Update

[Guest guest]

Hi and everyone!

Thanks for your message. My trip to Spain went very well, thank

God. My feet were OK. I wore sandals as it was so hot but had

trainers with my " temporary " orthotics in for long walks. Wonderful

trips to Granada, Cordoba etc. but lots of lovely swimming and

sunshine too! (Pity about no wine or sangria!) I've now got

permanent orthotics which should last for ever and will fit in

nearly all the shoes I've got, including sandals. Devilishly clever!

I had a horrendous night last night. (It was a full week after I

came back from Spain.) I was very well on Sunday but woke up with

diarrhoea on Monday. First time for simply ages. OKish during the

day, including, ironically, telling my gastro how much better I've

been over the last 9 or 10 months on my new regime. Then last night

I had the most awful flare-up. I was out at a restaurant (but VERY

careful) with family and friends and don't know how I survived the

evening. I made very poor small talk all evening....it couldn't be

graced with the term " conversation " !!!! I was driving (non-

drinker!!) and could hardly get us home for pain. Then I had a very

bad night with sharp abdominal pains that I could do very little

about, but I was a good deal better this morning. This evening I'm

taking it easy and things semm more settled. This was a real flare-

up similar to (though not nearly as bad) as the ones I had in the

1980's. I thought I was finished with all that. They are quite

different from the awful band-of-upper-abdominal-pain I used also to

get, pre-Creon and going back to childhood, in that these don't have

the sharply focused pinpointed pain in the middle, together with

lower-abdominal rumblings and diarrhoea, which are characteristic of

my flare-ups. I have a sydrome of different pains, you see!!! I

can't remember when I had a flare-up quite like this one, probably

at least 18 months.

It reminds me how important the diary is, as Heidi often says, which

shows me what sort of pain etc. I've had over a period of time and

if I've had anything different to eat. This time I hadn't. Lately

I've got lazy about keeping the diary. Must start agin!

Well, sorry to whine on but this disease can be horrible and so

unpredictable! Take your eye off the ball for a moment.....!!!

Talking of which, we've just lost our first match to the French in

the European Cup. General gloom in the UK! Never mind! We led 1-0

until the last 3 minutes when the French team scored two goals!!

BTW, I am NOT, NOT, NOT a football fan but it was impossible not to

be aware of this one! One would have had to be a hermit living on an

as-yet-undiscovered islet off the ish coast....and even then

the seagulls would probably have reported the match and screeched

the result!

Thanks to everyone for your support (pancreatic, I mean, not

football!!)

With very good wishes,

Fliss (UK)