Panc pain & society

[Guest guest]

I was reading a post from (she_remembers) that made me stop and think.

It was the line about her mom feeling so emphatically about how needed

to " work or else " .

I know better, but I too get caught up in the societal demands of what is

expected. With Cameron (11 yr old son), I catch myself grilling him over

whether

he " really hurts, or not " when the school district leans on us about his

missed days, etc. He loves school. I know this. He's an honor student. But

I

swear, I shake my head sometimes when I catch myself questioning

Cameron.....even after spending numerous nights up with him in pain.

I guess the desire to " be normal " just hasn't left me yet. I used to get so

much grief from our school district....I once had to go before the School

Board and " prove " why Cameron couldn't do his homework on a daily basis when he

was hospitalized and upon returning home. They just couldn't understand why he

was unable to have it all complete when he finally came back to school a

couple of weeks later. (My husband were looking at a $1,000 fine each + the

possibility of 6 months incarceration for not " making " our son go to school.)

We of

course used the ADA 504 protection and came through that incident... But they

still don't get it.

Cameron has changed schools this year (elementary to middle school) within

the same district, and it is just like starting all over. Frustrating.

Anyhow.....what I was trying to say to and all.......... many of

us...Parents, Teachers, Spouses....even though we know a pancreatitis sufferer

is in

pain and is incapacitated alot of the time.... societal expectations just

seem to sneak in and compromise our better judgement sometimes.

Donna Womack

Fort Worth, TX