Update on Chrissy and the benefits of support

[Guest guest]

I'm sorry not to have updated you all sooner, but I have been so

busy these last few weeks that it's been hard to cover all my

usual bases. I spoke with Chrissy at MUSC on Wednesday

night, and at the time she was very sore and still in pain. She

had just had her NG tube removed and the foley, and was

encouraged by that. She said she'd already been up and using

the lavatory on her own....we all know how refreshing that is, to

be able to get ourselves up and out of that hospital bed, and to

get a real shower! I think that's one of my favorite steps in the

road to recovery while hospitalized....to bathe oneself without

assistance.

She said that when they cut the pancreas' head, they found that it

was all stenosed and the duct work was completely flattened.

The doctor's felt that at the time, she didn't have much endocrine

damage, so she's not having to be worried about becoming

diabetic, but that with the head gone, she may need exocrine

supplementation, but there was some function still remaining.

She said she would try whatever enzyme supplements she

needed to, to help this out. Personally, I was surprised that she

hadn't been using supplements long before this.

She is using the fentanyl PCA, due to allergies to the other IV

analgesics, yet that seemed to be working, along with

supplementation with Toredol (s.p.) She sounded like she was

well medicated....haha, and the fentanyl was making her very

drowsy.

I know that several of you have called her, or sent cards, and

Chrissy commented again on how much this meant to her. She

was quite overwhelmed with everyone's concern and well

wishes and said that joining this support group is one of the

best things she's ever done, and that she never imagined that all

the support everybody's shown would make such a difference.

Everyone's been so supportive to her, and I hope we can

continue to do this with any of our members who let us know

when they are going to be hospitalized for any length of time. We

all know how lonely it can get sitting in that hospital bed,

counting the days until we can get released and back home

again. To make this happen, all we need is a full name and a

hospital address.

Let's try to remember this whenever an extended hospitalization

comes up. I know we can't do anything for those emergency

attacks where one of us has to go into the ER for immediate

relief, but it would be great to set up some kind of phone call and

card support system for those that we know are going to be there

for several days.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

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

should not be substituted for professional medical consultation.