to Patty

[Guest guest]

Patty wrote:

I felt so good yesterday and didn't have to take any of my breakthrough pain

meds. HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!! I have to let Mark know that I am a true morning

coffee drinker. At least two cups in the morning. After I read his story on

coffee I only drank one cup yesterday and after that one cup I noticed I was

becoming nauseous. I didn't drink any more and I had the best day I have

had in months.

Are you still working?

Well now my 1st husband (the kids dad) has been my shoulder to lean on.

The kids I know would like to see us back together but I prefer us to be close

friends and not risk losing that.

How long ago were you diagnosed? Is yours caused by drinking?

Patty,

Don't you just love those days where you don't have to take any breakthrough

meds? I know I do, and the reason I wanted the reduction in meds was

because I was having so many Oxycodone-free days. I couldn't do it, though.

I met with my PM doctor's PA yesterday instead of the doctor. He lost both

legs from the knee down in Viet Nam, and if anyone knows about pain, it

would have to be this man. He was really great to talk to and we left my

duragesic patch back at 75 mgs. with change out every 48 hours, as it was

before.

Unfortunately, I'm not working anymore on a full time basis. The pain became

so bad, and the meds interferred with my concentration and acuity, that I had

to stop. I occasionally with take a job with certain clients who know it may

take more time than usual to finish a plan, and work on it when I can. Even

that is difficult, because I can only work on days that I feel really good, and

each time I go to the board it's like having to start all over from the

beginning.

It's not even enough to be considered part-time work. Since I'm self

employed, at least I didn't have to explain my illness and absences to an

employer! Now I tell my friends that " I fired myself " from my job, and the

drafting board sits dark and empty....

I had my first acute attack three and a half years ago. Since I was a social

drinker and told the doctors that I was, alcohol was listed as the cause of my

pancreatitis. I've not had any alcohol since the day of that attack three and a

half years ago, and I have no inclination or urge to ever drink alcohol again.

It

didn't bother me at all to quit, and I haven't had any desires or need to drink

alcohol ever since. My second GI doctor, who I've been seeing for a year and

a half now, feels that alcohol wasn't the cause of my pancreatitis. He said

that

my progression with the disease isn't typical of alcoholic pancreatitis, and

suggested that I go through genetic testing to see if there could be another

cause. Personally, I don't really care, it makes no difference to me what

caused it at this point. All I care about is that I'm treated correctly and

without

bias, and so far I have been.

It's great that you have been able to develop such a supportive relationship

with your first husband. Some of us have never been able to do that, and it

can lead to " situations " in the future, I've found. My son is still on fairly

good

terms with his father, but my daughter hasn't spoken to him in eight years. I

divorced him because of verbal and physical abuse, fortunately the children

were too young to have seen much of it. Then he did nothing to help support

my daughter when she began college, and was always harrassing her and

trying to manipulate her, to the point where she ended up in tears after each

time they saw each other or spoke to one another. They had a terrible falling

out during her first year of college and when he failed to respond to her

attempts to reconcile, she severed the relationship entirely. That was over

eight years ago. She asked my husband to give her away at her wedding

next month, saying that he has always been more of a father to her than her

birth father ever was, and she did not invite him to the wedding.

Well, I rambled on too much, but I do understand some of what you're going

through. I'm glad for you that things have worked out so well by you moving

back to Indiana with the children. You all seem to have benefited from that

decision. I hope you continue to do well, both physically and in spirit.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are based on personal experience or opinion

only, and should not be subsituted for consultation with a medical

professional.