Chrissy

[Guest guest]

Hi Chrissy!

I can't BELIEVE you drove to-day! Fantastic! It's not surprising

that you are so tired. People would be very tired so soon after much

lesser surgery than you have just had. PLEASE take it easy. I do

hope you don't have a wound infection but it does seem to happen

quite often, doesn't it? At least you know exactly what to do. I'm

glad you've found a good endocrinologist. You'll feel you can trust

his judgement and tht he understands what's going on. I know you'll

be concerned to know what, if any, level of insulin-dependency you

will have.

Like you, I have great admiration for Crystal, not only for what she

has achieved herself but also for the fact that she gives her time

to encourage and support other CP sufferers. She's a tremendous

example.

My ERCP was very easy....no awareness whatsoever under sedation

(unlike the recent EUS when I did " come out " of sedation a couple of

times..gagging etc.) I have defintely had raised pain levels since

Wednesday and took a couple of days off school. However, it's been

very mild, nothing like the horrible reaction I remember in 1988.

I'll just have to wait patiently now for the results of the juice

analysis. I don't expect brilliant results. After all, I'm dealing

with 50 years of damage here. The gastro/endoscopist was

great...really friendly, encouraging, suportive, informative etc.

and that's apart from his skill in helping me avoid (so far!) very

bad pancreatitis. I hope the removal of the stent on the 22nd

doesn't provoke a bad reaction. I'm lucky in being able to see him

in clinic as well as the pancreatologist. I get a very rounded view

this way of my condition. They're both brilliant in different ways.

Jim is doing very well psychologically but will have to wait until

his scan...next Wednesday....to know how much it has spread outside

the prostate, if at all. Brown, singer, has prostate cancer.

Never one to avoid jokes, even at tough times, my son phoned

to-day to say that Dad had finally made it into the news headlines!

We haven't dressed the tree yet; I prefer to do it a bit nearer

Christmas. However, we're almost finished in the present department

apart from the main present for elder son. Jim will see to that. I

LOVE buying presents for my daughter-in-law and 's lovely

girlfriend because I don't have a daughter of my own. I've bought

Gill a beautiful, simple gold bangle because she has always admired

a rather similar one of mine. For we've bought a lovely,

large, leaf-shaped, 3-D style silver pendant on a collar. We were

all recently in the shop together during a walk through the dock

complex here and I overheard her telling Ant that she liked this

particular pendant. She won't be expecting it though because they

don't live in Liverpool (they were just visiting for the weekend)

and, in any case, she would have little expectation that Ant himself

would actually remember such a comment!! They get books, favourite

perfumes, toiletries, chocs (remember those?!) etc. etc. as well.

Much more fun to buy for than the boys!

I've sent all my cards, including yours! Hope it arrives!

I missed the school carol service because it was on Wed. but will be

going to another one on Monday at Jim's old school...fabulous choir.

I'll send you their CD.

Better go now as the pain is rising again as the medication wears

off. It's wonderful to see you back on the board and so soon. DON'T

YOU DARE OVER-DO THINGS!!!!

With lots of love,

Fliss (UK)