ReeAnn

Hi {{{{{{{{{{Kyle}}}}}}}},
I think anyone suffering from Pancreatitis deserves a big (but gentle) hug. I guess I have idiopathic chronic pancreatitis - as near as I can tell from my research. I got my "official" (in the chart) diagnosis Dec 20th. Found out the day before Thanksgiving I needed to take digestive enzymes for the rest of my life. Based on a 72 hr complete stool collection test. Just my luck to find out the day before a major holiday centered around food...

Several things probably contributed my getting pancreatitis. I have quite a bit of medical history all in the last 3 years. Had major surgery too not that long ago. April 15th I had my gall bladder taken out and the Nissen Fundo surgery where they wrap the stomach around the esophagus to fix a hiatal hernia. I had severe esophagitis - 4th grade ulcerations on my esophagus from GERD/reflux. I also was diagnosed with a stomach motility problem, IBS, bleeding hemrroids, polyps in the colon, constant diarrhea, etc. About 2 months after the surgery, I had what felt like another gall bladder attack. My GI talked about doing an ERCP then, but taking the conservative route decide he would wait and see if there was another attack. Meanwhile I had to have another endoscopy with dilation because the fundo was too tight I had problems swallowing. Still do if I forget myself and eat too fast or don't chew well enough.

Two days before the dilation I had second attack, so one week later I had the ERCP done. It caused the worse attack of all. It was over a month before I felt any better. During the ERCP he did a sphinctometry on my Common Bile Duct opening it from 1mm to 8mm. He also cleaned the sand/sludge out of the Common Bile Duct, evidence that I had passed stones. from what I understand only 3-5% of people will that without a gall bladder.

It was about this time (Sept/Oct) that I started complaining about the oil slick from my stools and he finally ordered the 72 hr stool test. Normal fat excretion is 7%, mine was 15% - over double the norm. He tested for all kinds of autoimmune diseases, but they all came back normal, leaving late-stage chronic pancreatitis as the only possible explaination. Guess Type 1 diabetes is the next step in this nasty disease.

I have done extensive research on the net and in the library at the hospital where I work (for now anyway..). Not one bit of available matter gives me much hope for the future. About the best I can hope for right now is the total pancreadectomy (sp?) with the Islet cell transplant which would help prevent the diabetes. That is relatively new surgery and there are only a handful of place that do the surgery in this country. I am not rich, so I don't know if that is even a viable option.

From what I can tell from my research, the steat - lost of pancreatic enzyme function only occurs late in the disease - after 10 years. In my mind that means either I had this a long time already not knowing it (and the gall bladder attacks were really pancreatitis attacks - with stones in the gall bladder) or pancreatic cancer.... Now that is one very scary thought given that only 18% survive beyond 6 months - and 2% beyond 5 years.

Can understand your being on the depression board. Do you take anything for it? I am on Elavil with Ambein to sleep at night. I am also on Darvon during the day for pain and I take Vicoden at night. Like you, it just takes the edge off.

It is unreal how much my life has changed this last year. This disease has consumed every bit of reserve energy I have. I still work, but I am fastly apporaching the point where I must make a choice between working or taking care of myself. Right now on 11 rxs that I take regularly.. 7 of which make you dizzy. All of them I will need for the rest of my life. Even with insurance coverage it costs $200 per month - without it would be closer to $800. 3 years ago I wasn't even taking aspirin...

Didn't mean to ramble on for so long here. Looking forward to talking to you again soon!!

Lots of hugs,
ReeAnn


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