I suffer from Chronic Pancreatitis of an unknown cause and was wondering how just how many others suffer and their doctors have nothing to offer apart from a list of pain killers that could tranquilize an elephant and bugger your day up.
I wanted to attach a poll but it appears that you can only poll with one question which won't do for this
1 Do you suffer from Pancrreatitis
2 Do you know the cause
3 Have you had your gall bladder out
4 How many attacks have you had in the last 12 months 1, 2 more than 4
5 Are you prescribed any pain medication when it hits
6 Have you noticed some foods kick it off worse than others
7 Are you an insulin dependant Diabetic type 2
8 Are you a type 1 Diabetic
If someone knows how to put these questions into poll format for me please feel free to do so
__________________
Pets are welcome but children must be leashed at all times
1. Not sure
2. No.
3. Yes. It burst and scattered stones throughout my body. One big slash thru my stomach muscles to get the gall bladder out and six other cuts to retrieve the stones. I was already in hospital recovering from a burst appendix when it was discovered I had burst my gall bladder. Actually had 8 openings all up. I'd previously been taking bucket loads of bi-card soda thinking I had indigestion but could not kill the pain. Then when the appendix burst a week later, I thought my issue was gone. Then in recovery, the pain came back even worse so I was given pethidine until the doctor discovered my gall bladder had burst. My dad had also tried to treat his gall bladder pain with bi-carb soda as he just thought he had indigestion.
4. No more issues.
5. Endone (synthetic or "hill-billy" morphine) is generally prescribed. I've had Endone and didn't like it (bad trip as LSD users used say). Pethidine (in my opinion) is much better.
6. No foods for me but two family members had issues with chocolate & eggs after their gall bladder went. Yet I've heard where people can eat stuff after removal that they could not eat before.
7. No diabetes at all.
8. No.
I have a high bilirubin reading. Many, many times what is normal. Bilirubin is what makes you yellow when you get Jaundice and is generally means your liver (& maybe pancreas ) could be dodgy, but not always. It's generally very high in newborns. Mine is about 1/3 of what a new born's level which is very high for an adult. A new born's level would be fatal in an adult.
My father was being treated for type 2 diabetes in late 70s. Never needed insulin though. He had his gall bladder out 30 years before. He had most symptoms of diabetes, but not all. However an autopsy on him showed he died (aged 81) of pancreatic cancer. It shows similar symptoms to type 2 diabetes but is very hard and expensive to detect. A doctor has to have a good reason to do a test. I got done a test done as I've had prostate cancer (removed), high bilirubin count and father dying of pancreatic cancer. I was a prime candidate for a test so my doctor never hesitated. I'm clear - for now.
If you are ever in real pain and a medico offers you a "green whistle" say YES YES YES. It's morphine / pethidine and it's just brilliant. Ambos carry them.
