Friday April 27,2007

I haven't posted lately because I was in the hospital. I haven't been feeling well. I actually have never really gotten over having my surgery. I was hospitalized in November with an ileus. I am not sure if the ileus was diagnosed by history or if it was seen on xray. This time I was hospitalized with ..... Hepatitis. The actual medical term hepatitis, means inflammation of the liver. I had been referred to a local G.I Dr. a few weeks ago, as I said this is not the first time I have had problem with this. The pain is the same each time and this has happened at least 5 times. When I saw the local G.I he basically blew me off, told me that he would follow my elevated liver enzymes and "chronic constipation". Seems when ever I have my problem I can't go to the bathroom. It would be easy to make fun of my honesty about all of this. But I blog for others not for myself, for those with pancreatitis to have available to them a resource of information to make their own decision(s). Not some medical article that makes no sense to the layperson. To follow someone else's life and see what positive or negative results have occurred. So I have opened myself up to the mundane things of life that most people would not even discuss with their spouse. If this helps one person with pancreatitis, to find a life that they thought they would never have, then this willing invasion of private things will have been worth every word written.
I have made myself perfectly clear to my pcp, that this has occurred before and that it will happen again. For some reason this is a cyclic event. My liver enzymes have been elevated since I returned from MN. According to Dr.Sutherland they were also elevated prior to coming home, and after surgery. I have been told there are others with elevated liver enzymes but it doesn't seem to be a problem for them. I kept thinking that I was getting another ileus each time the symptoms would start. I guess I should tell what my symptoms are.... abdominal pain.. sharp and rt sided seems to me it hurts more after I eat. Extreme fatigue, I slept the whole time I was in the hospital. I could not stay awake more than 3 hours and I needed a nap. I have been feeling very tired lately. So tired that I have fallen asleep at the computer within the last 2-3 weeks. Back pain straight through where abdominal pain is felt and shoulder rt sided. Constipation.
The G.I Dr. feels that this is viral hepatitis, again this has been happening since I had surgery. Some reason he just doesn't want to listen to what I have to say. The only positive thing is my pcp listens to me, he really does. I never bother him for stupid stuff, I know when something is wrong.This he knows. I do feel better than I did, and hope that I never feel this again and it would be nice if it went away and it were just another bump in a road that is less than charted territory. Time will tell how this all turns out. I have had blood work done for blood borne diseases. The results of which are still out. For a few weeks I will be resting more, taking it easy and plainly vegging more.
I recieved a letter from MN asking me to participate in a study to basically look at insulin production in those with total pancreatectomy with auto islet. It appears that those on insulin will be hospitalized and given a sugary drink and an insulin drip will be initated. Frequent blood samples will be taken and the amount of insulin the person manufactures measured. I wou ld like to help them, but with my luck I would get to MN and have a problem. For our help they will pay $200.00 plus reimburse airfare. I hope there are some that are in better shape than I that can assist them.