Huge archive

Was just catching up on my post and see that, you are talking about
webcam`s, can i join in as well?????? Have used mine alot with my
sister, and have had lot`s of fun, and laugh`s. I WANT TO PLAY!!!!!
Jac. xox

Hi,my name is Ruthie and i have had pancreatitis for about 12 years
now,and i must say it has been pure hell.I had 2 operations with the
last one being the whipple,and that one was really bad.It has done
nothing for the pain.I have had pain blocks,and everything else you
could think of and nothing works.I am in and out the hosiptal all the
time.We are down to getting the islet transplant now,and i would like
to know if anyone in this group has had it.If so would you please get
in touch with me and let me know what it is like,and if it works.At
this point i am getting scared,because nothing else has helped and
they want to do this in the spring.I will be looking forward to
hearing from anyone.
Ruthie

Through all this hhoop de la over the confetti... i forgot to tell
you all is ok for you to tell Roobert and then........................
inn a few days the board...... maybe one day... could make a
difference, Keeping in mind, though, that the doc (pain doc) that
prescribed me the morphine. xanax, reglan.. and nnnow... this so clled
nortriptyline is in the same family as ammitriptyline which both are
vicious and have warnings on the side effects areeeea...... that the
docctor should be told that the drugs, ( i previously mentiooned i am
taking) can have adverse and serious reperccutions if mixed ad taken
together! DDDDHUHU!!!!! Ddid anyone tel me these things? NO... not
even the pharmasist who prints out these drugs, the causes, the side
effects and warnings... when to call the doc.....! i had taken 3 or 4 of
these supposed to be (sleeping aides) and then stoppedd. The warrning sheet
did say it could take 3-4 days before the drug got into the systeem and had
it's medicine working right! I just can't imagine what shappe or what i
would have done or what could have happened if i had continued taking these
poisons. These pills live i=with the alligators and froggies and
snakes in the sewer and i imaagine inaa few years.... we will be seeing
some wwierd looking and acting reptiles in florida. Stay tuned.... you
heard it here, first! Ask any questions you want. Ohhhhhhhhhh
they were 25 mg cappssule and the full name is
nortriptyline HCL 25 mmgs genric sub is pamelor25 mg
capsssulle.. ok? i'll talk to yu laater............. love youk,
jjanxox

No such luck Pat...you've got the right ingredient but the incorrect
medication...."pregnant mares' urine" is not an urban legend...it is
used to make Estrogen replacement meds for women going through
menopause.
Some insulin is made from some part of the cow, as it is asked on
the blood donor questionaire if you have ever taken any insulin made
from bovine something or other (I just read that questionaire again
yesterday and yet cannot recall what part of the cow...pancreas,
probably)
Sorry not to be able to dispel that information, just corrected it a
little...you should be at least FIFTY PERCENT happier knowing *you*
will never need to take it ! :)
Hugs, Jeannine

You may have to copy and paste some of these.
Thanks,
Robert
A Founding Member,

I promised some information on Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction before I
got so sick, I am finally getting to it. Sorry for the long delay.
Robert
A Founding Member,

The last i heard from Jim is that they were still i the hospital nott
knowing what they weree gooooing to do next
could possibly be! i sure wish wee could heear from theeem andd
soon??????? pleasee leet us know if you get a chance, Jimm. We are all
concerned and haave candleprayers ging for the both of you. God bless
you both. love,jan xox my email address is janwestlake@earthlink .net
write anytimme day ooor night !1

Those cut up confetti's you just got are charged by an electronic
magnafield..... thtt''that's why they work so well... and the great part
is they are the least exxpensive! I sent 3 lbs of it to my son for a
gag on his last roommates he didn't like! Needless to say... they had to
pay a fine for not being able to clean up their room. They deserved the
$750.00 fine as they threw out Nick's couch and floor rug he bought for
their room .! That taught them.... cause confetti is easily hidden. At
Tampa hospital i gave my nurse that got my vein the first time ! a handful
i had in my pocket. iiit ws the fancy stuff and she was thrilled because
she awas going to glue them on her nails. She had very long nails!
Ddo the stories ever end????? Not yet.... the party is just beginning!!!
loe you, jan xox

Lisa,
You better believe it, we not only rolled in them, we had to sleep
with them and they seem to have migrated into the soft soft feather
bed we sleep on on top of the normal mattress. Despit several changes
of bed line the danm things sre still finding their way onto, and
probablt into my rear end. Mind you, it's a not inconsiderable target
for them to aim for.
HeHeHeHeHe!!!
But don't worry, revenge is sweet and time is on my side too.
Slowly slowly catchee monkee!! an old adage and a true one too.
I'm working on a plan of divine retrebution, not a word will cross my
lips, or my cheeks either, on either end! HaHaHaHaHaHa!!!
Watch out Florida, revenge is coming, you will see And it may just be
in biblical proportions too.
You'll never beat the Irish!! did any of you hear all the Irish
soccer fans singing that throughout the world cup?
Not to worry, it will be writ large upon a florida sky!!
And not too long now.
Kindest regards,
Pat

All of the Family out there!!
You'all heard anything about or from Chey and or Jim?
It's been a few weeks at least since either of them posted anything.
Chey was in a world of pain and Panc trouble and poor old Jim was
under the the weather having listened to chey cry with pain but
refuse to go to the ER, and then have to anyway!!
This disease does the strangest things to normally sensible people,
for myself, I'm afraid I have on occasions waited too long to go to
the hospital, and the consequence is that despite being in a very bad
way while in there, they have never seen me at my worst either!!
Mind you, if they wait around long enough, it's just got to happen.
BTW, I have not been Shooting Bunnies to any great extent lately,
until this afternoon, when it began to get a little hectic and now
it's like the world war three of Bunny Shooting.
I have just seen Lily go make up the spare bedroom, and there are no
guests in the offing, so it means only one thing,
the noise of the Bunny Shoot can't be the only thing to have
returned!!
OH Well, another few days and I should be O'K again if things go
according to history, if not, then WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!
BunnyMeister.

BOoy the mail gets therefast! Ohhhh lordy... you finally got the
"professional" confetti! It sticks on everything everywhere. Just wait til
it gets dark out tonight and turn on a few lights... You'll feel like back
in the 70's tripping out on LSD or whatever they saw colors everywhere
with.1 Thanks for not being mad at me. That stuff is a real hummer to
get up... orget the vacuum cleaner! Herre's how to get it up! Lick your
hands and fingers and dab whree the confetti's are. they are attracted to
dry mooister. Then brush them off outside. 2 years ago i decorated the
front sidewalks with the birthday confetti... which is the best of the best!
today... more than 2 yrs later... They are still in the dirt, cracks of
the sidewalks and nn rhe pllants and they haven't faded either! On a
windy day... you dare not wak n the confetti pile get togetherss or it gets
tracked in the house and the party starts all over again. tom just
said, if Pat is the only one with stars... on his ass.... then it must have
been a full moon!!!! EH!HE! To all of you.... there is stuff (confetti)
that is actually worse thaan the plain ol confetti you'vr been getting
!!!! Februrary's next full moom/// which is ccoming i[ real soon....
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh watccch your mail! i've got somethiing thaat is
unbelievaaable! Now... wheeen i travel throughout the country i can
identify you by your maarkings! For Christmas....... this poast year...
i made my pain doc a huge plate of cookiees and a large hunk of fudge
with a card attached to the card. I told him ttthat was his special
stash to take home, Ok, thanks, he said all of this is for mme????? Yes,
of course, Guess what was inside the card
laaarge quaaantities if confetti!!!! ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh whaat i;d given to
see the look on his face and on theeee floor????? The next appt... i was
thinking i would be fired????? No.... evidently he forgot all about it1!111
WWHpppewwwwww! There aree no limits to what i can do! i'll talk to you
laater.... moon star bunnie! maybe you can learn how to blow them
off???? No a hairdryer doesn't work either. love you, jan xox

Hi Denise,
Glad you home from the hospital!!!! Sorry you have been feeling so
bad. But at least now you are home with People who love you. Robert
told me that you were in the hospital...I havent been posting the
past week, I havent' been feeling so good. But feeling a little
better now, so I thought I would post a little. Our Prayers are
always with you. Oh, we are getting together a web cam group---Do you
want to join????
The other Denise

Jan,
OOOOOOH....MAXINE is all over the house. he he he he
She sits on Robert computer desk and watches over froggie and Robert
and myself. I just love her, and Floyd...Sherry (daughter) has even
started getting excited over the snail mail....and its not even for
her..he he he he he. I did let her open the one for "THE HAMMETTS"
There is soooooo much confetti in the carpet,and my poor my vaccum
cleans died!!!!oooooh, but that confetti brings so much laughter in
this house, you just wouldnt' believe....
Oh, and btw... We have to get this web cam started up soon cause I
done got Robert out of the shower and he is rolling around in the
confetti as we speak!!!NAKED!!!I worry about him sometimes!!!!
heheheheheeheheheI beleive he is having TOO MUCH fun by himself in
there, I need to go join in on the fun, Tammy (daugher)and Joe(son-in-
law) are on their way down so we will have to hurry and get dried
off. I hope it ain't on the couch or they will get covered....Oh
Robert just said its over the couch too, and in the top of my head
hee hee hee......
later or LATER....hee hee hee hee
lol
Denise
xox

Hey Lisa,
Its not that you have to roll around in them, they are EVERYWHERE!!!!!
I can take the clothes out of the dryer and they will be on the
socks, Robert will get out of the shower and come in here and be
shining from leftover confetti, Heck I think they breed!!!!She just
sent us some cut up confetti, BOY !!!!Couldn't get it off my
fingers!!!Robert just came over here and said , You got the stuff on
top of your head!!!!!Maybe I need to sprinkle it all over the bedroom
floor and let Robert roll around in it and let him just SHINE!!!!!
LOL
Denise Hammett

Pat.....
WEB CAMS
and let him roll around in the bedroom floor in the confetti...What I
didn't tell her was he is going to be NAKED AND WET... That way, he
will get good and covered....That will be a GOOD one for the web
cam...
LOL
DENISE HAMMETT

Hey Kimber----
Why don't we just make it a 5 way----more fun---HUH???? There ain't
no way I am going to miss out on all this fun !!! hehehe
Denise Hammett

Pat----You think You got shiny stars on your ass----I wish you could
see our house----When you asked me about if I got any shiny silverly
stuff in my envelope---I looked and NO shiny silverly stuff was in
mind, just fish ,stars,snakes,smiley faces, Oh, just all kinds of
stuff that falls out all over my floor and they WILL NOT come up
either. Sometimes I will look over at Robert and see it in his
hair....he he he he...But you know....Everytime I see one of the
little confeti, I think of Jan and her wonderful big heart. She has
got to be the nicest people I know. Along with Lisa, who just sent
Robert a card also. It sure is good to have people that care about
you in this world.I love reading your post---You make me laugh out
loud...
Denise Hammett

Pat,
I can not believe you still have sparklies in your bottom! What did you do roll
around in them!
Lisa

Oh Dear!
Sorry to hear this news, I had thought and hoped that you were on the
good side of your last attack. It's not all that long since you came
out of the hospital, did not think you would fall prey so soon again.
My prayers are with you and hoping you can stay away from the ER and
the hospital as a whole.
Keep well, and may,
God bless you and keep you all of your family safe and well.
Pat

HOLEY MOLEY BATMAN!!
Webcams? Naked Jan in Florida? Well, Undressed Jan in Florida?
Have you all lost your minds? Your all becoming over medicated or
something, but IT'S BRILLIANT IDEA!! YEEEEE HAAAAAAAHW!!
YIPPE KII YII YAY!! As John Mc Claine did say!!
Sure, I will give it a try, but my experience with them is limited,
mainly because they were pretty grim when I did try them, but to be
fair, that was before I had a broadband connection installed.
I tried mine with a friend here in Ireland, we both had 56k modems
then and it was pretty grim really. the picture was grainy,
regardless of light bvut I did try my camera in daylight on my PC and
the picture was perfect!! The motion was jerky at best, and it was
stopped so often it was almost looking at a snowy looking still
picture. We were using just the Windows Messenger software and since
then I have read somewhere it was not at all the best software for
this job
I have no idea how many cameras the systemm is limited to, there were
only two of us andso we only had to look at one image as well as our
own to see if it was ok.
It is possible to also have sound with the camera and we tried that
but could never get it to work, don't take that as a reason not to
try though, it was probably down to Brian and me.
You can leave off the sound to reduce the bandwidth required and
simply type and use the camera.
Beware, if this is the route we choose, camera and typing, the only
part of me to be seen will be the top of my bald head. HeHeHeHe!!!
To use a PC to make telephone calls on the net, you have to be
prepared to use the word "OVER" or "BACK" or "To YOU" at the end of a
sentence, because the system only allows a for "SIMPLEX" Transmission
of speech, similar to two way radio from ship to ship or ship to
shore, it only allows sppech one way. Ordinary telephones
use "DUPLEX" or two way simultanious transmission, you can both speak
at the same time, I don't think that's available on the internet, but
I am not sure.
If someone can organise it, I set up my camera too, it's lying on my
desk for several months now, the last time i used it actually.
Regards,
Pat

Robert,
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers... I did end up in the ER yesterday, and
am still feeling pretty yucky... but they doped me up with dilaudid and
phenergan and sent me home. I have a feeling I'll end up going back but....
since
my enzymes weren't elevated and I wasn't too dehydrated the doc said I could go
home.
I am still really nauseated and very tired. Thanks For thinking about me
though.
{{{HUGZ}}}
Denise
Denise Hallock in Michigan
Co-Owner ~ The Pancreatitis Place

Hello Robert,
Brother, I don't want to add to your already overloaded stress
levels, however, I can't think how your taking this new med is going
to get your swelling down other than keeping you "out of your brain"
and dozey so you spend all your time horizontal!!
Jan Honey, if your reading this, can I have your permission to send
Robert, or post to the board, your email to me that I returned to you
with my concerns for you outlined onit??
Bob, I am sure Jan will have no problem if I post this email, I just
think it's cool to ask her first, she did tell me it's ok to mention
it on the board if itm would help.
Well, I believe it would help, because Jan was TOTALLY SHOCKED by
what she saw, she had typed a page of total gibberish, she knew
exactly what she wanted to type, but her brain and her hands were
simply not on the same wavelengt. The Horror Part of THIS??
JAN HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA SHE HAD DONE THIS, Jan was utterly
convinced she had typed perfectly clearly, allowing for some erors of
course, and her keyboard is too sensitive too so RRRReeeepppeaaats
are a common feature of her typing, so she thought this was what had
happened.
THE OTHER HORROR OF THIS???
Jan had simply taken the prescribed dose her doctor gave her, but
there is absolutely no doubt, she was WAY OVERMEDICATED, way over,
and given that she was behaving like this without knowing she was,
SHE WOULD NEVE HAVE TOLD HER DOCTOR ABOUT IT, SHE WAS UNAWARE IT WAS
HAPPENING.
Take a look back over her posts for about 2 weeks ago until now.
She was constantly saying inher post that her
"'PUTER WAS GOING CRAZY"!!
It wasn't, she was drifting in and out of reality it seems, poor
thing had no idea it was happening. Of course, she would leave
the "DARN 'PUTER" alone for Tom to check and have a little snooze!!
You reckon that TOM was thinking his Lady Jan was going GA GA?? Bet
your boots he did but he was not seeing her under the influence of
the medication she was taking.
WHAT WAS THE MEDICATION I HEAR YOU ASK???
Robert, it was the one you have just been prescribed my friend.
She had also been scripted for another of the family too, in the
hospital I thinkk it may have been, she will tell us herself I'm sure.
Sorry not to print the names of both of the drugs, but I'm at my
laptop now and the emails in question are on my Main computer
downstairs. No matter, the drug was definitly the one you were just
sceipted for.
BTW ROBERT!! I will attend to that other issue for you later today,
same reason as this, different machines!!!
As soon as Jan tells me to go ahead, I will post her sad email, she
is just lucky she choose exactly that second to email me on another
email address, had she not, and simply turned her PC off, she would
still be out of her brain most of her day.
When i saw how terrible it seemed, I did contact her and I knew Lisa
was intouch with her so i sent her email to Lisa expressing my
concerns and Lisa was also in touch with Jan too over this.
Form the record, everything is now O'K, and Jan is perfectly alright,
except for a little embarrassment, unfounded of course, but which of
would not feel the same.
All over now? Well, I don't really think so, many of the Family have
posted that they are on the same meds, and of course NOT EVERYONE
would have the same reaction. After all, the drug is meant to do some
of this anyway, but you can be certain, not to the extent it did with
Jan.
But how many people using it and are as badly affected as Jan was.
Jan has so many people around her that eventually, someone that sees
her regularly would eventually have noticed something was not right.
However, many of us are not so fortunate, are we? Some can be alone
for a few days without seeing anyone after all.
So this highlights how important it is to keep, regular contact if
your living alone, regardless of how young you are or how younger
than that you are, HeHeHeHeHe Lol.
I'm sure Jan would love you all to tell her how glad we all are that
she is ok. By the way, it seems Jan doesn't take that med anymore.
Are we surprised?
Pat

Robert,
Some information for you about your new scrip, not clear to me
anyway, how this drug is designed to help you with your swelling in
the legs.
My Doc's all told me that it is usually down to heart failure or, and
get this please, KIDNEY DAMAGE AND FAILURE!! My docs did some
bloodworks on me but they also checked my urine, they told me they
were looking for ALBUMENS, not clear if there is a normal level for
them or ANY show of them is a bad thing. My test were clear for them
anyway.
After a lot of delay and thinking, they scripted me for BURINEX, a
diuretic, BUMETANIDE is the generic drug name.
It's acommon diuretic and for me it was initially very effective, the
downside was a greatly increased urine output and ir was a drag
having to visit the little boys room so frequenly.
This reduced when she stopped one of the two pills a day, one early
morning and one at midday. Never take this drug at night or you will
be up all night visiting the loo!!
Pat
Why is this medication prescribed?
Amitriptyline, an antidepressant (mood elevator), is used to treat
depression.
This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your
doctor or pharmacist for more information.
How should this medicine be used?
Amitriptyline comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken
one to four times a day and may be taken with or without food. Follow
the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your
doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take
amitriptyline exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or
take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Continue to take amitriptyline even if you feel well. Do not stop
taking amitriptyline without talking to your doctor, especially if
you have taken large doses for a long time. Your doctor probably will
want to decrease your dose gradually. This drug must be taken
regularly for a few weeks before its full effect is felt.
Other uses for this medicine
Amitriptyline also is used occasionally to treat chronic pain and
eating disorders. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of
using this drug for your condition.
What special precautions should I follow?
Before taking amitriptyline,
tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to amitriptyline
or any other drugs.
tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription
drugs you are taking or have taken within the last 2 weeks,
especially anticoagulants [warfarin (Coumadin)]; antihistamines;
cimetidine(Tagamet); estrogens; fluoxetine (Prozac); cisapride
(Propulsid); levodopa (Sinemet, Larodopa); lithium (Eskalith,
Lithobid); MAO inhibitors [phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine
(Parnate)]; medication for high blood pressure, seizures, Parkinson's
disease, diabetes, asthma, colds, or allergies; methylphenidate
(Ritalin); muscle relaxants; oral contraceptives; sedatives; sleeping
pills; thyroid medications; tranquilizers; and vitamins.
tell your doctor if you have or have ever had glaucoma, an enlarged
prostate, difficulty urinating, seizures, an overactive thyroid
gland, or liver, kidney, or heart disease.
tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are
breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking amitriptyline,
call your doctor immediately.
if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor
or dentist that you are taking amitriptyline.
you should know that this drug may make you drowsy. Do not drive a
car or operate machinery until you know how this drug affects you.
remember that alcohol can add to the drowsiness caused by this drug.
tell your doctor if you use tobacco products. Cigarette smoking may
decrease the effectiveness of this drug.
What should I do if I forget a dose?
If you take several doses per day, take the missed dose as soon as
you remember it and take any remaining doses for that day at evenly
spaced intervals. However, if it is almost time for the next dose,
skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule.
If you take amitriptyline once a day at bedtime and do not remember
to take it until the next morning, skip the missed dose. Do not take
a double dose to make up for a missed one.
What side effects can this medication cause?
Side effects from amitriptyline are common:
upset stomach
drowsiness
weakness or tiredness
excitement or anxiety
insomnia
nightmares
dry mouth
skin more sensitive to sunlight than usual
changes in appetite or weight
Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go
away:
constipation
difficulty urinating
frequent urination
blurred vision
changes in sex drive or ability
excessive sweating
If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor
immediately:
jaw, neck, and back muscle spasms
slow or difficult speech
shuffling walk
persistent fine tremor or inability to sit still
fever
difficulty breathing or swallowing
severe skin rash
yellowing of the skin or eyes
irregular heartbeat
What storage conditions are needed for this medicine?
Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and
out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from
excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Throw away any
medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your
pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.
In case of emergency/overdose
In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-
222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local
emergency services at 911.
Symptoms of overdose may include:
irregular hearbeat
seizures
coma
confusion
problems concentrating
seeing things that do not exist (hallucinating)
agitation
drowsiness
rigid muscles
vomiting
fever
cold body temperature
XXXXXX I GOT THIS INFORMATION FROM MEDLINEPLUS, A VERY GOOD SOURCE OF
INFORMATIONON DRUGS AND DISEASES ALSO XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a682388.html
Regards,
Pat

Hello to all!!
What is this place coming to, Robert and Lisa have both been infested
with Alligators and Froggs, that's California and the South taken
care of.
Plus I have been infested with Black Rats from California, gotten
tummy pains and chronic indigestion from Country Gravey from the
entire USA,
and SHINY PINK STARS FESTOON MY ARSE courtesey of either Florida or
Canada!!
This is only the beginning, I CAN FEEL IT IN ME' WATERS, as the
Granny used to say, THERE IS AN EPIDEMIC OF HAPPINESS BREAKING OUT
ALL OVER THE WORLD AND IT'S THANK'S MAINLY TO THE EFFORTS OF 2 OF THE
GREATEST, KINDEST HEARTS IN THE WORLD, LISA AND JAN!!!!!!
Honestly, these two are the greatest, they both have every reason to
lay down and cry how bad they feel, but not them, they get on with
their lives, each in their own way, but they are united by one over
riding link, the link of "caring and sharing".
Like to think that all of us here at TPP care and share, and do it
all the time too, but these two take it to a new level of
experience , they go that extra mile, and God knows we need that to
happen, and the more it happens the more we grow and benefit from
these acts of unstinting generosity.
Lisa and Jan, I thank you both for your wonderful gifts, they are
beautiful and much appreciated, as the gifts you have sent to so many
others too.
We must not forget that not everyone in the TPP family can afford
financially to send personal little gifts, regardless of the cost,
and some may not have the opportunity to get to stores or post
offices to post the. Plus, not everyone is inclined to give their
personal address' or other details. No one should feel a need to do
any of this, neither Jan or Lisa are trying to outdo anyone, they
simply have two of the kindest, loving and generous hearts in the
whole world. I'm sure they would echo my words too.
The kindness and generosity of ALL of the TPP family is already a
full and precious bounty, our Family give generously of themselves by
offering support and prayers and generous words hope and faith, and
we must never forget, Family members give all of us the
MOST PRECIOUS GIFT OF ALL, THEIR TIME,
None more so than Lisa and Jan !! Keep up the good work ladies, and
the gifts are great to get too, even when they get into every crease
and wrinkle, and you better believe me, if there were
"Wrinkle Olympics", I would be a Gold medallist every time!!
Regards,
Pat

Hello Kimber,
I'm tempted to say hello Kimber or Joan or Betty or whoever I I might
think you are this time, but, well, leave it HEHEHEHeHe! ;8¬o}.
Thank you for your very kind interest and the information, the story
of losing the feet is a salutary warning indeed. It reminded me that
the very first time I heard the word diabetes was as a young boy.
A family living near to us were devastated by this awful disease, the
Mother of the house was diagnosed with having it after a long period
of illness. Remember, that was up to 50 years ago and in Ireland
anyway, they knew really very little about it and had only the
crudest of treatments.
I can remember being horrified to learn that the insulin back then
was made from "Mares Urine", possibly even pregnant mares urine at
that !!! Horrifying to think of it even now, hopefully, someone
will tell me it was only another Urban Legend with any luck.
Anyway, the poor lady seemed to die by the inch, they were always
amputating pieces fromm her, it was an awful time for her, and the
family too. she died some 40 myears after her initial diagnosis, and
she suffered daily from the disease and it's consequences.
Fortunatly, things have improved by quantum leaps and bounds but
there is no room at all for complacency, we must guard well against
any little opportunities this disease provides for infevtion.
My doctor has since prescribed a cream for me to use, actually, she
gave me two tubes of it, and the tubes are simply white ones.
She explains this away by telling me they are part of a trial of a
new product due to be launcehed here by year end. She assured me it
was from an internationally know company and I have nothing to fear
from using it, I love my PCP, she is an angel to me and I would do or
take anything she said, I trust her implicitly.
Before using this cream, she told me to simply wash it thoroughly and
massage it with emulsifying cream, a sterile but non medically based
cream used extensively by hospitals and nursing homes to help in the
prevention of bed sores.
Again, many thanks for the input Kimber, I value every word that you,
and all the members provide to all of us.
Kind regards,
Pat

I did not do the Neurontin idea he had. I got enough problems with
out adding another. He checked my swelling and it was not very bad
because I had laid around all day, that seems to help better than
anything right now. He wanted to control my swelling and pain with
Amitriptyline. He gave me a script to take 1 a day. I do not think
this has a chance to work. I have taken this before. It started out 3
a day, increased to 6 a day, increased to 9 a day and finally to 12 a
day which made it hard to function after that. Anybody think this has
a chance to help my swelling? If I get it controlled the pain should
fix itself. The only positive on the visit was a blood test, that was
my idea. He even made a statement with the word guess in it. I think
I would have been better off if he had a crystal ball.
Robert
A Founding Member,

Dear Jac,
Thank you for you kind words. My wife has her headaches down some.
they are not as painful anymore. I am over that part of appointting
any doctor God. But I will fire them like the devil!!! Sorry I had to
run out on you during chat the other night. My legs were swelling
very bad at that time. I will see you soon in another and I promise
to stay even if I have to hang upside down. Hope you are having a
pain-free weekend.
Thanks,
Robert
A Founding Member,

Lisa,
Doesn't that just make your day!!! I fixed some of those things from
getting in the carpet. Gottem glued to my keyboard and monitor. with
froggie looking down at me. Thank you Jan, for everything you do for
us!!! All over the world!!!
Robert
A Founding Member,

Hello Chiggy,
I do not want to upset you my friend, but you need to come to terms
with the reality od this diseasae for almost everyone that has it.
You will have pain of some degree for the rest of your life if your
disease goes the way of most of us. Your doctors may not have told
you this so directly in case you became upset before you had some
relief from your pain.
There may be people with this disease that never get pain, they say
that if your Pancreas becomes completly destroyed, as in a "BURN OUT"
then you no longer feel any pain, but to be honest with you, I don't
believe this, so many have said they still get pain.
Chiggy, you don't have to suffer all of the pain all of the time, you
can get very effective pain relief, but it takes a little time for
the doctors and for you, to discover how bad the pain is, and how
much medication you require. Plus, there so many drugs, and so many
ways to take them that you would be best trying to get an
appoointment with a CHRONIC PAIN MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST, and the
sooner you do this, the sooner you can relax about your pain.
Becoming upset or angry over it will only make the pain much worse.
I'm so sorry I had no better news for you, but it is a reality that
once your pancreas has been ninjured or diseased, it gives a great
deal of pain.
Cheer up Chiggy, it's not the end of the world, you could have been
much worse off if your illness was something different, but I believe
that God does not burdenus with more than we can bear, and if
sometimes the burden does become a little hard, then He will always
be there to give you a helping hand.
God bless you and keep yoi safe and well.
Pat

Chiggy,
Sorry your having it so rough right now. A pancreatitis attack can
happen at anytime once you have had pancres damage. That is why we
are here. It happens to us all the time. It happened to me after
final burnout. You have to go back and find that trigger that caused
it and that may be impossible. The recovery depends on a lot of
things. I suggest that you avoid food right now. Also take your meds.
If you can get to the spa, see if that helps again. Please keep us
updated.
You are in our thoughts and prayers,
Robert
A Founding Member,

I just wanted to let everyone know I was having the day from hell
today and sweet, sweet Jan helped to make it better! There are
little alligator and frog confetti's and #1 Mom confeties all over my
house! It was just the best treat to find in my mailbox! Jan even
sent little treats for me and my boys to enjoy! My boys got to take
baths with their new froggie mittens tonight. They were just so
delighted! Jan, you are the best! Thank you so much! We have some
more original artwork for your fridge coming to you soon!
Lisa
Simi Valley, CA

I agree with you on that Kimber. And also I have to test the bath
water, my feet can not tell if it is to hot or not. Loss of my feet
and legs is a big concern for me. Also breaking a toe as I have in
the past is a painful problem for months. All these problems started
with pancreatitis, what a freaking disease!!!
Thanks,
Robert
A Founding Member,

Yes Kimber,
We can do that. In fact we can see how many members we can actually
do that with. We may have to wait on Jan to get some clothes on
though!!! I have to set the lighting up but that is slmple to do. The
ragged look that I have now, it is going to have to scare you. I look
forward to this, anyone else want to do this very soon?
Thanks,
Robert
A Founding Member,

Robert,

hey, can we do a four way? I've got a web cam, not hooked to this
compter yet, but I can do that anytime. Can I join in and play?
Kimber
--
Kimber Allen
Vallejo, CA
hominid2@...
Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed
physician or health care professional.

I heard it through the grapevine that Denise is in the hospital. She
has been feeling very bad for quite some time now. Denise if you have
internet connection, PLEASE let us know how you are. Please give her
your thoughts and prayers at this time.
Thoughts and prayers sister,
Robert
A Founding Member,

Denise,
where are you thinking of moving too? Have you looked into getting good
doctors? You might want to do that before you move, if you can.
Kimber
--
Kimber Allen
Vallejo, CA
hominid2@...
Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed
physician or health care professional.

Patrick,
about your heel, I've had that happen a lot with me. What I used to do,
is put neosporin (do you have that out there? Triple anit-biotic
ointment - over the counter stuff) all over my heel, especially where
the cracks are, and then bandage them up, changing it twice a day, night
and day, until it heals.
You also might want to look for diabetic special ointments to keep your
skins from drying out that badly. We have some out here called Diabet-X
(also available on the web I think, do a search onit). It has a daily
prevention therapy lotion that has antibiotics in it to help with the
feet and skin cracking.
And watch those feet carefully. I had a babysitter who lost both her
feet due to a small cut she didn't take care of and got gangrene. When I
became diabetic, she drilled me into daily making a check of my feet and
to check for any cuts because you might not feel them. That's very
important for ANY diabetic to remember.
Kimber
--
Kimber Allen
Vallejo, CA
hominid2@...
Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed
physician or health care professional.

You are certainly not alone.
We all experience pain for what seems to be no apparent reason.
That's because the pancreas continues to damage itself.

Pat,
I am sorry you are resigning the position, but glad that you will be
staying a member of the group as you do add a lot of the support and
humor many of us need to get through this disease and keep the laughter
going. I know this must have been a tough decision for you to make.
Kimber
--
Kimber Allen
Vallejo, CA
hominid2@...
Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed
physician or health care professional.

My doctor advised me not to take it because of the
side effects on the gastrointestinal system, but I
sometimes do. I usually get pretty sick from it. I had
not idea it can cause pancreatitis. I practically
lived on the stuff for awhile. No wonder I've got
pancreatitis. Tammy

Vicky,
they may have him on the wrong type of insulin. I had similar problems,
though most of mine happened at night and they ended up switching me to
a different insulin. Has he talked this over with his diabetes specialist?
Kimber
--
Kimber Allen
Vallejo, CA
hominid2@...
Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed
physician or health care professional.

Hey Y'all,
I know that ibuprophen (Motrin, Advil, etc.) can cause pancreatitis. (Sometimes
it seems that everything, including baying at the moon, will cause it.) I have
never had a problem with ibuprophen, but I have been taking it lately for
headaches, which have sprouted-up unexpectedly. I have had an attack every day
this week and it seems to coincide with ibuprophen ingestion. I can manage the
attacks OK with my current pain meds, thank God.
I will, of course, stop taking the stuff, but I was wondering: does anyone else
here see a connection between ibuprophen and their particular brand of
pancreatitis? It seems I hear very little about it in relation to our disease on
this board.
Best Regards,
Jerry/NC

Hi Chiggy, how are you doing now?? and yes some times your stomach
does hurt when you have been getting up and down, during the coarse
of the day. As every time you get up or sit down you are using
muscle`s that in turn rub against the panc, when it is flaring up.
That goes for streching,bending,turning round, ect.Even sitting down
with a full stomach can start it off, as soon as you sit up
straight. This is a very strange desease, what you eat one day will
be fine, another time, will play you up. You just have to try to get
used to what food/drink to stay away from, do you take creon, or
some thing like it?? Also try to keep your head as high as possible
when you go to bed. Hope you start to feel better soon, take care,
good luck with the med`s, will say a prayer for you, Jac. xox

These are entries to a Washington Post competition asking for a rhyme
with the most romantic first line and least romantic second line:
Love may be beautiful, love may be bliss
But I only slept with you, because I was pissed.
I thought that I could love no other
Until, that is, I met your brother.
Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.
But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar bowl's
empty and so is your head.
Of loving beauty you float with grace
If only you could hide your face
Kind, intelligent, loving and hot;
This describes everything you are not
I want to feel your sweet embrace
But don't take that paper bag off of your face
I love your smile, your face, your eyes-
Damn, I'm good at telling lies!
My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:
Marrying you screwed up my life
I see your face when I am dreaming.
That's why I always wake up screaming
My love, you take my breath away.
But what have you stepped in to smell this way?
My feelings for you no words can tell,
Except for maybe "go to hell"
What inspired this amorous rhyme?
Two parts vodka, one part lime.

Again, I feel I must step in here. I was being offered Fluoxetine
(Prozac...same family as this drug) back in the early 90's when it
was in the news that a few people had commited suicide while taking
it.
The media love to sensationalize things like this, but having said
that I did NOT want to take the Prozac either with all the negative
publicity and told my psych doc that.
He went on to explain to me that what happens in these cases is the
people who do kill themsleves while on this drug or others like it
already have suicide ideation and a plan on what/how they are going
to do it but their depression is so severe they cannot function
enough to follow through....then along comes the antidepressant which
brings them out of the inability to function and that is when they
kill themsleves,.
He asked me if I had ever considered suicide...no. Did I have a plan
in place to commit suicide?...no again. He then stated that I would
most likely not have a problem taking Prozac. I took it successfully
fgor years.
Then along came Zoloft I think it was...he was one of the docs to be
in on the second stage testing and could get the midication for me at
no charge since they were giving it out. I fell so hard and so fast
it was scary ! I stumbled through 4 weeks and when I had my next
appt I told him how miserable I was and I was immed put back on the
prozac.
My doc is waiting for the Cymbalta to come out because there are
numerous FM patients he wants to try on it since it has been tried
very successully on those of us with FM and it helps reduce our pain
levels. He also has some pts who have stress incontinence that he
wants to try this on...
I have no idea how many people Eli Lilly has tested this drug on but
it's a shame they are getting persecuted in the media for these
deaths that may or may not even be related ! You do something good
nobody ever remembers, one thing bad and it wipes the slate clean and
you have to start all over !
Hope I have made this understandable....
Hugs, Jeannine

Hi CHigggy, my friend! It could be something as simple as a cold soda
like Pepsi or Coke or even the diet cokes which are bad for you
becaue of the artifiial sweetner. I wa hospitalized ffor 1 week becaue i
drank a Pepsi too fast and that set me off big time pain.
Ouuuuuuuuuueeee don't drink that anymore. Have you eaten out at a
restaurant lately? That's rissky because you really don't knoww what
they put in their recepies. Think over the last few days and see
what you hae eaten.... i bet the answer lies there. trry to drink water
to flush your system out. Green tea, too! Let me know ...... i'll
set a candle prayer out for you. love, jan xxox

02/13/04,
Pat, can you tell me how to post messages. I will write something under post,
but it doesn't come up. I was looking through my e-mail, because I just came
home from the hospital, 2nd time in less then two months because of Pancreatic
Attacks, and I even have an implanted morphine pump and they put a numbing med
in with it,also on oxycodine for breakthrough pain.
I would like to talk and get to know everyone, it relieves some of my stress!
Your Friend,
Laura Kerste-Toledo,Ohio
laura_kerste@...
Patrick Cassidy <pcassotoo@...
Hi Laura,
Thank you for your honesty and at least telling us you wanted to leave the
family.
However Laura, this site is not just about what you or I can get from it, it is
also about what you and I can BRING to the site and the group.
"I have heard it all before" is a very broad sweeping statement and if that is
true, {and if you say so, then I believe you,} then you are way ahead of most if
not all of us here, and if I may say so the medical profession generally.
I am genuinely saddened that someone with a lifetime of knowledge and experience
would not want to stay on and help others less fortunate than you are. That
said, you are a free agent, and as such are fre to do as you see fit. If you do
go then I wish you all the best for the future and I hope that you enjoy the
very best health that you can.
Kindest regards,
Pat
BY THE WAY LAURA, The mind is like a parachute, it works best when it is fully
open.
Laura Kerste <laura_kerste@...
Hi, This is Laura ( laura_kerste@...) I wish to be taken off this site.
It's just that I have had Heriditary Pancreatitis for all my life and I have
been reading most all of the mail I recieve, and I have heard it all before. I
hope I don't offend anyone. Thats not what this is about.
Thank You,
Laura Kerste (laura_kerste@...)

i have even drank water and it's caused pain. it's like the pancreas has it's
own mind.i've had it for 3 yrs now (30 yrs old) and had several procedures.
sometimes i give up, but with this group, they have given me the strength to
continue..because unless u have it , u really dont know what the pain is like.
i have tried to explain it to my family and husband..but no one seems to
understand. they think it's like a heart attack that can be fixed...sorry just
rambling on again..

I ned to know if anyone has pain returning for no reason. I and
everyone around me controls my diet. I have ate nothing that could
cause pain. I have had no alcohol. My stress has been light compared
to the holidays. I take my medication right. I woke up this morning
with bad pains near my ribs and they feel like the bad pancreas pains
I had before. Can anyone help me with what I did wrong? My doctor
tells me I must rest and gave me more pills to fill. My daughter has
gone to get them for me. Does the pancreas make you hurt when you do
everything you are told to do? If it does how long am I going to feel
this bad? Please help....Chiggy

We have to watch what we take. This story is proof.
Thanks,
Robert
A Founding Member,

Hi Ralph, my name is Jac, or Jackie if you prefer, but most people
call me Jac. I started with acid reflux, which then went to GERD,
then in turn went to pancreatitis, as it was left to long and the
acid started to digest the pancreas, i ended up in hospital with
peritonitis, and at first acute panc. Since then i have moved on one
step further and now have chronic panc, as well as gerd. So do not
leave it,as i did but my doc was not any good, and said two day`s
before my hospital visit that there was nothing wrong with me. I
nearly died, and my life has been really affected by this. Try to
get to the bottom if this, and do not take no for a answer. Also
they damaged the bile duck in the op, so now i have even more of a
problem, as the duck is open all the time, and the acid damages
every thing inside. Now i am told there is nothing they can do for
me, except make me as comfortable as possible. Do not let the acid
problem get to far advanced, or you might have the same problem.
Thats the thing with doctors, you have to go by what they say, and
in truth they know nothing of the pancreas, i learnt the hard way,
and now to say i suffer is putting it mildly. In truth when i read
the symtom`s of both gerd, and panc, i had all of them, but my dr
did not know this. Get it sorted out, before it get`s any worse.
Jac. xox

I sometimes wonder what these doctors went to medical school for.
After reading so many of your stories here, I have come to the
conclusion most doctors are incompetent. In my case, the GI doc won't
give me a diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis, and my family doctor
just throws up his hands. After my last ct scan showed no
abnormalities of the pancreas, he said to come in if I feel worse
than I already do. Now granted, I'm not in near as bad of shape as
some of you. I have bearable pain about 55 percent of the time. My
diarrhea is not bad and has pretty much stopped since I started on
the enzyme therapy. The nausea is what gets to me. I hardly eat
anything. I went to a nutritionist who gave me the instructions on
what to eat and what to avoid, but that's all the support I've had.
I'm starting to get scared about the weight loss. Everyday, my
clothes are a little looser. I'm glad I was overweight before this
because I don't worry about the weight loss being life threatening. I
feel like I'm floundering. Sorry for the ranting. Tammy

Hello Walt, Lars and of course Else!
My, my Lars, I did not pick up on the fact from previous posts that
Else was continuing to take the Hydromorphone along with the
duragesic Patch, I believed she had replaced the former with the
latter, if you get my meaning.
Time for the "I'm not a doctor part" Lars, you must repeat the Litany
at this point, saves me typing it!
This seems like a very potent mix of drugs and the doses are pretty
large also, which may very well point you, and me out of inteest and
a desire to assist, in another direction to seek information.
I suspect that you have hit on the problem and possibly the solution
too, when you joked about what happens when these meds get together
and party the night away.
I'm assuming that Else has regular liver function tests, you say she
is taking some meds for epilepsy (WHICH ONE?)and the usual ones are
notorious for ther liver toxicity problems. Actually, we had a long
thread recently on the subject of the two most commonly used drugs of
treatment for this problem.
EPILIM, or DEPAKOTE, is, in my opinion, one of the "dirtiest" drugs
in use today, excluding the highly toxic chemo therapy drugs of
course. NEURONTIN, GABAPENTIN, is asafer, cleaner drug indeed, but
it's still not without it's problems and risks.
From our poin of view, EPILIM is a POSITIVELY PROVEN cause of
Pancreatitis, no doubts, and not just my opinion either. In the USA
for sure, it has to carry a very prominent warning about this problem.
however, Pancreatits is only one of the many problems that arise for
those taking it, certainly on a long term basis and it's still a
nasty one even in the very short term too.
Neurontin is a saint of drug compared with it's older cousin, but
it's angelic qualities are definitly for the Dark Side!!
It is one of the devils toys.
Unfortunatly, patients, like Else, often have hobsons choice as to
taking these meds or not, "personal choice" is not an option in
theses cases.
However, these drugs are not confined to use in the treatment of
Epilepsy Lars, theyare both widely used in the management of chronic
pain because of the way in which they behave in the body.
Chronic pain results in the destruction or reduction in efficiency of
the receptors on the nerves which reduces the effects of most of the
opiod and opiate drugs. The two drugs inquestion are used to
stimulate these receptors in order that the pain meds can more easily
pass across the pain gates and so close them and disconnect the
signal wires to the brain.
In other words, these two drugs act like a "supercharger"
or "turbocharger" to increase the efficacy of the pain meds.
For me, having taken Epilim for this very reason, meant a major
increase in my levels of nausea, nothing they gave me reduced the
nausea, and i waas so dizzy and generally distressed that my Pain
Management Specialist stopped the Epilim, prescribed the Neurontin
and had me persevere for another 21 days of pure hell and torment,
and bouts of nausea that even scared the nurses looking after me in
the hospital. I had to stop using that one too.
Furthermore, it took a number of months, in excess of 6 anyway, for
my liver function results to return to within normal parameters.
Coincidentally, I also went on to develop Pancreatitis in later
life. Food for thought perhaps.
Lars, I wonder if the effects of the epilepsy meds are over
stimulating Else's consumption of her pain meds at a particular point
in her daily bodily cycle?
I have no evidence directly suggesting this, what I'm doing is
applying what little knowledge I have gathered on my Chronic Pain
journey with the teachings and opinions of revered experts in the
management of Chroinic pain, and coming up with this probably badly
flawed theory. In the absence of any another, we could waste a few
hours on a less interesting theory than this one Lars!!
My ramblings for what they are worth my friend.
Kindest regards,
Pat

Hello Walt and Pat (the indefatigable!)
Of course I ought to have specified Else´s medication, which at present consists
of 125 µg Duragesic patches, plus 3 - 4 daily injections (200 µlitre) of
hydromorphone with Disectronic pen for break-troughs.
This roughly corresponds with the dose of hydromorphone she has been taking via
s.c. pump for more than a year. (The reason for switching to patches was that
her belly needed rest from the constant neadling. Pills are not a very good
alternative, since she already has her share - for epilepsy, heart condition,
asthma...)
So the puzzle is - why does she now get break-troughs at night, when she didn´t
get them while using the s.c. pump?
But then again - there may not be an answer! No man, woman nor computer can
predict what may happen when all those chemicals get together and have a party!
Best regards,
Lars
Lars Olle Persson
Järnvägsgatan 31, 264 33 KLIPPAN
Tel. 0435-142 54, mobil 070-78 77 128
--

My husband has GERD, acid reflux, hiatal hernia, all in one. There
are some foods he just cannot swallow, especially if he eats too
fast...takes a large bite and doesn't chew it well. Everything
always looks okay...but this last time (a few months ago) he was not
able to swallow a piece of steak nor "vomit" it up either...it was
flat out stuck. In the ER they gave him a shot of glucogan which
for some reason induces vomiting by causing the esophagus to relax
in order to break up the blockage...even that did not work.
They ended up having to admit him to th ehospital overnight and do
an emergency endoscopy to actually go in and retrieve the food.
He has also had trouble with RICE! You would think that would be
the easiest thing in the world to swallow but for some reason it is
one of his biggest triggers of the hiatal hernia. (so all of you
know what that is: the end of the esophagus that enters into the
stomach has a one way valve...opens when we swallow and closes when
we aren't to keep food from coming back up. Frequent acid refulx
weakens this valve and permits more acid and some food to come back
up into the esoph causing that backwash, nasty tasting stuff we all
get sometimes ... don't ever do yoga on a full stomach...wait at
least three hours after eating ! unless you like getting that
backwash ! ick !)
So...all of this is to say you need to stay on your docs...if it's
been almost 6 months since your last endoscopy, then perhaps it's
time for another one...things can change in that many months...
Good luck Ralph...
Jeannine

Hi
jac's sister here can you sen d me the link to your current chat room
Thanks
Anita

Reminder Reminder from the Calendar of ThePancreatitisPlace
Focused Chat
Thursday February 12, 2004
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
This event does not repeat.
Event Location: TPP Chatroom on AOL
Notes:
Topic and host to be annouced.

Pam,
I am only drink these juices when my sugar is low. My insulin is set
to keep it on the low side now. I did have cranberry sauce last
night. I am trying out mixing juice together. I mixed some
OJ/Cranberry together last night. Weak on the OJ and froze it. Put it
by my bed incase of a sugar low during the night. It only brought it
up to 90. At 4am this is not enough to get me through till 6am. I had
to wake to a early breakfast!!! Looks like I need to make OJ/sugar my
main bedside drink and spike it before going to bed with cranbery and
whatever. I just can't handle cranberry alone. I find that the fruits
spike my sugar faster than the juices. Brittle diabetes does not play
fair. I am still having night time mega swelling problems but as of
last night my viens are swelling and hurt to the touch. Got a doc
appointment tomorrow, can't wait to see if he trys to put every drug
possible to cause pancreatitis. I have refused one already from him.
I am looking for an expert on diabetes to help us out. God willing
this will happen.
God Bless,
Robert
A Founding Member,

Hi Ralph, it's jan............. and sometimes that happens to me if i don't
chew the food oenough or drink tooooooooooo fast. It just hangs there like
i'm going to choke! My mom ha that problem too expecially when she eats
rice, or lettuce...... it just sits there... then she has to go throw
up.... cause it won't go down. Now......... she has had her esophagus
stretched about 6-8 times so as to let the food go down easier. i don't
think this is necessary because she eats soooooooooooooooo fast and doesn't
chew her food enough... She really just inhales her food. I've talked to
her aabout it... but she doesn't listen.... and she's supppoose to take
nexium to help the food go down.... and she won't take it??? GO figure...
Do you take nexium or that purple pill??? It does help. I think alot of
this has to do with the doc's messing up our throats so many times with so
many procedures going down the esophagus tine aafter time. Try eating very
slowly and sip on your drinks easily. Chew your bites about 15-20 times
before you swallow! This sounds like alot...... but it helps BIG TIME! Let
me know.... it's no picnic!.... love, jan xox

Boy oh boy the mail service is quick getting to you! You know , Lisa has
2 boys, Devan 6 and Colin 3... Well.. she told them we had an alligator in
our pool! And Devan said.... Mommy alligators don't live in pools!!!
So... i asked Lisa if it would be ok if i sent them each a big 9 x 12
envelope stuffed with some goodies for the boys??? She said .......... ooh
yes.. they would love it! ( You know she's been kind of depressed up and
down lately) So i loaded the envelopes with all kinds of stickers on the
front and back. and pput valentines candy, alligator confetti..(lots)
snake confetti) and some in individual packs that say ( surprise) also
each of them got a froggie bath mit that has frog faces on each one of the
fingers! So they can play in the bathtub with each other! I can't
renmember what else.. but it was packed. Also. Lisa doesn't know
this... but i sent her a really neat kids book for her to read to the boys..
It's a book that answers questions that kids ask about God .... like How
come Godd's phone is never busy? or How does God make the grass green? or
Why does my brother always follow me around? It's a darling book.... It
just brings you to teaars... with all the answers from the bible. and then
i sent her some valentine candy.... oh wait.... i forgot the important
part... inside each page of the book... i put MOM#1 confetti all
throughout the book! It's ttttttttterrific. just a little reminder that
she's a good mom even when she feels she's not!!! and a flowered book with
a matching flowered writing pen and some stickers, too! So.. they should
get their surprises by valentines day!! and there will be confetti of all
nature all over their house.!!! And then, of course... i had to send you
some, too! I have a drawer full of confetti of every sort! A dresser
drawer full. Even 4 leaf clovers for St Patricks Day!! I hope you're
saving the confetti... cause remember i told you.... if you put if all in a
clear glass bowl under a light.... at night it will make beatiful colors all
over the ceilings and walls.... like prisims. I like the alligators. My
all time favorite ones are the tons of confetti's for birthdays....
balloons, cakes, squigglies, party hats, happy birthday, different kinds
of tiny tiny shapes that are really hard to pick up!! Ohhhhhhhhh do i get
cussed when all those birthday confetti's fly out!! I filled tom's Mom's
card full of her birthday confetti... and she forgot that i fill the
cards.......... and i guess cussed me as she was trying to sweepo it up...
It doesn't sweep.. it sticks!! HE! HE! Pay backs... for calling me , how
terrible i looked Christmas Eve for about 15 minutes. Hey... just thought
of something... would you like me to send you some MOM#1 confetti for your
daugher to give to Denise?????? i have plenty.... Maybe that would make her
smile for a while, huh? Let me know.... and i'll check into some more
wildlife for the irishman ... after your approval! You're so much fun,
Robert. I hope you're doing good today. You sound good. I have the "ocean
breeze" going for you now. I'll blow the scent your way....... take care...
i loved talking with you the other night... You're just the greatest!! ( My
partner in crime!) love, jan xox

Got a question for you all. I have been having some difficulties swallowing and
feels as it is getting stuck or just not going down right things and kinder feel
like my throat is swollen near my Larynx area.
What I need to ask you all, what is the possibilities that something is wrong
with the test that I have had done. Yes I know that you all are not medical DRS
but just looking for some input on this and I know I have heard things before
but just having a rough time excepting things and being that something is going
on with my throat in all.
I have had a barium swallow about a year and a half ago and everything was ok,
little acid reflex, they said but besides that everything normal. I have had
Chest X-rays about 2 in the past year. I also have had 2 abdomen CT's and a
Abdomen ultrasound in the past 6 - 8 months.. I have also had a scope from the
ears,nose,throat DR go down my throat a couple of time in the past 2 years and
everything was normal then. I also just had a Endoscopy about 3 -5 months ago
and they also did a biopsy and everything was normal.
So, I have had allot done and I still seem to have a problem, is this anything I
should be concern about or could this just be nerves going on. That is what
others say and some DR's but I don't always believe what Dr's have to say.
Well anyways, I thought I would email you all and see what you had to say about
this in all.
Thanks and best wishes all,
---Ralph

Jan,
Pat is the bunnie shooting expert. He is going to have to teach
froggie, if he gives up his evil intentions. There are green
aligators all over the place here!!!! Call animal control!!!
Robert
A Founding Member,

What in sam blazes are you talking about???? You trained froggie how to
bunnie shoot? what is this.. orange and pink envelopes got to do with
this..??? Wwwhereis it????? what does it do??? terribly
perplexed....... naj oxox

i had a procedure on monday. where they burn the nerve to the
pancreas..to decrease the pain...painful and horrible procedure
(some type of block)...i need for anyone to plz let me know if they
was any bad or good outcomes from this procedure...and i have also
been having alot of vomitting and nausea from it. any similar
outcomes from any one.. plz let me know...
greatfully thankful,
brenda

Dear Jan & Pat,
Soon you are going to have to get all dressed up and pretty smelling
and get on your cam!!! I can set mine on froggie he looks much better
than I. We might even get Pat on with us. Maybe he will shoot at
froggie!!! No worries, he is a bunny shooter. Pat, would you please
help out with this 3 way. Someone is going to have to coach us
through this. Jan tell us when you are a dressed up. Snail mail is in
orange and pink envelopes got to check this out!!!!
Robert
A Founding Member,

Hello {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Everyone}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
I would like to remind everyone about our Focus Chat on Depression
tonight in the TPP chatroom. It starts at 7pm eastern time and will
go on as long as necessary.
Depression goes hadn-in-hand with pancreatitis because it is such a
life altering disease. It is difficult at best to adjust to the new
way of life. And we all have had what I call "dark days" because of
the pancreatitis. What have you done to cope with the bad days?
What has worked and what hasn't? Please come share your
experineces. You might be able to make a major difference in another
member's life who really could gain from your experiences.
Come if you are currently suffering from depression. We will try to
help. Learn what has worked for others. While not everything that
has worked for one person, will work for another, you might find
something that helps.
Remember, you need to have AOL or their FREE messenger program AIM
(www.aim.com) once downloaded and installed, send either Denise
(DeniseHallock) or myself (ReeAnn) an instant message and we will get

Lars,
I'm so sorry to bother you again, I forgot to mention something else
to you.
You mentioned a dose of Duragesic patch in your post and it is NOT
entirely clear to me if this is the total dose that Else is receiving
or if the dose you mention is an ADDITIONAL dose to another patch,
this would be of some significance so some clarification would be
helpful here.
It is probably my "Extra Stupid" hour that is causing my confusion
rather than your post Lars!
If Else is on just the dose you have mentioned then this is a pretty
low dose as these things go. Obviously, it is essential to keep the
dose as low as possible at all times. However, as Else's doctor has
illustrated very well, having as steady a dose is vital in reducing
the levels of nausea. Avoiding the typical highs and lows of
traditional delivery methods is essential, as Else so readily knows
now.
If the dose you mentioned is an additional dose to her original one,
and I do remember her dosage was increased, but I cannot recall
exactly what it was.
Regardless of her dosage, breakthrough WILL OCCUR, it happens to
virtually everyone suffering Chronic Pain, the literature is very
clear on this issue, and I cannot stress enough the importance
od "Knocking" the breakthrough pain on the head ASAP.
It's not uncommon Lars, in cases such as this, where the breakthrough
pain is at a reeasonably predictable time of the day or, worse still,
at night, for the prescribing doctor to issue a prescription for a
small "top up" dose of the pain meds to be taken at a predetermined
time in advance of the noted onset time of the "Break through" pain
as is the case with Else, apparently.
Again, I'm sorry to have ommitted this information in my previous
response.
Good Luck and please let us know how you, and most importantly, Else
gets on and the resolution provided by your doctor. It may very well
assist some other member in the future.
Kindest regards,
Pat
(AGAIN!) ;8¬0)

I am on the 50mcg Patch and it is typical to have breakthru pain while
on the patch. I have percocet for breakthru pain. Yet, the patch work
very effectivly for 55-60 hours for me. I then need the percocet for
the breakthru. You may have to ask you doctor for a prescript for
breakthru meds.
Walt

Hello again Lars!
Breakthrough pain is a common problem for ALL Chronic Pain suffers,
it's unfortunatly something Else will have to deal with too.
However, all is not gloom and doom! As it is better to try to keep
the painmeds as simple as possible, using the same actual drug is the
most advisable thing to do. Fortunatly, Fentanyl "Suckers" are
available for those using the Patches, such as Duragesic.
As the name suggest, the Suckers are a type of lollypop!
On top of all of the indignities that this awful disease piles on to
it's victims, Else will now have to emulate that old NY Detective,
"Kojak" and suck a lolly, however, she is not required to shave her
hair too, that would be terrible for someone only recently enjoying a
trip to the hairdressers as little "pick - me - up".
Obviously, in your part of the world the manufacturers may not supply
these SUCKERS, they are open to potential abuse simply by their
design. Else's doctor should be able to overcome this problem as I'm
sure that the active ingriedient in the Duragesic Patches is also
available in tablet form.
Actually, Lars, you know I use TRANSTEC patches ans the active
ingriedient, BUPRENORPHIN is available in SUB-LINGUAL form, it
dissolves almost instantly under the tongue and is absorbed very
rapidly into the system. The similarity of the two approaches to
delivry of the drug is pretty clear.
The important thing for Else is to get on top of the breakthrough
pain as soon as possible, her doctor should be aware of this problem
and be sympathetic to her needs.
Has the VALOID been of use to Else? It's the one I take myself as you
may remember and I must say my nausea, although still a feature of my
daily discomfort, is very well controlled by the Valoid.
If it is working for Else them I'm very pleased for her and hopefully
you will obtain the necessary import licence.
Please give Else my fondest regards and I continue to hold her in my
prayers.
Kindest regards,
Pat

Chiggy... can you think back many months ago.... and where you were?
How terribly sick you were? And foor some Godly reason.... found us,
here at TPP! i remember your first post and ho w terrified youu were
besides being so sick aaand wanting to make something of your life.!
Lookkk at how far you've come! You'reee a new man , witha lovely
daughter, and a beautiful wife that worships your every breath! You're here
nnow..... and alive ! ( that's a miracle) an everyday gets a llittle
bit easier. Just a little. But you hold on to that faith, Chiggy...
aaand never let go. God brought you to us for a reason.... Your loving
kindness and sincerity have touched all of us............ and we love
you........ and are so thanfful to haave you all with us in our
family. It just keeps getting better and better. Sure... you'll have some
rough days.... but you'll manage.... we're here to pull you over the
mountain. You're the first post i've read this a.m. and what a wonderful
waaay to start my day.............. with you .! God bless you today
and bring you smiles all within your soul and body. You're a very sspecial
man, Chiggy.... that's just one of the reeeaaasons why we love you.
Candle pprayers are going for you an your family... in God's name.
love, jan xox

Hi all,
With the added 25 µg patch, my wife Else has now returned to the state of
"general discomfort" (as opposed to "utter"). The doctor has applied for a
license to get Valoid, so I won´t have to go to Denmark for Marziné in the
future.
However - she now get break-trough pains AT NIGHT - usually around 2 AM!
This virtually never happened while she was on the s.c. pump, and there have
been no other changes in medication.
I suspect one might argue that metabolism is lowered when we sleep, but hardly
to the point that the fentanyl ceases to do its job...
Another possibility could be that her sleeping pills [Stilnoct (zolpidem) and
Heminevrin ( chlomethiazole edisylate)] act as stoppers, so the fentanyl simply
won´t work...
Has any other Duragesic user got a clue?
Best regards,
Lars
Lars Olle Persson
Järnvägsgatan 31, 264 33 KLIPPAN
Tel. 0435-142 54, mobil 070-78 77 128
--

Karen,
My goodness Lady!! I think we must be related with all of this hospital
payroll we are providing... We have had soooo many members having a rough go of
it
lately, it must be this leap year thing or something. Maybe its something
about the winter that our picky pancreases don't like?? I don't know but the
hospitals sure should be getting rich off of our family members here at TPP.
Please rest and try not to go too quickly with the liquids and stuff, we want
to see you get home for a good long time this time. We're here if you need
us!! Much Love and Many, Many {{{HUGZ and Prayers}}}
Denise
Denise Hallock in Michigan
Co-Owner ~ The Pancreatitis Place

Hey guys,
just wanted to let you know I'm back at my home away from home. I started
throwing up Tuesday afternoon. Called my local pcp, he told me he thought I
should go to Crestwood hospital in Huntsville (next town - about 30 miles
away) so that my GI could take care of me. Called my GI doc and his nurse
told me to go to the ER. She said my GI doc was not on call but that the GI
doc on call would most likely admit me. The ER was absolutely packed.
Finally got me back to the treatment room. Hooked up IV fluid via my port a
cath and gave me morphine and phenergan. After a full bag of fluids and two
rounds of IV meds, I was feeling better. The ER doc called the GI on call and
he just said for me to 'contact' my GI doc at 10 a.m. in the morning (Wed).
After I left the ER, I told my husband I didn't know if they meant for me to
just call my GI or to actually go to his office. My hubby wanted me to go to
his office, but frankly, I was not up to the drive! I got up at 8:30 a.m. and
called my GI's office. I told the receptionist I'd been at the ER the night
before and was told to contact my GI. She asked me if I was doing better. I
told her I had just woken up and had not had anything to drink so for the time
being I was making it okay. She told me to come to his office on March 1st. I
asked if I was just supposed to go back to the ER if I got worse again. She
said if I got worse again, to call and they'd try to get me in. I decided I'd
use a phenergan suppository before even trying to drink anything or take my
meds. I took my meds around 9 a.m. and had just a few sips of gatorade. I
started throwing up violently at 10 a.m. I ended up passing out and was
shaking so badly and in so much pain that I barely made it to the phone. I
called 911 because I knew there was no way I could wait for my mom to get to
my house or sit in the ER waiting room forever. So, I'm in the hospital
again. I'm at my local hospital, which means that my GI won't be seeing me,
but I honestly don't think I could have stood the ride to the next town.
For now I'm doing better. I've just had 2 spoons of ice chips. First thing
I've had since this morning. I'm feeling a little green but it's staying down.
Anyway, I had a ton of e-mails on my computer at home that I didn't get to
before I got sick again. Once the e-mails have been pulled into MS Outlook on
my home computer, I can't get to them on my laptop. So, if I've ignored
anyone, please forgive me. Well, it's now 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning. I'm
going to shut the computer down and try to sleep.
Karen

Robert and all;
I am concerned with your blood sugars so out of whack, juices can really
cause it to spike. This is like liquid sugar and is in your blood stream super
fast. I know my dietetian advises not to drink juices except as a remedy for
low blood sugars. To keep a more stable blood sugar it is better to eat the
actual fruit. Hope you are doing better. You are all in my thoughts and
prayers!
Pam in L.A.

After looking forever for a site that had free greeting cards that were a
little more unique than some of the stuff that we find out here on the net... I
found this site and I thought I would share it with you all.
I even liked the very first page of the sites... for me if the first page
isn't good, then why bother with the rest???
OneAngel.net Heart Warming Greetings For Your Friends And Loved Ones.
http://www.oneangel.net/
I hope that you might find something special here for someone you love (ok,
maybe just lust after or care deeply about, lol!) for that special occasion.
{{{HUGZ and Prayers}}}
Denise
Denise Hallock in Michigan
CO-Owner ~ The Pancreatitis Place

I have long known the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar...however, it
is rough on the stomach if you have GERD...so I bought ACV tablets
and unfortunately had to give them up also...

have a sister with the condition
would like to find out more

I thought this entry from the Urban Legends Reference Pages
at snopes.com might interest you:
http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/acid.asp
Coke lovers, don't worry - read the attached.
Eileen

points well made...you tell a good reason to be as well informed as
possible,
the main point I was trying to make is if you read any list of any
medication you are going to get a list similar to what Robert has
been posting on every single drug and I don't want all of us to be
scared to try new meds....
Hugs, Jeannine

Jeannine we use coke to mix our drinks with. It helps the money come
out and support my family. I find it adds gas to me and more pain. I
love it still. I hope you feeling much better. We pray for all of
this family to feel better. Chiggy

uh...you are very bad, very bad. I think you are terrible. But yes?
How'd I do?
Oh but 9th and 10th grade French was a LOOOOONG time ago !!!
grins and giggles...
Jeannine

Denise, You must watch your diet. This is not good diet... Chiggy

Robert you have me worried about you with this new disease. Please
take care of yourself. Keep us informed. You are in our family
prayers as always my brother fom the usa. Chiggy