Huge archive

Hi {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Everyone}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Before I start our story, I want to say I don't think it would have ever
happened without all the prayers and positive thoughts behind this quest to find
my daughter. I can never find the words to adequately express my gratitude for
those prayers. It was one of the happiest moments in my life to have both my
daughters with me again. And many, many people helped make it possible.
When we got here to Phoenix, Helen and I decided to make posters saying we
were looking for Lil Ree and we would put put them up anywhere we went. At
first Helen wanted a friend to help her do them. I told her no that she should
do
them. Because I knew if Lil Ree saw them, she would know her sister did
them. Helen was doing them in caligraphy - making them works of art.
At first all of our efforts deadend 6 months ago. Everyone keep pointing us
back to where Lil Ree was 6 months ago. Well it turns out about 6 months ago
she went into a shelter for batter women for a few months. And them places
are experts at protecting and hiding their clientele for safety reasons.
Most of the leg work was done by Helen with the help of a young man named
Jason. Jason once promised a friend of his that if there was any way he could
help get Lil Ree out of the situation she was in, that he would help her.
Because of my health issues, Helen did all the leg work, the knocking on the
doors,
the putting up of posters, etc.
Then we began to get vague rumors that she was seen more recently than 6
months ago. Eventually them rumors developed a couple of solid leads - one to a
nursery. Persistance paid off. Someone told Helen and Jason that Lil Ree was
at the owner of the nursery's home and gave them any address. At first it
appeared to be another deadend with no one answering the door. But it felt
right
to Helen, so she left 4 posters at the door. Lil Ree was home, just fearful
to answer the door because she home alone and wasn't sure who it was.
When Lil Ree opened the door a little while later and found the posters she
knew her sister was here. She tells me she was pacing like crazy until her
boyfriend got home with the cell phone to call the numbers on the posters. She
went racing outside when he pulled in the drive, yelling at him that she had
to use the phone to call her sister - he was talking to someone on the phone
when he pulled up. Actually he was talking to Helen on the phone and just
handed the phone to her. They were reunited within minutes of that phone
conversation.
A little while later Helen showed up at the motel room and I thought she was
acting kind of strange. A few minutes after that there was a knock on the
door and in walked two men, followed by Lil Ree. And for the first time in over
7 years all three of us were in the same room!!!
I can't explain how very happy I was at that moment. No words could do it
justice. I called Gary a few minutes later and he didn't even recognize my
voice, I was that far up there on Could 9. It took a minute or two for him to
understand what I was sayng. I could hear the tremble of tears in his voice too
once he understand it had actually happened. We really had found Lil Ree.
And Lil Ree is doing much better than she was 6 months ago. It is like night
and day compared to her situation today. She went from a totally abusive
situation to finding someone who really loves her - you can see it by the way he
looks at her. There is no way this man would ever do anything to hurt her.
He owns his own home with 5 bedrooms and 3 baths, swimming pool and hot tub,
huge hunk of land for being intown, beautifully landscaped.
So this story, while there have been a lot of hard times for all three of us
( the tiwns and I ), things have finally come together for all of us. I know
in my heart it would have not happened without the prayers, positive thoughts
of so many people and some pretty good people here in Phoenix too.
I THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!!!
Love
ReeAnn, fron here on know as Big Ree... :)

Subject: Fw: let HIM control your life
after Sept. 11th, one company invited the remaining members of other companies
who had been decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers to share their available
office space. At a morning meeting, the head of security told stories of
why these people were alive...... and all the stories were just:
The 'L I T T L E' things .
As you might know, the head of the company got in late that day because his
son started kindergarten.
A nother fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.
One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.
One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto
accident.
One of them missed his bus.
One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.
One's car wouldn't start.
One went back to answer the telephone.
One had a child that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.
One couldn't get a taxi.
The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that
morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he
developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today.
Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a
ringing telephone ... all the little things that annoy me. I think to myself,
this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.
Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow getting
dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't
get mad or frustrated; God is at work watching over you.
May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may
you remember their possible purpose.
Pass this on to someone else, if you'd like. There is NO LUCK attached.
If you delete this, it's okay: God's Love Is Not Dependent On E-Mail.
Have A Great Day,
jlm_1972
Wavy Baby
No matter what you go through,
God is there with you, even though you
can't see Him, He is there.

Reminder Reminder from the Calendar of ThePancreatitisPlace
Hosted Chat ~ Denise & Robert
Wednesday August 11, 2004
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
This event repeats every week.
The next reminder for this event will be sent in 23 hours, 4 minutes.
Event Location: AOL's TPP Chatroom
Notes:
This chat is hosted Bye Denise and Robert in AOLs TPP Chatroom. You need AOL or free AIM (www.aim.com) to access this chat. Email or send us a message for the link to the room.
ReeAnn@...

08/09/04,
Dear Cathie,
I'm a TPP member and I haven't posted for a
while ethier because of health problems. Yours are way
worse than mine , but I feel for you and your family.
I'm praying for you and your husband that
everything will turn out all right!
GOOD LUCK! LAURA/TOLEDO,OHIO

Hi all! Welcome to all the new members!
I haven't posted in a while, mainly because I haven't been doing so well. I
had my first go 'round with pancreatitis following my 4th ERCP with
sphincterotomy this past June (luckily, between the meds & just being so
sick, I have almost no recollection of it or my 4 wks in the hospital), and
I haven't been doing so well. I also have SOD (which causes the biliary
dyskinesia), now it's affecting the way my pancreas is able to function, and
gastroparesis - all of these were post-gall bladder removal. I've been in a
deep depression, my husband calls it post-traumatic stress since I have
bouts of suddenly crying for no reason, getting so upset out of the blue
that I have an asthma attack, wake up from nightmares hysterical in cold
sweats, and just not dealing with anything very well. I don't like talking
about what happened to me to people who don't understand.
I've lost all contact with my mother's side of the family - I was
hospitalized 6 times this year (for liver/pancreas problems) and not one
family member came to visit or call! Most only live 1 hr away, others 3 hrs
away. It's heartbreaking to deal with this right now, but mentally &
emotionally I think I have let go of them, finally, and they can't hurt me
anymore.
I've been unable to keep anything down since last wednesday (although,
starting yesterday I have been able to keep down water only - I buy the kind
fortified with electrolytes, so I hope that helps!) - everything I've eaten
comes back up - eventually - thanx to the gastroparesis.
Tomorrow morning around 9am, my husband (whose colon burst last March, had
peritonitis, and wound up with a colostomy - all in the middle of my
hospitalizations too) has his procedure reversed - they'll reattach both
ends of the colon (after moving some stuff around since they removed a
section of his colon last time) and will no longer have a colostomy . We're
both very nervous about it, but I'm sure not letting him know how I feel,
because he'll only get more upset - he's scared enough as it is.
I sure hope everything goes according to plan tomorrow, because I don't know
what I'll do if anything happens to him. He's been my rock.
He will be in ICU for 1 to 2 days, then moved to a regular room for 5-7
days. Between work & visiting him, I doubt I'll be online much for at least
a week, if not more. He sure won't be able to do much for a few wks after
he comes home, and I'm sure he'll be very stir crazy being home alone all
day while I'm at work. I can't afford to take any time off other than the
day of his surgery & some time the day he comes home - I have no disability
coverage at my work (too many pre-existing conditions), so naturally I've
used up all of my vacation/sick time.
I'm wishing everyone good health, and hope that you can include him in your
prayers.
Bye for now,
Cathie in PA

I got this from a friend and wanted to share with my TPP Family.
Denise
What is life?
Life is a gift ... accept it
Life is an adventure ... dare it
Life is a mystery ... unfold it
Life is a game ... play it
Life is a struggle ... face it
Life is beauty ... praise it
Life is a puzzle ... solve it
Life is opportunity ... take it
Life is sorrowful ... experience it
Life is a song ... sing it
Life is a goal ... achieve it
Life is a mission ... fulfill it"
~David McNally~

Dear Brenda,
The morphine did not work well in my pump because it shutdown my
water after slight increases. I have enclosed supporting evidence
below, with the link. I switched to dilaudid and that problem
stopped. Ask for a second opinion on about starting on morphine
because you were already showing signs on the temp pump. This pump
should be the easiest way through the pain of pancreatitis. I know
this through pure experience until I burned out, now the pump is off.
We are here when you need us,
but you already knew that.
Thoughts and Prayers,
Robert
Founder "All Diabetic International"
General Manager "The Pancreatitis Place"
rehammett@...

Hi everyone....I'm scheduled to have my procedure on this coming Tuesday..i
havent been on chat nor on post because i havent been feeling well at all. and i
apologize. I really miss everyone..and i have everyone on my thoughts and
prayers...please take care and i will post when i have the pain pump put in...
Love ur TPP friend,
Brenda

Reminder Reminder from the Calendar of ThePancreatitisPlace
Hosted Chat - ReeAnn
Sunday August 8, 2004
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
This event repeats every week.
The next reminder for this event will be sent in 23 hours, 3 minutes.
Event Location: AOL's TPP Chat room
Notes:
ReeAnn ~ Owner will host a chat in AOLs TPP Chat room. You will need AOL or free AIM (www.aim.com) to access this Chat room. Please email us for the link.
DeniseHallock@...
MsReeAnnBetts@...

Dear Kimber
I am sorry to hear you have had a rotten week. I hope the weekend is
better for you and you get some relief. I'm glad to read that you
slept, as that is what your body is asking for. You are a tough
lady. Take care.
Rhonda
Tulsa, OK

Dear Lori,
I am understanding to well what can happen with your legs and feet.
My toes are are also giving me problems turning dark blue and my legs
have been in pain for months. I hope things begin get much better for
Mike and his pain will soon ease. I just wanted you to know that I
have him in my prayers. Please keep us updated on Mike. Also welcome
to TPP, I am glad you chose to come with your husband.
Robert

Hello Everyone,
Would like to give everyone a update on how things are going with
Ree. I spoke with her this evening and she wanted to let everyone
know that she is still in Phoenix, but is not having much luck in
finding her daughter.This has been very stressful on Ree and as you
all know stress plays a very big part in pancreatitis. It has been
rough on her but she assures me that she is holding her own. The heat
along is something that I have been worring about with her on this
trip.I know that she would love to stay on and look for awhile longer
but she needs to return home. We are still counting on the many
flyers that she has posted around the area. She wanted me to let
everyone know that she has each and everyone of you in her prayers.
She especially wants Mike and Lori to know that she is praying for
Mike while he is in the hospital and also Brenda who is in the
hospital this weekend also.She will give everyone an update when she
returns. TPP is and have been praying for you and will continue to
pray for you. Please have a safe trip home Ree, We love you :)
God Bless
~*~Denise~*~
Caregivers Moderator
deniseatdiabetes@...
sdhammett@...
http://www.thepancreatitisplace.org/

Greetings to the TPP family! I was frustrated because

Karen,
I'd call the nurse back and repeat those reports to the nurse and say
you want to discuss this with the doctor. Obviously there is something
going on there that the doctors saw and if your GI continues to ignore
it, I'd go find a new GI.
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.

HI All,
so sorry I've been off and on so much lately. This last week I've been
offline because I've been having alot of pain, diahrea and fatigue, with
the occasional nausea to have a little variety. The fatigue was so bad
that I spent most of Monday thru Wednesday asleep. I just today started
to feel well enough to go online, though the pain and diahrea seem to
still be hanging on.
I'll do what I can to catch up on my mail, but don't be surprised if it
takes me a few days to catch up and respond to any posts sent to me.
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.

Hi
Welcome to the group! I'm Pam and I live in Georgia with my hubby , three dogs
and 2 parrots. I'm disabled because of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue. I have
added to my list......neuropathy, cryoglobulinemia, liver disease and
pancreatitis.
But I'm happy and life is great inspite of the pain I suffer with every day.
Sticking to a low-fat diet helps the most. Since I am so sensitive to all
medications, I do not take any on a daily basis. I do have oxyIr if it gets
really bad but most days I choose to ignore the pain and stay busy.
I had my gallbladder taken out 25 years ago at the tender age of 30. I had a
severe attack 2 years ago and one 6 weeks ago. Otherwise I just have that boring
through the stomach to the back pain every day. It has become my constant
companion.
Oh I wanted to say that I love your show.......Can't wait until 24 starts
again........hmmmm.....any hints you would like to leak out about the next
episodes?....Hehehe........wait maybe you really are the real Jack Bauer!.
Warm thoughts........grinning........Pam ga
Special_Agent_Jack Bauer <Lord_Slinky@...
Thanks for the warm welcome all...
Kelly...Good to hear your fully recovered
Rudy...your english is fine. You mentioned your last attacks were
two years apart. You mentioned you still have infrequent attacks.
Just wondering if you are still on a diet?
Dave...You in the berkshires? Its definitely good to have docs that
care/understand. I've been in NYC for the past 2 years and moved back
home to Boston(hence the need for a new doc ). The one bad part of
the move is I had good docs: my PCP would see me on the same day that
I set up an appointment, and I essentially had 2 GIs, both of whom
knew me (my first GI told me I should seek a second opinion after he
couldn't come up with any explanations). My first GI was just your
regular GI with his own practice. My second worked at a university
hospital (he was the one who suggested I go to Mayo)
My (limited) experience as well as what I've heard from conversation
leads me to prefer GIs who work at research hospitals as they
generally seem to have more knowledge on whats current in the field.
Also, if your pancreatitis is idiopathic (cause unknown), I'd highly
recommend a trip to the Mayo Clinic in minnesota. I was thoroughly
impressed by their facilities when I went. Essesentially on the first
day, you meet the doc, go over your history, and he orders some tests
for the next 2,3 days. Then after its all done, you see him again
and go over the results.
On a side note, my issue had denied claims regarding mayo (because it
was out of network), and I'd appealed the issue. Yesterday I found
out my appeal was successful...so now I can go get that new car that
I'd decided to forgo :)
Just curious...do any of you believe your life expectency will be
reduced do the pancreas issues?
Jack
www.thepancreatitisplace.org

Hello Jack,
Although I have a few good days every so often with bad days
outnumbering them by far, I fear I am as far away from full recovery as a person
can be. Tho I would jump at the chance to be so so fast you would only feel a
brush of air as I went flying by. But I say a prayer every day that some
scientist might accidently happen upon a wonderful discovery to make this
nightmare go away from all of us forever.
My doc and I have discussed the probabality of a life span being somewhat
shortened by the disease process of cp and in all likelyhood it may indeed have
a definite effect. Depending on how much damage has been done and to still be
done is a major factor to be sure. In my case, what with the limited health
care I have available to me, limited procedures and test that may be done thru
my healthcare and other factors including other health problems, I personally
would be very happily surprised to go past another 10 years or so (hopefully not
in too much pain). I have decided to be very hardheaded as far as my
limitations may be at times to do everything and see everything humanly possible
before health factors take completely over my life. I have too much living to
do to go quietly and with regrets.
Luckily, I am married to my best friend in the world and there will never be
enogh time spent with either he or our children.
They are my world since the career I always dreamed of is no longer possible,
now even more so than before, they are my everything. And so now, I am doing
everything I can to make life interesting and fun for those I love dearly. I
count myself very lucky indeed.
I do not plan to just lie down and wait for the next 10 years to come and see if
what we figured was right or not. Hopefully, I will be so busy enjoying life
that I won't notice that the 10 years has come and gone.
At times the biggest battle I fight is with the depression that seems to come
along with the diagnosis. Sometimes I would swear that when the pain is up a
notch or two the depression swoops in and before long the pain has increased
even more which in turn elevates the depression. It is a very viscous cycle.
I hope this letter finds you in good spirits and painfree. Open the curtains
and let the sunshine in and just tell yourself to enjoy and live life to the
fullest. Who knows, you may pick up the newspaper tomorrow and the headlines
will read "Cure Found For Painful and Horrible Disease. Millions
Rejoicing!!!!!!!".
Hope you are having a good day and hope to hear from you soon.
wishing for painfree days and restful nights,
Kelly from Oklahoma
Special_Agent_Jack Bauer <Lord_Slinky@...
Thanks for the warm welcome all...
Kelly...Good to hear your fully recovered
Rudy...your english is fine. You mentioned your last attacks were
two years apart. You mentioned you still have infrequent attacks.
Just wondering if you are still on a diet?
Dave...You in the berkshires? Its definitely good to have docs that
care/understand. I've been in NYC for the past 2 years and moved back
home to Boston(hence the need for a new doc ). The one bad part of
the move is I had good docs: my PCP would see me on the same day that
I set up an appointment, and I essentially had 2 GIs, both of whom
knew me (my first GI told me I should seek a second opinion after he
couldn't come up with any explanations). My first GI was just your
regular GI with his own practice. My second worked at a university
hospital (he was the one who suggested I go to Mayo)
My (limited) experience as well as what I've heard from conversation
leads me to prefer GIs who work at research hospitals as they
generally seem to have more knowledge on whats current in the field.
Also, if your pancreatitis is idiopathic (cause unknown), I'd highly
recommend a trip to the Mayo Clinic in minnesota. I was thoroughly
impressed by their facilities when I went. Essesentially on the first
day, you meet the doc, go over your history, and he orders some tests
for the next 2,3 days. Then after its all done, you see him again
and go over the results.
On a side note, my issue had denied claims regarding mayo (because it
was out of network), and I'd appealed the issue. Yesterday I found
out my appeal was successful...so now I can go get that new car that
I'd decided to forgo :)
Just curious...do any of you believe your life expectency will be
reduced do the pancreas issues?
Jack
www.thepancreatitisplace.org

Thanks for the warm welcome all...
Kelly...Good to hear your fully recovered
Rudy...your english is fine. You mentioned your last attacks were
two years apart. You mentioned you still have infrequent attacks.
Just wondering if you are still on a diet?
Dave...You in the berkshires? Its definitely good to have docs that
care/understand. I've been in NYC for the past 2 years and moved back
home to Boston(hence the need for a new doc ). The one bad part of
the move is I had good docs: my PCP would see me on the same day that
I set up an appointment, and I essentially had 2 GIs, both of whom
knew me (my first GI told me I should seek a second opinion after he
couldn't come up with any explanations). My first GI was just your
regular GI with his own practice. My second worked at a university
hospital (he was the one who suggested I go to Mayo)
My (limited) experience as well as what I've heard from conversation
leads me to prefer GIs who work at research hospitals as they
generally seem to have more knowledge on whats current in the field.
Also, if your pancreatitis is idiopathic (cause unknown), I'd highly
recommend a trip to the Mayo Clinic in minnesota. I was thoroughly
impressed by their facilities when I went. Essesentially on the first
day, you meet the doc, go over your history, and he orders some tests
for the next 2,3 days. Then after its all done, you see him again
and go over the results.
On a side note, my issue had denied claims regarding mayo (because it
was out of network), and I'd appealed the issue. Yesterday I found
out my appeal was successful...so now I can go get that new car that
I'd decided to forgo :)
Just curious...do any of you believe your life expectency will be
reduced do the pancreas issues?
Jack

Hi Jack
Welcome to TPP, my name is Dave and i`v had CP for the last 12yrs.
I live in western Mass. I don`t know of any drs. in Boston but i will
ask around. I just fired my Dr aftewr 10 yrs. I found a Dr that seems
to really care and understands what we go through with cp.
Again welcome.
Regards,
Dave

Hi Jack,
And welcome to a great group of ppl who share the same ailment as you. In
this group you will meet a great group of ppl who are also in your shoes and are
usually able to answer any questions you may have regarding meds, diet,
procedures, tests and so on. If support is what you need then you have come to
the right place.
I had my gallbladder removed in april of this year and recovered rather quickly
and without any problems.
My name is Kelly, 35,married 10 yrs in nov.,between my hubby and I we have 4
children mine, his, and ours. I have had cp for the last 2 1\2 years.
we have chat every sun and wed night and plz feel more than welcome to join
us sometime. We all do a good job of supporting each other and if you have a
ques and noone immediately knows the answer they will do research to help find
an answer. The ppl in this group support the family members in your household
as well.
anywho, sorry for boring you. just wanted to say quick howdy and welcome you to
the group. hope to hear from ya soon.
wishes for painfree days and restful nights,
Kelly from oklahoma
Special_Agent_Jack Bauer <Lord_Slinky@...
Hi,

Hello Jack, welcome in TPP, a great place for people who suffer from
pancreatitis and also for the family of the patients. You will find
here a lot of information, but more important a lot of support in
bad and good days. Well Jack, I can only tell you about my own
experiences. My name is Rudy, I am old 48 and I live in Belgium,
Europe in a town called Oostende, which is situated at the
beautifull belgian coast. I suffor now for about ten years with
chronic pancreatitis. The reason for being sick is my own fault. I
have been drinking too much. I am an alcoholic. Now for more than 9
years I stopped with drinking. I am telling you that because cp, in
a very high percentage, is caused by an overconsumption of alcohol.
Let's forget that for now and return to my life of today. At first I
had very heavy attacks and I also thought it had something to do
with my stomach. After a while I got jaunisse. All yellow you know,
and when I went to the toilet the water was brown, black and I had
diaree also. To make a long story short, after a lot of exminations,
doctor tried to put a stent in between the gallbladder and the
pancreas. But a pitty for me Ct --scan hadn't been showing all the
damage inside. So I had to replace that stent every two or three
months. Option number two was an operation. I went for that one.
Surgeon removed the gallbladder,cut a very big part of the pancreas
away, cut out a part of the abdomen and took that part to make a
connection. In other words I had a whippleprocedure. After that I
recovered quit well. At first I went on a diet. Not for long because
the doctor told me that I had to find out myself which food was good
for me and which not. Certainly I had to watch out for fat and fast
food. Alcohol isn't good either, drinking problem or not. After the
operation, in 1997, I had still some attacks. But the time between
two of them is everytime longer. I had one in May 2002 and now one
in 2004 May. There is one fact Jack, with pancreatitis life has
changed. Therefore not always in a bad way, but it is something that
we all carry with us. And when I have a little feeling of unrest
down there I immediatly think about all the sufforing. Most of the
times I am wrong, thank God. That's why I enjoy today of every good
moment. When you are feeling not to well Jack, write it down. When
you are feeling great Jack, write it down also. That is a way to
give support and share our feelings for one other. I hope you
understand what I have been writing down, because I am not used to
write in the english language. I wish you a whole lot of pain free
days Jack and you and everyone else here at TPP are in my thoughts.
Warm greetings from Ostend, Belgium. Rudy,

Christine,
YEAH!! Glad you are home and that Michelle is doing ok. I have been
thinking of you guys. Wish we were closer so our girls could meet
each other.
What type of oral pain med's work well for Michelle? Amanda has yet
to find an oral medicine that works on this pain.
Hope the remaining summer days are pain free for Michelle. Hope you
catch up on some much needed rest. To quote Dorthy, "There's no place
like home, there's no place like home".
Your friend,
Rhonda
Tulsa, OK

Hi Jack,
This board has been a lifesaver for me too. I am 38 and have been
suffering with recurrent bouts of pancreatitis since 1998. After
suspecting the gallbladder and having it removed I still suffered
attacks. In 2001 I was diagnosed by an MRCP with a congenital defect
known as a pancreas divisum (it affects the pancreatic ducts) I had
4 stents placed from dec 01 to mar 02 with no success. My last
option was a sphincteroplasty where they surgically repair the duct.
I had this surgery in aug of 02 and it bought me a few months before
I began having attacks again. The longest period I have gone between
attacks in 26 weeks. Now, I find myself 5 months pregnant with our
first child, a boy, and I couldn't be happier even though I have
been hospitalized 4 times since April with flare-ups. I guess I
want you to know is that this disease is a life-changer and as other
great souls on this board will tell you, life as you once knew it
ceases to exist with cp. Try to have a support network of family and
friends, if possible. Adapt yourself to what is to come and live
each day in a positive light even when you think you couldn't be in
a darker place. Find out everything you can on your condition,
because alot of doctors have to be educated from time to time. I
don't know of any good dr's in Boston but do know that Johns Hopkins
is reputable. I receive treatment at MCV in Richmond, VA. I am sure
others on this board could help in a search close to you. Hang
tough and know that you have support here at the TPP.
Judy
Wakefield, VA

Hi Rhonda,
Sorry to hear about your daughter. Must be tough on you and her.
People with my gene mutation (SPINK1 gene) have a higher incidence of
pancreatitis than the general population. Not everyone with the
mutation has pancreatic issues. So it may have been the mutation
that played a significant role, or it may have just been the
gallbladder...
On one side, I guess I'm lucky that my problems didn't start until
after college was over. I have no idea how I would've survived in
college. I used to eat fast food multiple times a week, go to
restaurants for dinner atleast once, eat fried chicken once a week,
and pizza multiple times...
On a side note, my uncle used to ask -- how do you refrain from
eating (unhealthy food). I'd respond "Well everytime you ate
something fried, if someone punched you in the stomach, would you
keep eating?"
Jack

Hi all,
Michelle came home yesterday late afternoon. She is still dealing
with pain and has increased her strength of pain meds, but she is
doing well!
Last Friday, during her ERCP, they found a lot of scarring and the
duct the doctor had increased the last time (2001), almost closed
this time. My concern was the after math of it all, which usually
causes high level in her emzymes. They did raise, but decreased by
half each day.
Our other concern was removing the stint a week later, because the
doctor was telling us that this could also inflame the pancreas and
we could start all over. By the grace of God, Wednesday morning,
they X-rayed her and she had already dislodged the stint. Since she
had already started to have a clear liquid diet, they started her on
oral pain meds and she did great.
She slept all night last night, but was crying this morning because
she was in so much pain. Since she hadn't taken her meds in almost
ten hours, I gave her some and she went to eat some breakfast. She
and her sister are goofing around now, instead of doing their
homework, but I love the sound of their joy!
Blessing to you all,
Christine
Denton, TX

Hi Jack,
My name is Rhonda and my 11 year old daughter suffers from acute
pancreatitis attacks. I hate that you have been having pain in the
last years, but am thankful that you received some answers from the
Mayo Clinic. I am glad that you have found the TPP board. You will
find lots of great people here as well as tons of info on
pancreatitis.
Amanda pretty much sticks with a low fat diet (but she is a kid, so
hey, she does pretty good :-) We find this diet keeps her pretty
healthy and pain free.
You meantion the Mayo doc's found a genetic disorder. Was this a
gene mutation which is linked to causing pancreatitis? If so, you
will probably have future problems. But, I am not a doctor, just
going from what I have read.
Again, welcome to TPP
Rhonda
Tulsa, OK

Hi,

Hi Bruce, Thanks for starting my morning with a smile...i caught that gator you
wanted, it's on its way.....be very careful...it's still alive...
I recommend this pain pump to everyone , i was actually "pain free"
yeppie...couldnt not believe it. Please look around and find a doctor that does
this procedure. I was very scared at first...but when i had it done i was very
pleased.
Take Care , ur in my thoughts.
Brenda

Denise
Thanks for the words of support. I am so sorry that Robert has problems
with his legs. From your short description of His legs I would have to say that
It probably is not an infection. Now I am not a doctor and I am making an
uneducated guess. I have not had a infection that would come and go on its own.
Another way you can tell is if he has an elevated white blood cell count. also
Robert for the most part would be running a fever. The nurse took my temperature
the other day and it was 105 and yesterday it stayed at around 101 all day long.
To me it sounds like Robert has a bad case of Neuropathy in his legs I hope that
I was of some kind of help to you! I know that Robert has a lot of pain in his
legs and I pray that what ever the problems are that they are taken care of by
the doctor and that he finds peace and pain free days ahead. God Bless you and
yours!
Michael H Karns
Joshua 1v8-9
Denise <sdhammett@...
Hello Michael,
I am sorry to hear about your foot. You said you lost your left foot
a couple of years ago? I sure hope that is not the case with this
one. I am worried about the loss of limbs also with my husband,
Robert. He has neuropathy real bad and these past few months his legs
hurt him so bad. He has large veins that run down his legs and he
said the veins hurt. We told the doctor the last time but of course
when we were at the doctor office the veins had gone down and he did
not get to see them that way. I was just wondering if that maybe be a
sign of infection. They swell a great deal and he says sometimes that
they feel like that they are going to fall off. I appreciate any
feedback on this that you can give. Thanks to you and Lori for
joining out family here at TPP. Our thoughts and prayers are with you
and your family.
God Bless
~*~Denise~*~
Caregivers Moderator
deniseatdiabetes@...
sdhammett@...
http://www.thepancreatitisplace.org/

Hello Michael,
I am sorry to hear about your foot. You said you lost your left foot
a couple of years ago? I sure hope that is not the case with this
one. I am worried about the loss of limbs also with my husband,
Robert. He has neuropathy real bad and these past few months his legs
hurt him so bad. He has large veins that run down his legs and he
said the veins hurt. We told the doctor the last time but of course
when we were at the doctor office the veins had gone down and he did
not get to see them that way. I was just wondering if that maybe be a
sign of infection. They swell a great deal and he says sometimes that
they feel like that they are going to fall off. I appreciate any
feedback on this that you can give. Thanks to you and Lori for
joining out family here at TPP. Our thoughts and prayers are with you
and your family.
God Bless
~*~Denise~*~
Caregivers Moderator
deniseatdiabetes@...
sdhammett@...
http://www.thepancreatitisplace.org/

Hello everyone!
I want to take this time and thank you all for how you have made my wife Lori
feel so welcome in this group. You all are the best. You all are truly family to
me.
I am sorry that I have not posted sooner but I have developed an infection in
my right foot and I have not felt very well these last few day. I have lost most
of my left foot to the same thing a couple years ago and now it looks like I
might lose my right foot as well. The one good thing is that my pancreas has
given me a little brake and has not been hurting to bad during this problem with
my foot.
I will end this because my pain meds are making it hard to write well. God bless
you all may you all find some pain free time in your day.
Michael H Karns
Joshua 1v8-9

Reminder Reminder from the Calendar of ThePancreatitisPlace
Hosted Chat ~ Denise & Robert
Wednesday August 4, 2004
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
This event repeats every week.
The next reminder for this event will be sent in 23 hours, 3 minutes.
Event Location: AOL's TPP Chatroom
Notes:
This chat is hosted Bye Denise and Robert in AOLs TPP Chatroom. You need AOL or free AIM (www.aim.com) to access this chat. Email or send us a message for the link to the room.
ReeAnn@...

Hello Bren
Thank You for letting us know how you are doing. I thought about you
while you were in the hosptial. I knew you would be happy with the
pump cause Robert was when he got his. I am so happy for you hun that
finally you have gotten some relief ;)Oh, for the itching, try a
little benadryl, that always helped Robert when he itched. Sorry you
had so much trouble with the doc taking the line out, but real glad
that you got some much needed relief.Our prayers continue to be with
you and your family.
God Bless
~*~Denise~*~
Caregivers Moderator
deniseatdiabetes@...
sdhammett@...
http://www.thepancreatitisplace.org/

Hi Brenda
I'm so happy it went well. I know it must have been wonderful to be out of pain.
If I may ask, could you describe your pain to me.....how it felt?
My pain bores through me on my right side just under my rib cage and goes
straight through to my back. It feels as though there is a pole that goes right
through me. I have it 24/7. I had my gallbladder out 25 years ago and when I
mentioned it to my hepatolgist he just asked me if I drank alot prior to my last
attack. No, I never did......a few glasses of wine once in a while. He just
dropped it there and wasn't concerned or he just doesn't care. I see him for a
liver problem. To me this is all connected.......the liver, the gallbladder ,
the pancreas, the bile ducts. Why can't doctors see when you are having
problems with one organ and you also had one removed, it stands to reason that
the pancreas is following suit. Or am I just crazy? I don't want a ERCP done.
I just want some relief from this constant pain. It's been like this for 6 years
now and not one doctor wants to address it.
Sorry about going on like this. I do hope that everything works out. I do not
take anything for pain.......I just live with it. I just need to know how it
feels when it becomes chronic.
Warm thoughts............Pam ga
brenda green <bkstars2000@...
Hi Everyone. I first want to thank everyone for the support you have given me.
I went in on Friday procedure was scheduled for 4:00 pm but doctor arrived
late..5:30 pm.
Procedure went well. Went into my room at around 7:00 pm...By the time they
ordered my Morphine it arrive at 10:30 pm.. they upped the dosaged several times
until i had no pain...Couldnt believe almost 4 yrs and finally NO PAIN..still
brings tears to my eyes. I recommed this to everyone. Yesterday they removed
it..it's like an epidural and line that goes directly into your spine. and is a
very slow drip of morphine. When he went to remove it , it was hard to come out.
it was like it was stuck...The doctor couldnt explain it he said this never
happens. it usually just slips right out...You know everyone i wasnt one bit
surprised...with me...i just seem to have bad luck everywhere..if i didnt have
bad luck i would have no luck at all. He put me in several positions until it
finally came out. There were side effects..swelling & itching all over my body
and wasnt able to urinate. I will discuss it with him...may need another type of
medication instead of morphine.
I go back next Tuesday to have the permant one put in. WIl let u know the
outcome on that. Take care and have pain free days.
Love ur TPP friend, Brenda

Welcome Vince at TPP. You have joined right now a lot of good
people, people who will help and listen in good times and bad times.
I enjoyed every minute of my stay in TPP Vince. Well, I suffer from
chronic pancreatitis for some of the last ten years. It is a very
positive thing that over here we can talk about the pain, a pain
that is terrible. But that we also can give advice or suggestion,
out of our own experiences, to the other members. I think I found
the solution to live with that disease. I try to enjoy of every good
moment the day brings us. It may sound simple, but it is very
effective for me. So Vince, I am sure you will find a lot of friends
here and my thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family.
Greetings from Ostend, Belgium, Europe. Rudy,

Hello Vince,
Welcome to TPP. I am so glad that you have found this wonderful
caring family. Everyone truely does care about you and your family.
My name is Denise and my husband has suffered with pancreatitis for
15 1/2 years. He is also a brittle diabetic. I understand some of
what you and your brother are going thru. It is hard to your loved
one in so much pain. I am glad that she has you and your brother. We
have chat tonight at 7 pm EST. Also on Wednesday nights same time.
You would need AOL or AIM to get in the chats, but we would love to
see you there tonight if you can make it. Our thougths and prayers
are with you and your family.
God Bless
~*~Denise~*~
Caregivers Moderator
deniseatdiabetes@...
sdhammett@...
http://www.thepancreatitisplace.org/

Other than going to my pain doc to see the nurse and get my precscriptions,
today was the only day I've been out of the house since getting discharged from
the hospital on July 23rd. Well, not counting my two ER visits, one on Sunday,
July 25th, and then one Wednesday, July 28th.
I left the Mayo Clinic with the impression that they had found at least part of
the cause for my continuing attacks of pancreatitis, which ultimately led to my
diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis. I understood them to say that the CT scan
showed a blockage of some sort at the 'ampulla of vater'. I also understood
them to say that they were unable to get to this area via ERCP so they couldn't
tell me whether the blockage was a tumor, scar tissue, or what it is.
However, after calling my local GI/Hep's office on Friday I am totall confused
on what they did/did not find at Mayo. I was under the impression that they
definitely found either a tumor, scar tissue, or some sort of blockage around
the amupualla of vater. Mayo alos suggested that I may not have autoimmune
hepatitis (AIH) at all and that the damage to my live might just be caused by
repeat attacks of acute panc. Regardless of whether I have AIH or not the Hep
at Mayo suggested stopping meds for AIH (imuran and predisone) and monitoring my
liver enzymes. I saw my local GI/Hep do on Friday, July 2nd. He said he saw no
harm in stopping the meds for AIH and seeing what happens. So, I have now been
off imuran and prednisone for a month. The first two week blood check one of my
liver enzymes was up to 95 (just over 3 times normal), the other one was about
60 something (or about 2 times normal). My GI/Hep's advice was to wait and see
what the next few labs show. When I asked him about the CT scan at MAYO and the
last CT scan done at Crestwood (the Hospital in Huntsville that he goes to)
showing a 'prominent ampulla' that needed to be investigated further. He really
didn't give me a an answer. I asked him if if was a tumor or even scar tissue,
couldn't it be removed surgerically without having to mess with my actual
pancreas. He told me he wanted to just adress one thing at a time and that he
first wanted to see what happens with me off my meds for the AIH. At the time I
was satisfied with that answer. However, since then, I've been in the hospital
once and to the ER 3 or 4 times. I called his nurse Friday and told her that
this was ridiculous and that I wanted to know if something could be done about
whatever it is they saw on the ct scan that they incicated as 'prominent
ampulla', which all the doctors said it meant there's either a tumor, scar
tissue, or some other sort of partial blockage at the ampulla of vater.
Well, then the nurse called me back, she said my GI/Hep doc said that the ERCP
showed there was no blockage at the ampulla of vater. The way that I am reading
the ERCP report, I don't think they were actually able to get to the ampulla of
vater via ERCP because of my gastric bypass. My discharge summary from Mayo
clearly states
Summary Diagnoses:
"#1 Partial biliary obstruction"
Admissions Problems:
"#1incomplete biliary obstruction, here for ERCP"
"She has a history of an incomplete biliary obstruction with secondary biliary
fibrosis"
It goes on to state
"She had a norma cholangiogram but faled her pancreatogram."
Past Medical/Surgical Problems:
"Chronic incomplete biliary obstruction with secondary biliray fibrosis."
Problem Oriented Hospital Course (IOP):
"#1 Incomplete biliary obstruction, status post ERCP"
One page of the quack GI's (Dr. Lara) sumary notes states:
"CT Scan showed intra and extra-hepatic duct diation. The pancreatitic duct was
slightly prominent, also. A prominent ampulla was suspected. In the left upper
quadrant a loop of intetine that appeared to be an intussusception was noted.
There has been no previous mention of an ampullary adenoma, thus it is difficult
to interpret the significance of the finding n the recent CT scan (the one done
at Mayo - however, the other GI I saw, Dr. Topazian, said he saw the prominent
ampulla on the ct films from home and that it had definitely increased in sized
during the time period between the ct scan at home and the ct scan at Mayo.).
The CT Scan report from the CT scan done at Mayo mentions
"dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts and of the common duct and there is
slight dilation of the pancreatitic duct. The major finding concerning me today
is what appears to be a mount of soft tissueprojecting into the secodn portion
of the duodenum right at the junction of the ducts with the secodn protion fo
the duodenum. To me, this looks like a very prominent ampulla. I know it might
be difficult to get a look at the ampulla, but I think it would be worthwile if
it was possible to do so. In the left upper quadrant, there is a loop of
intestine that looks like an intussusception."
The ERCP report states:
"The minor and major papillae were identified. Free bile drainage was present.
The biliary duct could be accessed and cholangiography demonstrated a mildly
dilated biliary tree with no stones or strictures. Drainage of bile was
generous. Prolonged efforts at pancreatitic cannulationwith a variably flexed
sphincterotome and an angled glidewire fialed to image or identify that duct.
Glucagon was eventually admministered, as we abandoned hopes of performing
manometry, but entry into the pancreas could still not be accomplished."
I know this is long but it anyone can shed some light on it, it would be greatly
appreciated.
thanks,
Karen

The Great Grape Crumble
Nonstick cooking spray
6 cups seedless green or red grapes (or use a mixture of both for a
holiday
look)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsps granulated sugar, divided (splenda)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (lite margarine)
1 cup plus 2 tbsps all-purpose flour, divided (not sure about whole
wheat
here)
1 tsp orange zest
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (fat free)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp baking powder
Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with
cooking
spray. In a large bowl, combine grapes, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup melted
butter, 2 tablespoons flour, orange zest, and nutmeg; mix well. Pour
into
baking dish; set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 2 tbsps sugar, the remaining
1/4 cup melted butter, the remaining 1 cup flour, sour cream, egg and
baking
powder and mix well. Spoon evenly over grape mixture. Bake for 45
minutes or
until the crust is golden and the juices are thickened. Let cool
slightly,
and then serve warm.
Serves 12
Exchanges: 2 carbohydrates; 2 fat
Calories 210;Fat 9g;Carbs 30g;Fiber 1g;Protein 3g
Mr. Food: Every Day's a Holiday Diabetic Cookbook

For those that can "do" pasta.
Deep Dish Spaghetti Pie
Serves 8
Pillsbury One Dish Meals Cookbook
6 ozs angel hair spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 whole eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup reduced fat parmesan cheese
1 lb ground extra lean beef
1/2 cup onions, chopped
14 ozs low-fat spaghetti sauce
10 ozs frozen corn, thawed
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Prepare a 9" square pan with cooking
spray; set
aside. In a mixing bowl, combine cooked spaghetti, eggs, and parmesan
cheese.
Place into prepared pan; pressing evenly over bottom and up sides to
form a
crust; set aside. In a large skillet, cook beef and onions until beef
is no
longer pink. Add spaghetti sauce, corn, and salt. Mix well. Spoon
mixture
evenly
over spaghetti crust. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or
until
heated through. Let stand five minutes before serving.
Calories 244;Fat 5g;Chol 85mg;Protein 19g;Sodium 624mg;Carbs
29g;Fiber 3g
( Instead of lean ground beef--Ground Turkey is lower in fat. )

Hello Vince,
Welcome to a wonderful group of people. I hope that as a group we will be
able to search and find answers to any questions you or the rest of your family
may have during this trying time.
Being an ex-nurse myself I am thinking the hospital will have her
completely weaned from vent before discharge.
I would question her doc to see if that is a possibility for her.The Dr. should
be able to tell you of any outside assistance your family may be eligible for as
far financial,legalities and so on.She may have to go to a long-term facility on
a short term basis (hopefully) to get the care she will need at first especially
if she continues to need a vent or respiratory treatments of any kind.
It may be a good idea to inquire at your local social security office for
any ideas or suggestions or the local dept. of human services. If her lungs are
in such a terrible shape she may very well require extra meds, equipment,and
treatments.
I just wanted to offer a few ideas and commend you and your brothers for
stepping up as loyal children to make sure your mother is taken care of. Being
a geriatrics nurse I have seen too many cases where the exact opposite is all to
common.
I hope I have been somewhat helpful at least in some small way. Wishing
you and yours....painfree days and restful nights.
Kelly from Oklahoma
p.s. I do know that sometimes people are admitted to a long term facility for
rehab and then get to go back home after the doc evaluates her.
Vincent Waterfield <vincentwaterfield@...
Hello group,
Thank you letting me be part of such a wonderful group, I see
everyone shares and cares.
Like to let everyone know me and my 2 brothers have gone through
hell the pass 37 days. 35 of those days my mother was put into
Critical Care Unit and we've have up and down rollercoaster ride
with this Bilary Pancreatitis. This is very severe Chronic
Pancreatitis. Also, she has a PYSDO-SIS which is collecting fluid
from the dead pancreas. She's lost 70 percent of it. Her Liver and
Kidneys are doing fine. However her lungs are really really bad.
The doctors came today and said she's doing very well, we will not
have to perform any surgery; however, we need to send her to a
Respitory Care Facility---I'm assuming a nursing home. We have only
a couple more weeks she is covered by insurance on the ventilator.
She cannot breathe on her own yet, they are weanning her off, but
after a couple more weeks no insurance covers it and it will cost us
$30,000 a month to keep her on the vent machine. Anyone asking
themselves yes she smoked, but she was such a strong woman and
doctors/hospital didn't even think she'd make it this far.
But my mom is going to let go all the fight she's done if this is
the case. Does anyone know of anything about Respatory Rehab being
done at a Nursing Facility?
Also, I hope to chat with ReAnn soon, I heard she's from Virginia
too.
Your newest member,
Vince Waterfield
National Pancreas Foundation - Virginia
(ANYONE IN VIRGINIA THAT CAN HELP PLEASE LET ME KNOW--)
(Expanding the Foundation to help out National)
www.thepancreatitisplace.org

Hello group,
Thank you letting me be part of such a wonderful group, I see
everyone shares and cares.
Like to let everyone know me and my 2 brothers have gone through
hell the pass 37 days. 35 of those days my mother was put into
Critical Care Unit and we've have up and down rollercoaster ride
with this Bilary Pancreatitis. This is very severe Chronic
Pancreatitis. Also, she has a PYSDO-SIS which is collecting fluid
from the dead pancreas. She's lost 70 percent of it. Her Liver and
Kidneys are doing fine. However her lungs are really really bad.
The doctors came today and said she's doing very well, we will not
have to perform any surgery; however, we need to send her to a
Respitory Care Facility---I'm assuming a nursing home. We have only
a couple more weeks she is covered by insurance on the ventilator.
She cannot breathe on her own yet, they are weanning her off, but
after a couple more weeks no insurance covers it and it will cost us
$30,000 a month to keep her on the vent machine. Anyone asking
themselves yes she smoked, but she was such a strong woman and
doctors/hospital didn't even think she'd make it this far.
But my mom is going to let go all the fight she's done if this is
the case. Does anyone know of anything about Respatory Rehab being
done at a Nursing Facility?
Also, I hope to chat with ReAnn soon, I heard she's from Virginia
too.
Your newest member,
Vince Waterfield
National Pancreas Foundation - Virginia
(ANYONE IN VIRGINIA THAT CAN HELP PLEASE LET ME KNOW--)
(Expanding the Foundation to help out National)

Reminder Reminder from the Calendar of ThePancreatitisPlace
Hosted Chat - ReeAnn
Sunday August 1, 2004
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
This event repeats every week.
The next reminder for this event will be sent in 23 hours, 3 minutes.
Event Location: AOL's TPP Chat room
Notes:
ReeAnn ~ Owner will host a chat in AOLs TPP Chat room. You will need AOL or free AIM (www.aim.com) to access this Chat room. Please email us for the link.
DeniseHallock@...
MsReeAnnBetts@...

Hello and welcome to a wonderful group of people,
My name is Kelly, I am 35 yrs young, happily married to my best
friend for almost 10 years and together we have 4 beautiful children,
2 boys and 2 girls. A mine, his, and ours situation.
I just wanted to take a few moments of your time to welcome the both
of you to our little family. Here you will meet a wonderful group of
people who have been in your shoes and completely understand alot of
what you are both going thru. This disease is a terrible thing but
having people who understand in your corner is something I am very
grateful to have. Our families and loved ones really and truly mean
well but until they have dealt with this, or any life-changing
ordeal, firsthand they can't really understand. Although, we are
very grateful for their love, support and prayers.
I have had chronic pancreatitis for 2 1\2 years, insulin
dependent diabetic for 14 yrs and a whole hosts of other medical
diagnosis' that I just don't feel up to typing the whole gory mess at
this time.
I hope that my letter makes you feel welcomed with arms wide
open to our little family. If you need to talk, cry, scream, rant,
rave, ask a million questions, or just wanna know someone cares then
feel free. We will be here for either of you or both at the same
time, whichever, anytime day or night.
Like any other group of people we all have different interests and
hobbies and some of us are more on the onry side than others but we
mean no harm. Sometimes it is just easier for us to make someone
else forget their day and make them laugh and know that someday
someone else in this group will do the same for us.
As a group, we support both caregiver and loved ones as well as
the member who is battling this awful disease. Never be afraid to
use us as a sounding board. We have all had days when it seems
everything is hopeless and we are more of a burden on our families
than a productive member but usually just a few minutes in this group
and you will be concentrating on helping some one else and then
before you know it BOOM you are ready to take on the world again
(well, as best as we can do anyway , lol ). I don't know either of
you or your religeous preference but everyone needs something to
believe in and gather support from.
I am still learning about this dreadful disease as are a lot of
us. Believe it or not, I was an LPN before this nightmare began, a
childhood dream for many many years. But I am thankful that God let
me work at my childhood dream for 8 whole years before I had to
quit. My favorite area of nursing is the geriatrics (older people)
especially in the nursing homes. I worked in nursing homes for 8
years as an aide then went to school and worked 8 more as a nurse
(hmmmm...... the number 8 might mean something?). My husband worked
as an aide for me when we decided to get married and we did so at the
nursing home with all our little patients attending (those who wanted
to anyway)and their families. You would be amazed at how much that
little act of compassion meant to them.
Well, I have probably bored you both to tears by now and am
truly sorry for doing so. Please, feel free to give me a holler
back. I hope to see you in the chats on Sun and Mon nights. I bowl
on Sun nights but will try to be here on Wed and will be looking for
ya. Once again,,,, WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY!!!!!!
wishes for painlfree days and restful nights,
Kelly from Oklahoma
P.S. feel free to email anytime. I will do my best to return a
response as soon as humanly possible(as humanly as i can ,that is.
lol).

Hello Lori,
Welcome to TPP. We love it when family members join our group.
Everybody who has pancreatitis needs the moral support of their loved
ones. Michael speaks very highly of you and we are so glad that you
are a member now also. You will feel right at home here. Please feel
free to visit the files and links and add your family photos if you
want and we also have chat on Sunday and Wednesday nights at 7 pm
EST. You will need AOL or AIM to get into chat. Look forward to
hearing more from you and Please feel right at home!!!!
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
God Bless
~*~Denise~*~
Caregivers Moderator
deniseatdiabetes@...
sdhammett@...
http://www.thepancreatitisplace.org/

Hello everyone. I just joined to say hi for moral support. I am
sending big hugs to you all who suffer from this awful illness and
big hugs to loved ones too.
To my husband Michael - have a great day hunny, remember to keep your
foot elevated and your hands out of the Oreos. I love you.
Lori winks conspiratorially to all and then disappears into the
mist...

As too many of us know, an ERCP can trigger acute pancreatitis.
Here's a link to a recent "Journal of Pancreas" article about this
subject that's very informative. It's from an Italian physician,
Pier Alberto Testoni, who publishes a great deal of pancreas
material:
http://www.joplink.net/prev/200407/13.html
-Ellen Grove
NY

Garden Time and you run out of ways to eat your cukes and tomatoes?
Try this recipe!!!!
Passed on to me by a friend:)
Denise
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Makes 6 servings
Image © Publications International, Ltd.
Cucumber Tomato Salad
45% calorie reduction from traditional recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup rice vinegar*
3 tablespoons EQUAL® SPOONFUL**
3 cups unpeeled 1/4-inch-thick sliced cucumbers, quartered (about 2
medium)
2 cups chopped tomato (about 1 large)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
Salt and pepper to taste
*Distilled white vinegar can be substituted for rice vinegar.
**Can substitute 4-1/2 packets Equal® sweetener.
1. Combine vinegar and Equal®. Add cucumbers, tomato and onion.
Season to
taste with salt and pepper; mix well. Refrigerate, covered, at least
30 minutes
before serving.
© Equal® sweetener
Nutrients per Serving
(1/6 of total recipe (without added salt and pepper)):
Calories 26
% calories from fat 0%
Total Fat 0 g
Sat. Fat 0 g
Protein 1 g
Carbohydrates 6 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 7 mg
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Dietary exchanges
1 Vegetable

hello rudy,
my name is kelly and i am 35 years young and i to have cp. I have had it for
almost 2 1\2 years. I have been reading your post and wanted to let you know
that I will say a few extra prayers for you as you go thru surgery. I hope
everything goes your way. be strong and never fear that your tpp family are
praying for you and keeping you close to their hearts.
wishes for painfree days and restful
nights,
Kelly from Oklahoma
rvanleke <dobber481@...
Hello everybody, everything oké. I had a talk with the surgeon and
made up a date for the surgery. It will be done on friday 27th
august. He explained me how and what he will be doing. He even
showed the net that will be put in. The reason because off the hard
suffers is that the hernia on herself is not so big. But when the
intestin comes in it really has no place to move. I hope you are
understanding me because in english it is hard to use the right
words. Now I am hoping that the pain will not occur anymore before
that date. I haven't been posting much this week but I have been
reading all messages and you must know that my thoughts and prayers
are with you and your family. Warm greetings from Ostend, Belgium.
Rudy,
www.thepancreatitisplace.org

Rhonda and Amanda,
Welcome home!!! I pray Amanda will be feeling better very soon!

Hi Everyone!
Thank you so very much.... for the prayers and kind words. I wanted to give
you a quick update while I'm back at the house for a few moments... and before I
head back over to my brothers and get supper ready. (I don't have to do all the
cooking though because I called my sisters and asked if they could prepare a
meal for them for the next few nights. Something they could put in the frig or
freezer and bake or heat up when they need to. They were happy to be able to
help :o)
Anyway....My brother is doing fine. They found no blockage...and the heart
looked great once they got inside. They said the pictures of the heart looked
like something was wrong because his COPD(which I guess is now also emphysemia?)
.... is so bad in his lungs that it's pushing against his heart. And the bad
blood work up that also showed he had a heart attack.... was being caused by his
MS. I'm not sure I buy it all since 3 different tests were telling him he had a
heart attack....but then after looking inisde wit a scope told them that those
tests were all wrong. .....hm.m.m...... sure makes me wonder why they do the
tests if they are wrong??? Oh well..... that's why we must educate ourselves!
I think with my brother having MS and the fact that he has lost so much
weight and muscle tone over the last couple of years ....that he doesn't have a
whole lot of room in that little chest of his for everything. He's 6'2" and
weighs 135 pounds!! He's really aged with this MS over the last couple of years
too. I'm sure a lot of you know what that's like. The doctor did pretty
bluntly tell him...and us....that if he doesn't quit smoking....he's going to
wish he had heart disease. He said he is far from the emphysemia taking over.
He's going to try to quit. We're both going to get in a program together....and
kick this habit together. We both need it!!!
Ok....now about my sister-n-law. She's doing great too. Now that they
removed the disc in her low back she no longer has the pain shooting down her
leg anymore....which is a huge relief. She seems to be resting pretty
comfortably. Better than she did before the surgery...that's for sure!!! They
said the surgery went great!!
And we just got back from visiting her for a brief period. My brother was
tiring pretty quickly . (Which I'm glad he was too.....because guys......I'm
pooped!!!! I've been non-stop the last couple of days....but thank God.... that
the CP hasn't flared too much more than it did that day after I ate Wendy's
Burgers. It's been bearable. I've had to take a few extra pain pills to get me
thru.....but that's okay because I'm so glad I'm able to help them out.
It feels good to be needed and get out of worrying about how sick I feel for
a while. And feels good just to be able pay them back for all the times they've
had to help me over the years. They are the only ones that care about me
here.....so I AM So.oo.o.... greatful to be able to helping them out for a
change.
Well.....that's the update. Thanks again for the prayers guys. They were
answered in a way we are so happy with :o) You guys are great. I thank God you
guys are here for me....and them....and for anyone else that might happen along
and "knocks on the door". This is definitely a place where people greet you
with open arms...and hearts....and provides tremendous encouragement to help you
make it through the very trying times in life!
Hope you all are doing well.....and if not....I pray God helps you anyway you
need!!! I will try to catch up once I get my brother and his wife settled in
for a few days at home. His wife doesn't get out of the hospital until
tomorrow. Hopefully....God Willing I'm still walking....and able....I'm going
to be picking her up tomorrow and bring her home.
Those two sure get into a pickle when they both get down and out at the same
time. It makes them appreciate each other more!
Ok. Well....gotta go. I gotta go make sure he doesn't try to fix the
plumbing or something stupid. He's supposed to be taking it easy....but he has
a hard time....or should I say..."just plain stubborn" about accepting
limitations and that things can wait to be fixed. LOL.
Big Pooh Bear Hugs to You All :o)
From Me...and my brother and his wife. They said to tell you all Thank You.
And that's really great that you guys would do that for them. :o)
Love Ya All,
Polly :o)
"May Angels Wrap Their Arms Around You All and Comfort You in Times of Need"

HI Rhonda, I am so glad you're both home...nothing better than to sleep in your
own bed....zzzzz...Im glad she's better. tell the little angel we send her lots
of hugs....take care
Brenda

Hello All. Amanda was released last night and is resting in her own
bed. Yeah!! My bed felt pretty good too :-) I am so glad it is
summertime and she doesn't have to worry about making up school work
right now.
Rhonda
Tulsa, OK

Bruce,
Amanda almost always gets really bad headaches on the onset of an
attack. Not sure what the connection is, but is like a warning
signal to her body. I am sorry you are not feeling good. Hope today
is a better day for you.
Rhonda
Tulsa, OK

Hello Christine,
I am sorry you missed chat...Was hoping that we would be able to chat
with you. We stayed in chat until 11:00 EDT. I am still up if you

Hi all,
I know it's late but I was hoping the chatroom was still open. If it
is, how do I get there??
Can anyone help me this late at night??? lol
Christine
Denton, TX

Rhonda.
There is no way your a bad mother. I understand how you feel. Since
I never leave Michelle's bedside, by the four day of loss of sleep
and the wonderful torture devices they call beds for parents, I too,
can become less understanding. But I am sure your daughter would
never believe your anything but the best mommy!!
I look forward the hearing Amanda is well and at home by the time
Michelle and I get back.
Christine
Denton, TX. -

Hello
Yes sir I sure do get headaches. I mostly get them before I start having really
bad pancreas pain. They are warnings to me that I need to watch what I am eating
better or I will be in bad pain the next time I eat any fat at all. I thought
that I was the only one with the headaches caused by fats in my food. I never
get them when my blood fat levels are low.
God Bless
Michael H Karns
Joshua 1v8-9
poppysmakayla <poppysmakayla@...
I would like to know if anybody that has chronic pancreatitis has
been getting Headaches? I have been really hurting real bad inside
and have a had bad headaches along with it.
Thank You
Bruce
Long Island NY
www.thepancreatitisplace.org

I would like to know if anybody that has chronic pancreatitis has
been getting Headaches? I have been really hurting real bad inside
and have a had bad headaches along with it.
Thank You
Bruce
Long Island NY

Hi Gary
I hope that you are behaving yourself while ReeAnn is away. I just
want to tell you one thing. DON'T FORGET THE TRASH !!!!!!!!!
Your TPP Buddy
BRUCE
Long Island NY

Hi Brenda
I wish you good luck on friday, Try to put your mind at ease and
think of what you will be able to do when the pump is in and working.
Every thing will go fine. just keep us posted on how you are doing
and keep smileing. Just remember when the pump is in you will be
catching them gators with no trouble at all
Your Tpp freind
Bruce
long island NY

Rhonda, you are not a bad mother...you are an amazing mother . I'm on the other
side. and there are days that i snap at my kids because i'm hurting. and they
want to know why i cant play with them. But Rhonda these days will get better
for you...Just take a breather and relax. you know she is hurting but you can
only do so much for her. And she knows that mommy (u) are trying your best.
Take care care and give her a big hug from us (TPP)...my prayers and thoughts
are always with both of u.
Brenda

Amanda is still at the hospital. Although she seems to be making
progress and is starting to eat a little, she is still having some
pain. She has been in the hospital for one week. I want her to get
better so we can go home. Last night, she woke up at 3am and said
that her tummy was hurting bad and that her head hurt. I wasn't as
understanding as I should have been and tried to get her to go back
to sleep. I know she is hurting and I know she wants to get outta
her as bad as I do. I made her wait until 4:30 to get pain medicine.
I feel just horriable this morning and know I've been a bad mom.
This disease is so frustrating. I just want things to be normal and
for Amanda to feel good again. I know she wants that too.
Rhonda
Tulsa, Ok

Reminder Reminder from the Calendar of ThePancreatitisPlace
Hosted Chat ~ Denise & Robert
Wednesday July 28, 2004
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
This event repeats every week.
The next reminder for this event will be sent in 23 hours, 3 minutes.
Event Location: AOL's TPP Chatroom
Notes:
This chat is hosted Bye Denise and Robert in AOLs TPP Chatroom. You need AOL or free AIM (www.aim.com) to access this chat. Email or send us a message for the link to the room.
ReeAnn@...

My count down til Friday. Getting very neverous, i once got a celiac block from
my pain management doctor (same doc)...when he told me that is wouldnt be that
bad....boy oh boy was he wrong the morphine lollipop did not take effect on me
and i felt everything. after getting started and making him stop in the middle
of the procedure. he decided to give me something stronger.
Well he told me that this procedure is a piece of cake...didnt ask for him or me
;)
I want to thank everyone for your support and prayers and will post my outcome,
for the temporary pump..
Your TPP friend, Brenda @}--;--;

My Dearest Polly,
Thank you for letting us know about your family in their time of
need. I will pray for your brother and sister in law right now.
Please know everything will be alright as they are in God's hands.
Take care of 'You' also and continue to be the sweet Polly we all
know and you will be alright kiddo!!!! Our thoughts and prayers are
with you as you sit in the hospital room as well as your brother and
sister in law and your whole family.
God Bless
~*~Denise~*~
Caregivers Moderator
deniseatdiabetes@...
sdhammett@...
http://www.thepancreatitisplace.org/

Hi Polly, So sorry that you will have to go through so much in your life. I know
you're a very strong person. And my prayers and thought are with you and your
family. Please keep us updated on the surgeries. I have done that several times
on the fast foods also, just when you thought things are okay...bam another hit
on us. Please be careful on those tempting food ;) Take care.
Brenda

Hi Rhonda,
How wonderful your job is letting you have access to the laptop!
When Michelle was first hospitalized, she went to Cooks Children's
Hospital in Fort Worth, TX. They had computers in the playroom on
her floor, but only the kids had access to since it was hooked up to
other childrens hospitals so the kids would be safe on the net. I
pray something like at is open for parents someday. I am a stay at
home mom, that homeschools my girls (Jessica and Michelle). My son
(Wesley) was homeschooled until he went to high school and will
graduate next year. At this time, we don't own a laptop, but with
the way schools have changed, I am sure we will need to invest in one.
But seeing we are collecting medical bills all the time, and my
family likes to eat, lol, we will have to wait for a miracle to
afford a laptop.
As for you question about headaches, she has had headaches, but I
never paid any attention to them. After reading here, I will pay
more attention as to when they occur and her attacks. Thanks for
pointing that out. I never knew!
Christine
Denton, TX

Thanks Polly, it has been a trying month to say the least. My Dad is
doing much better and is over his pneumonia now, thank you for
asking. He seems to be getting much better from his massive stroke
he suffered back in February, yet is still light years away for the
way he used to be, and I miss that very much. Yes, I just found out
ablout the congestive heart failure for in the past they just kept
chalking it up to his enlarged heart rather than his real problem.
they now have him on Lassix (I hope I am spelling it correctly but it
is a steroid, from what I understand) and it seems to be working fine
for him.
It's really tough on me having to travel like this and it has been
taking it's toll on me physically. However, I feel I need to be
there for my Dad now that he is going through such trying times since
he was probably one of only a few people, either within or without my
family that stood by me when I didn't even have a diagnosis for my
problems and others were saying that I was either a hypochondriac or
just lazy and I really didn't want to work since I kept losing jobs
due to my excessive absentee records. Now it's my turn to be there
for him as he is undergoing his trials. I also found out from his
doctor that he is suffering from "baseline dementia", and this is
really heartbreaking as he was always such a rock. It's especially
tough to see him having so many problems with his health now but he
is 82 years old so I guess it's to be expected. As for why I have to
be the one to travel back and forth from Atlanta to New Orleans to be
there for my Dad, I do have 2 other brothers but one is now living in
the Boston area and is unable to be of such help while my other
brother, although he lives relatively nearby in Houston, has small
kids with one with some physical problems of his own, making it
practically impossible for him to make the trip back home very
often. That just leaves me so I try to do my part.
Thanks for shoing me the concern and compassion I have come to expect
from you guys in the group. It is times like these that I really
need the support you guys offer and yet, by not having access to a
computer I never am able to access the site to get to hear these
encouraging words.
Andre'

Hi TPP Friends!
I just found out tonight that my brother, Ron, is going in for surgery
tomorrow for his heart. Possibly get stents put in. And his wife, Jackie, is
going for back surgery Wednesday. These are very trying times for the both of
them.....and any prayers for them would be so greatly appreciated!!!
I'm going to be taking my brother tomorrow morning to the hospital.
Unfortunately....I tried to eat fast food again today...and this has sent me in
to another attack. I keep thinking that when I'm feeling better...I can take
the chance. But I'm learning....the hard way....as usual. :( It's bearable at
the time...I just hope it doesn't get worse tomorrow because I really need to be
there for them. My brother and his wife are the only ones that really care
about me....and have done sooooo much for me that I want to be there to help
them out tomorrow since neither one of them should be driving. My sister-n-law
was really happy that I'd be able to drive them......sigh.....so.o.o.... Please
add a prayer in there for me too if you can ;o)
Thanks for all your love and support. I don't know what I'd do without you
all.
Bless You All :o)
~Polly~

ReeAnn,
using a fake support address is one of the new ways that virus makers
are using to get their virus on people's machines. My brother and others
I've know have been getting similar attempts. I've even had some saying
they come from the support people at my virus maker and that the
attachment is to remove viruses. How much meaner can you get? Just
thought I'd let you know that is is now a standard way for virus makers
use to disguise their viruses. It's not just the board who gets these.
People should always verify an email address of an attachment before
accepting it or opening it.
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.

Denise
Thank you for your thoughts and I feel that you are right and I just need to
remind myself of what you said once and awhile. God Bless
Michael
Denise <sdhammett@...
Hello Michael,
I feel as though I need to answer this post. As most of you all know
I do not have pancreatitis but my husband has been dealing with it
for the past 15+ years, but I have back pain and have dealt with this
same very issue. I was down on myself for taking so much medicine.
But then I also take Blood Pressure Medicine. If I stopped taking my
BP medicine---that would be bad----if you don't take pain medicine--
that would be bad also. So....Does that mean that I am 'addicted' to
BP medicine? I Don't think you should think that you are 'addicted'
to the medicine that you need to live with. This is just my point of
veiw. I HAVE to have medicine to live on and so I take it. I feel as
though it is my way of life. I had to deal with it. Please do not be
so hard on yourself. I have seen what pancreatitis has done to Robert
and I do know that without pain meds sometimes he would not have made
it. But I do understand what you are saying Michael as I have rattled
this around in my head also. My thougths and prayers are with you.
~*~Denise~*~
Caregivers Moderator
deniseatdiabetes@...
sdhammett@...
http://www.thepancreatitisplace.org/

Hi Andre,
Just wanted to say "Hi"...."Welcome Back".... and I hope your dad is doing
okay now that he is at home. I'm sorry to hear he has been having such a rough
time of it. Is he over the pneumonia now? Did you just find out about the
congestive heart failure too? I just found out last week that my brother, who
is only 44, and has MS, had a heart attack and didn't even know it. I'm sure he
probably wrote off the pain as just another part of the MS. I'm really worried
for him now...so I can imagine how worried you must be for your dad. I sure
hope he is doing okay now.
I know what you mean about trying to catch up with the posts. That can be
very hard to do even with missing just a few days. I'm glad you are back at
home now and can rest comfortably in your own home. :o)
Take care of Yourself....now that you're back home.....and don't try to
overdue it and catch up on a months worth of everything all at once!!
Huggz From Indiana :o)
~Polly~

Hi Christine,
I am fortunate to have a very understanding job which provides me
with a laptop computer. As long as I can get a phone line, I can try
and keep up with some of my daily job. Plus, it keeps me plugged in
to TPP during those long days (and nights) in the hospital. The
hospital we go to actually has modem lines in the patient rooms, I
think of it as a small gift from God :-)
The only pain med that is effective for Amanda is IV demoral. She
normally has to take benedryl with it because it makes her nose and
face it something terriable. This combination keeps her comfortable
for a few hours. Then she takes Zophran for vomiting. Her GI doctor
has also said he wasn't sure if taking enzymes helps or not, but I
guess it doesn't hurt. She takes 20mg of Creon.
Does Michelle ever get headaches? Amanda normally gets headaches
during the onset of an attack. Doc's have never made a connection,
but something in her body triggers a major headache.
Again, I hope Michelle's ERCP goes well and gives you some additional
information.
Amanda is feeling a little better today and we are hoping to get
outta here in the next day or two. Take care.
Rhonda
Tulsa, OK

Michael,
people like us who take pain meds every day are not addicted to our pain
meds. We are physically dependant on them. Addiction is a psychological
problem, not a physical problem. There is a difference. So, there is no
reason for you to feel ashamed. It's the same as if you were a diabetic
who needs insulin. They are basically physically dependent on the
medication too. And you are just as physically dependent on the pain
medications. Because you are NOT addicted (and no longer in pain), you
wouldn't need them if the doctor slowly reduced your dosage till you
were off the mediations. Once off, you would not crave the medication.
If you were psychologically addicted to the medications, that would not
work for you, you would still crave the medication no matter what you
did to get off them. I'll get off my horse about that now as I'm sure
others have said the same thing to you. I'm just late because I was out
of town during the weekend and just got your message.
As for how I deal with it, well, I don't like it, but I like pain even
less. Having other major health problems, I've long accepted the fact
that I need cetain medications to stay alive and have a decent quality
of life (I'm diabetic, have had a heart bypass, etc and I'm only 34).
Admittedly, I do periodically see a psychologist to help me throught the
bad parts, but I'm reasonably okay with taking the meds. Basically, I
realized that the issue comes down to how badly do I want to stay alive
and I've realized that I'm not ready to die, nor am I ready to spend all
my time curled in a little ball crying continually. Because that's
basically what i'd be doing if I didn't take my medications. Also,
having this group has made me realize I am not alone in how I feel and
that if I need someone to cry to, vent to, even just talk to, all I have
to do is call, email or IM someone on this group and I know someone will
be there. And we are here for you in the same way.
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.

Chicken Fingers with Honey Sauce
Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 11 minutes
Ingredients
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 beaten egg whites
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups cornflakes, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup honey
4 teaspoons prepared mustard or Dijon-style mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
1. Cut chicken into strips about 3 inches long and 3/4 inch wide.
2. In a small mixing bowl combine the egg whites and the 1 tablespoon
honey. In a shallow bowl combine the cornflake crumbs and pepper. Dip
chicken strips into the egg white mixture, then roll in the crumb
mixture to coat.
3. Place in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake chicken
in a 450 degree F oven for 11 to 13 minutes or until no longer pink.
4. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small bowl stir together the 1/4 cup
honey, the mustard, and garlic powder. Serve with chicken. Makes 4
servings.
Nutritional Information
Nutritional facts per serving
calories: 240, total fat: 2g, saturated fat: 0g, cholesterol: 49mg,
sodium: 269mg, carbohydrate: 33g, fiber: 0g, protein: 23g, vitamin A:
1%, vitamin C: 2%, calcium: 2%, iron: 7%

Hi Denise,
I thought I had posted to you last night, but I didn't see it on the
board. I hope today finds you feeling better. How is your blood
pressure? Are things getting any better?
Long days here at the hospital. I went home last night and crashed
and Jeff spent the night with Amanda. She is feeling better today
and I hope we can get outta here in the next day or two. We are
repeating a test to look for gene mutations. I see in another post
where that is what causes Robert's pancreatits. We did this 5 years
ago, but the docs say they can study the gene much deeper today, so
we will see.
Take care my friend.
Rhonda