, and having repeated episodes. During this period Dr.

T. Cunningham, an excellent G.I. took over about 1993-4, I think it

was. U probably knew him. Long hair in a ponytail, Lennon granny

glasses, he's now left MUSC for private practice. A heck of a nice guy as

well. Anyhow, he started doing ERCP treatments with sphinterotomies, (I

can't spell worth a hoot -sorry!) various stent placements and so forth.

Unfortunately, even though these things gave me some good periods of relief,

they didn't last and it was back to square one. Also, as you may have

experienced, some of these ERCPs could set off an attack, or make one worse.

It does help some folks, so I'm not knocking it, but they weren't the answer

for me that I had hoped for so much. Around 1996 I think it was, I started

forming stones in the pancreas which Dr. C got out ERCP route, but often

with some difficulty. Also, I started feeling clausterphobic about the

ERCPs. The meds help, but still it is kind of confining and feels like you

are a fish on a hook, so that was a problem also. In 1997, Dr. C reffered me

to my current Dr. . Do you know him Chrissy? If you don't, he's a

G.I. surgeon who specializes in pancreas. He knows Dr. Sutherland and I

believe learned the total panc/islet cell transplant from him. I love Dr.

! He's just the nicest, kindest, most humble and talented doctor I've

ever known and even though after two surgeries, the Puestow in 1997, and the

Whipple in 2000, I'm still suffering from C.Panc. He is my savior. I don't

know if I'd still be alive if it weren't for his level of care. He made no

promises that these surgeries would cure me. He explained them both times

completely and in non-medical speak and I had nothing to lose other than a

few weeks being laid up recovering.

Oh! I forgot to mention that it was in October 1997 that I was in there

with another attack, (lost my chance to see Elton at the N. Chas. Coll.

-Rats!) when I was diagnosed as an insulin dependent diabetic. I can't say

that the past three years have been " good, " I've been ill too much, gone on

the disability, ect., but there was a period of about 5 months or so in

there that I stayed reasonably well, and enjoyed life more. My big hope now

is for what's left of the pancreas to burn out and stop this nonsense. Maybe

it will happen, but whatever happens, I will continue to try and keep a

positive outlook/mood. A lot of folks have it much worse than I, so that

puts things in perspective when one feels sick and gets to feeling a bit

blue.

Currently, I've got the g/j tube and a picc line which are so handy for

feedings and I.V. fluids and meds. Anything that helps, I'll give it a shot.

I guess that's about it. I take the pain meds and Phenergan plus the Viokase

enzymes, colace (IBS) a drag, Ambien,

Paxil, and insulin, Humulin 70/30.

That is funny about all of the skinny dipping going on out at the beach

back then. Bert, be careful if you do come back and decide to skinny dip

again - that it so funny all three of us! :-) Nuts! There are so many more

people living out there now, plus more police, that I don't think today's

kids can do that without getting arrested. I used to love taking long walks

on the beach and watching the big ships coming and going.

Oh! Chrissy, I almost forgot, my dad worked at MUSC for 40 years in

OBGYN/Reproductive Endroconology. He's retired and loves it, but I wondered

if you had ever crossed paths with him. Dr. H. Oliver on. Well,

that's my book for now, but I do look forward to hearing back! I love

getting and sending e-mail! PAI is just an amazing group of people helping

people.

Your Pancreatitis Pal,

Henry