Here's my present state: I'm okay...sorta. It hurts when I yawn. Or burp. Or inhale deeply. The only solid food I've eaten since Thursday has been two Reisen chews and a dozen or so saltines.
On Friday morning, I walked into my doctor's office complaining of upper abdominal discomfort. About twelve hours later, I exited the emergency room with pancreatitis. During that half a day I experienced many personal firsts: my first doctor's recommendation that I go directly to the ER; my first injections of morphine; my first CAT scan; and of course, the first time a pretty blonde medical student with a Southern accent violated my personal space in a BIG way. All in all, it's been a very unpleasant few days.
Pancreatitis is, for the most part, not that big of a deal nowadays. It's an inflation of the lining of the pancreas, causing serious discomfort and pain in the upper abdominal region. If untreated, however, it could unleash a whole lotta harm, including death. So it's good it was caught early on. However, it's a serious enough condition that I was almost kept in the hospital overnight and possibly longer.
The flaw with the diagnosis are the list of causes: alcoholism, abdominal trauma, and gallstones, none of which I suffer from. More tests were done, however, and I hopefully will have more information when I return to my doctor's office Monday morning. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, I've been on an almost entirely liquid diet. I bought gallons of Ensure and Slimfast for breakfast and lunch, and meat broths for dinner. As a treat, I have popcicles in the freezer. I need to drink oodles of water as well, most of which I drink straight but sometimes (like now) I mix with a little Tazo iced tea for flavor. If my tests go well Monday, I may graduate to solid but soft foods like mashed potatoes and applesauce...for upwards of a month. No alcohol. No high-fat foods. No fun whatsoever.
I've suffered from maladies before. Bronchitis, flu, pneumonia. But this pancreatitis really spooks me. It was so unexpected, so totally from left field. When I come down with a cold, I know it could trigger bronchitis, or the flu, or even pneumonia. And those are pretty dangerous too. But I've always had problems with my lungs; I can see one of those babies coming from a mile off. My most recent malady, however, is a painful reminder that my other body parts are not immune to acute problems, and just because they worked perfectly fine for close to four decades doesn't mean they'll keep it up for another four.
I'm headed for bed now. I'll probably listen to some NPR podcasts and pass out in the middle of some Ira Glass monologue. In the meantime, I hope my pancreas responds well to prayer.
My thoughts are with you in hopes for a speedy recovery!
Posted by: Ralph Loizzo | 13 July 2009 at 09:24 AM