The Pancreas & DIY Cancer Survival

Carol Morrison-Kelley, M.D believes that cancer is not even addressed by doctors - whom she refers to as 'quacks'. She believes people must be in charge of their own recovery, that it is a process to acquire the disease and a process to rid oneself of it.

There is a link to her article Understanding Cancer.

Kelley believes cancer is caused as a result of the pancreas not working properly. If this be the case, it would explain why so many people with Chronic Pancreatitis die from the failure of other organs such as the liver. She claims her husband healed himself from Pancreatic Cancer and that they have had success helping others live who had been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer.

Take it for what you will. A lot of her assertions run along the same lines of what is discussed on this site -- dealing with the process as a way to dictate or change the outcome. Diet, lifestyle and herbs. An example is to eat ginger to help decrease the inflammation during a pancreatic flare-up or attack. Another example is changing one's diet to exclude fatty foods to decrease the likelihood of one's diet bringing on an attack while helping to increase the likelihood of one's lifespan. Another example is changing one's lifestyle to decrease the likelihood of stress on one's life because stress weakens the adrenal glands which are part of the endocrine system which the pancreas is also a part of.

Pancreatitis & Eating Proactively

On a daily basis, I both work toward maintaining a diet that is beneficial to my pancreas while at the same time destroying it with... uhhh... crap foods I shouldn't be putting into my system.

I'm human. This means I'm not perfect, so I don't beat myself up for it. Although, I do try to keep my foot downfalls at bay and to a relative minimum.

There are some things I do for my body on a regular basis  - especially when I haven't been eating as well as I could - to help maintain a decrease in inflammation of the pancreas.

- Proper dietary intake (necessary for living without pain)
- Decreasing stress levels (huge for decreasing pancreatic attacks)
- Sunshine (for Vitamin D)
- Gently detoxifying the body through teas (such as Chrissy's Tea)
- Brazil Nuts (the level of selenium is very cleansing)
- Oatmeal (great cleanser for the liver)

Two of my favorite friends that fight off pancreatitic inflammation are ginger and turmeric. Both roots are all natural and can be bought in any store. I have turmeric powder and buy ginger in the bottle both sliced and minced, by the root, and as a tea. Both are great for cooking and can be very helpful in intercepting inflammation at the time food is eaten since the spice is on the food at the time you are eating it. Now that is proactive!

It doesn't mean I can eat anything with a little ginger on it and all of a sudden I get to go hog-wild. It means that if I eat a limited amount of something with ginger or turmeric I find that the food intake is far less likely to cause me pain. Again, moderation is always essential for me since overworking the pancreas is now always a very real problem that causes very real pain.

Small meals are always a must. Never eating until full is always a must. Then, on top of that, eating foods with anti-inflammatory benefits such as Broccoli with minced ginger and paprika (another anti-inflammatory spice) in limited quantities makes the process of eating easier.

One of the problems with Western medicine is that it refuses to incorporate natures cures into it's prescriptions. Prescribing ginger instead of morphine doesn't buy their new house - so to speak.

In my recovery and longevity, I find it important to address my chronic pancreatitis with foods that heal and cure.

The other day, I read that turmeric heals tissues around tumors which makes tumors less likely to metastasize. As I understand it, a metastized tumor is one that has exploded which is when and how cancer happens. Therefore, the stronger the tissue around the tumor, cyst or fibroid, the less likely it will metastasize.

It is still necessary to decrease the size of the tumor (inflammation) which many say can be done through foods.

When a person has pancreatitis the pancreatitic enzymes are not working properly - and the pancreatitic enzymes help to decrease the likelihood of cancer - people with pancreatic issues need to be especially careful to decrease their chances of creating cancer in their bodies. Decreasing the risk of cancer can be done through better eating and mostly knowing what that means. Decreasing white flour, sugars and processed foods. I like the saying, "Read the ingredients. If you don't know what it means, don't eat it."

Curry Squid with Rice - Pancreatic Diet

Deep sea fish are high in iodine. Iodine is necessary for proper thyroid function. The thyroid is part of the endocrine system. The pancreas is part of the endocrine system. Therefore, my thought is the healthier I can keep my thyroid and endocrine system, as a whole, the easier things will be on my pancreas. As it is, I have problems with my thyroid so I am trying to take special note of things that could help to keep it strong or improve its condition.

Eating is often a difficult proposition for people with pancreatic problems. My pancreas likes to

become inflamed at the thought of food. Therefore, a goal of mine is to keep my pancreas from becoming inflamed while still eating... and preferably while enjoying my diet!

Today, I made Squid (or Calamari, if you prefer) with rice. The spices I used are ground black pepper, iodized salt, curry and turmeric.

Curry and turmeric are anti-inflammatory spices. My experience has been that these spices tend to decrease pancreatic irritability.

I cooked the squid in a pan (Frozen squid which I took out of the freezer yesterday) with iodized salt, freshly ground black pepper, turmeric and curry.

In a separate pan, I cooked the rice to which I added curry and iodized salt.

Note: I am not currently experiencing pancreatic pain. If I were then I would probably not be eating solids. Rather, I would probably be better off with either straight liquids - if I needed to allow my pancreas time to rest and heal - or easier foods to digest such as yogurt, baby cereal, tapioca pudding and perhaps oatmeal and toast with jam or maybe an english muffin.

Related Articles

Pancreatitis & Turmeric The Elixir of Life

Pancreatitis & Shrimp Dinner

Living With Pancreatic Pain

How to Stop the Inflammation of the Pancreas

Stress and Chronic Pancreatitis

Earlier today something happened that stressed me out. Generally, I remember that nothing is worth getting stressed out over and I have, for the most part, learned to let things go. But earlier this evening, I just let something bother and now I can feel the effects of it in the form of inflammation.

My immediate response was to realize that stress just isn't worth it, particularly when it's over something stupid. Second, was to be grateful that I've been feeling so well that I've been healthy enough to forget that stress can inflame my pancreas and make me more vulnerable. Third was to take the pink ginger out of the refrigerator and eat a healthy amount directly out of the jar. Fourth was to make a cup of anti-inflammatory tea to further help reduce the swelling.

Whatever it is that is bothering me doesn't need to be so important that it can cause an pancreatic attack which could inevitably take my life. Nothing is that important.

Note: I also had pizza twice today. First was an individualized cheese pizza around lunchtime then around dinnertime I had a slice of cheese. I don't usually eat pizza. On the slice I had at dinnertime I put a little (rather dull) chili pepper. It is possible that the pizza and chili pepper created the flare-up rather than the stress.

It is possible that the stress caused it. It is possible that a combination of stress, chili pepper and pizza. Don't know. Just wanted to make sure I was giving an full assessment of what might have caused the current flare-up. Had I not gotten stressed or eaten the pizza I seriously doubt I would be suffering from a flare-up right now. Because I have pancreatitis, it is always important that I treat my pancreas with care and respect. Every time I forget to do that potential creates more scar tissue and damage to my pancreas with the very real potential to shorten my lifespan.

Pancreatitis & Strong Coffee

I like really strong coffee. Years before my problems with pancreatitis surfaced, I had run into problems that can occur from drinking too much coffee. Now, I try (sometimes more diligently than others) to refrain from going overboard with my caffeine intake.

About a week ago, I bought some expresso. Man do I ever lovely finely ground, thick, rich coffee.

It caused problems for my pancreas. My back became sore. It was no good. I immediately remembered what a NY doctor said to me recently while we were traveling from the airport to the city. He said that people don't drink enough water and so their systems become toxic (paraphrasing). He's thoughts on water intake made me think that perhaps my system would

appreciate it if I cleansed it with a little water.

Knowing that my pancreas was inflamed, I also got some ginger out of the refrigerator and downed several pieces. Then, I made my favorite tea, Chrissy's Tea, which always helps as an anti-inflammatory.

Since then, it's possible that... perhaps, I'm being a little better about not drinking coffee quite so think or quite as much of it. I still need to go to the store and buy some regular coffee to mix with my extra fabulous expresso paste. I will. Humph!

While it is good to know what can help stave off a pancreatic flare-up and to have those things in the house at all time, and to take them immediately, it is better to avoid those things that can cause a pancreatic attack in the first place.

Pancreatitis & Laptops

Do you think resting a laptop on the region of the pancreas cooks it?

Actually, I'm not really kidding.

I used to rest my laptop on my lap. It actually would rest on my upper abdomen. It was warm. Very warm at times.

Would that be the equivalent of leaving something on the stove on a low heat? If so, would the laptop, in effect, be cooking the pancreas.

I used to think the waves from the laptop might have hurt my pancreas. But maybe that wasn't

it at all. Maybe it was simply the heat radiating from the laptop into my pancreas and literally cooking it as though I were a turkey being prepped for Thanksgiving dinner.

Now, if I am using a laptop it either rests on a laptop lap desk or on an actual table. I no longer allow the laptop to rest directly on my abdomen.

It feels wrong... unsafe... when the laptop is directly on my stomach. I've never heard anyone ever say anything about my hypothesis. Don't care.

There is a saying, 'If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.' It doesn't feel right to have the laptop on my abdomen so I no longer do it.

I don't think that action alone caused my severe acute pancreatitis

but it could have attributed to it.

Just thought I'd put it out there...

Pancreatitis & Surrender

Life just isn't as easy these days as I would like.

I'm on the cusp of life changes.

Since I have chronic pancreatitis and stress has set off a pancreatic flare-up in the past, it is my goal to handle these changes as effectively, directly and expediently as possible without any undue stress.

For me, surrendering to a situation is helpful. Sometimes I need to remember to keep my

expectations in check. Generally, if I am disappointed, it is because my expectations have not been met. Therefore, it is less stressful for me to alter my expectations than it is for me to stress out because they weren't met.

This doesn't mean I don't trudge the road of happy destiny and work my hind end off to accomplish my goals and live the life I want to live -

particularly with the looming assumed decreased lifespan of so many who suffer from chronic pancreatitis. Instead, it means that I 'let go' of those things that didn't live up to what I expected whether it be a goal, a situation, an event, a person or anything. Another way of saying it is that I do the footwork and let go of the results meaning that I can only control my actions not the outcome.

It took a very long time for me to heal from my last flare-up. Each pancreatic attack seems to

decrease my food intake levels and tolerance and, in my opinion, probably decreases my overall lifespan and years remaining living.

These days, I try to respect that life isn't always on my terms and sometimes it can be tumultuous yet if I respond as water does my pancreas will be better off and I might potentially

live longer than if I react poorly and set off another attack.

It is important during times of stress that I don't choose rich foods. Stress and rich foods is an awful combination for my pancreas.

Faith and action toward living... and living the life I want is my choice today. It serves me better than the alternatives.

Pancreatitis & Diluted Juice

Generally speaking, I don't care for diluted juice. I'd rather have an ounce or two of full strength juice. But today I was Queen of Thirsty and decided to just add the water immediately to the juice rather than wait until after I drank the juice to refill it the cup with water.
A lot of people dilute juice. Even people who don't have pancreatitis. It's just easier on the stomach, I suppose.
Personally, I don't like flavored water. I prefer water.
But if you happen to be one of the many, many people who don't mind - or even enjoy - diluted juice, it is good to know that it is probably much easier on the pancreas than full strength juice.
I would say my juice today was about 1.5 ounces of juice and perhaps 6.5 ounces of water.

Part of protecting my pancreas is learning what hurts it and what does not hurt it. If I drink more than an ounce or two of undiluted juice at a time my pancreas will feel the intake in a negative way.

Therefore, as a sufferer of chronic pancreatitis it is important to offer my body the nutrients the juices contain while not inflaming the pancreas. The inflamation can scar the pancreas which can cause further permanent damage to the pancreas which can potentially shorten the lifespan of the person suffering from pancreatitis.

Diluted juice might be a realistic and pleasant alternative for many people who live with pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis & Dehydration

Dehydration is like the curse of all evils. It's never a good thing and no matter what is going wrong with one's system dehydration only seems to make it worse. Dehydration makes no exception when it comes to pancreatitis.

The pancreas needs to stay hydrated or it becomes more vulnerable.

There are times when people are midst an attack and can't drink anything including water but this is when they go into the hospital.

On a normal day when liquids can go down, it is very important to remember not to get dehydrated. Overdoing it is never good for the pancreas and is certainly not necessary for hydration. Just a little gentle respect toward one's needs as they relate to thirst and liquids!

I'm sure this is coming up for me today because I was out in the sun and have been quite thirsty.

Water. Water. Water.

I need it.

I feel it.

I'm quenching my thirst.

I love my pancreas.

I don't want itmy pancreas to be mad at me. :-)

Pancreatitic Diet & the Single Egg

I'm not always the best when it comes to eating small meals.

I'm not bad at it next to a non-pancreatitic impaired person. But I have pancreatitis and I should never have a big bowl of lentil soup... even if it doesn't bother me. Why? Because I don't always know if it will be the first, second

or third slightly over-sized meal of the day or the past couple of days that will set my pancreas off, especially if I'm stressed.

It is always better to be safe than sorry.

That's why I like the Single Egg. It's not like a second egg can jump in the pan or I can miraculously end-up eating an egg-and-a-half when my intention was to only have one egg. With eggs, I put one in the pan I know exactly how much I'm getting.

Lentil soup doesn't work that way. Today, I made some lentil soup. I meant to make one small

bowl's worth. Instead, I made a nice, large delicious looking bowl of lentil soup. And you what I did then???? That's right! I ate it.

I surrender to the fact that I have no control. I see it. I want it. I eat it. Not always. Not everything. But if I'm cooking and I have the opportunity to pour it all in my bowl or just half... apparently I'm the kind of person who doesn't use much refrain and ends up pouring the whole

thing in my bowl and eating every last delicious bit of it.

Yes, I know. It's that same approach with booze that cause my pancreatitis in the first place! Fiddlesticks!

Really.

One egg.

Simple.

With protein.

Couldn't really ask for any more than that!

Pancreatitis & Chrissy's Tea

I make all my own teas now. I buy the ingredients in bulk and honestly you can either grow or get most tea ingredients if you so desired!

I don't know why but Yogi Teas now tend to hurt my abdomen when I drink them. Before I had chronic pancreatitis, Yogi Teas were always fantastic! Now, the Yogi Teas cause discomfort to my pancreas.

My solution has been to make my own teas.

I've written several other articles on tea. If you go to the 'search' bar on the left of the screen and type in 'tea' it will bring up the other tea articles.

I think my all time favorite tea includes the below 4 ingredients:

1. Artemisia Capillaris
2. Dandelion
3. Lavender
4. Ginger

Let's name it! Let's call it 'Chrissy's Tea'. My favorite grandfather used to call me 'Chrissy' so both the name and the tea have a special meaning to me!

This is probably my favorite tea because it tastes good and seems to flush my system while also decreasing inflammation. It always feels beneficial. I was recently in NYC for 10 days. I didn't bring the tea and noticed such a difference in how the organs in my processed and rid itself of food. Often, when I drink this tea I feel like I'm not really experiencing problems with my pancreas anymore. I think it simply does an excellent job of flushing my system which seems to make life much easier on my pancreas.

The artemisia capillaris seems to flush and protect my system. Note: Especially if you haven't tried this herb in a tea before, you might want to make sure you are home for the night. For my system, it gets things moving. It is also considered to be beneficial for the liver. Many people with pancreatitis end up having liver problems. I think this tea (herb) helps me protect the longevity of my liver! By the way, you can totally smoke this herb but it might give you a headache and it will not get you high. I haven't found that the benefits are the same when smoking it. I prefer it in tea!

Dandelion is high in Vitamins A and B12 (riboflavin), is known considered helpful with hypertension, as a diuretic and is known to prevent the formation of gallstones and possibly helping to dissolve gallstones. Gallstone problems are often prevalent in people who suffer from pancreatitis.

The lavender seeds I put in my shake herbal tea mix smell so good! It brings a smile to my face. Besides, the seeds are a beautiful shade of purple. I don't use many, maybe 5-10 seeds. I suppose some people might use more but that is the quantity that works for me. Lavender is considered an herb that helps with anxiety and nervousness as well as depression and insomnia. It also is known to help with the digestive tract, in relieving persistent flatulence, spells of nausea as well as indigestion. Many of these symptoms are experienced by people who suffer from the disease of pancreatitis.

I love ginger! It is an anti-inflammatory. I buy jars of the pink ginger that accompany sushi in restaurants and eat it straight up! I love the way ginger tastes in tea. It has a zing to it! It is said that ginger can help with abdominal cramping and the treatment of kidney stones, as well as having an antiseptic quality that is extremely beneficial in dealing with all manners of gastrointestinal infections. Ginger is also known to help with flatulence (gas)!

Can You Die From Pancreatitis?

From my understanding, a person can die from pancreatitis from their very first pancreatic attack. A person can also completely recover from an initial attack and never have another attack or pancreatic problems again... this is what the doctors in the hospital told me.

I would guess that a person's recovery, whether or not they recover and how long it take them to recover has a lot to do with that person's actions and how they treat their pancreas and whether they give the pancreas ample time to recover.

Alcohol can trigger a pancreatic attack. Therefore, if a person's pancreatitis was initiated by alcohol that person might be wise to steer clear of drinking alcohol particularly during the months following the attack to allow the pancreas to recover.

A pancreatic attack can also be brought on by a severe blow to the pancreas. I don't know (nor do I know that the information exists for anyone to know) if this sort of pancreatitic attack makes the pancreas more vulnerable to alcohol.

Pancreatitis can turn into chronic pancreatitis - which is what I have - which can turn into pancreatitic cancer.

Pancreatitis can kill you, it can become chronic pancreatitis or you can recover completely from it. From what I can tell, it seems that there is more choice than chance in the direction a person goes with the disease of pancreatitis.

If this is a person's first bout with pancreatitis and if it is caught early on - often not the case - then one might assume it is possible to recover completely without additional pancreatitic attacks if a person stays away from alcohol, high levels of stress and fatty foods.

If a person is diagnosed with pancreatitis after having had it for a while - often several years - then it is perhaps more likely that person would be susceptible to the pancreatitis developing into chronic pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis is either reoccurring or doesn't go away. In my case, the chronic pancreatitis pretty much never goes away but can still be kept under control.

From what I've read, if you're lucky enough not to have the pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis kill you then it will in time most likely turn into pancreatic cancer. A brutally cruel disease that usually kills within 6 months to 5 years.... if you're lucky.

One of the reasons it is so hard to find a cure for pancreatic cancer is because people die from it so quickly.

If you or a loved one have pancreatic cancer then heart goes out to you and what you are going through. I hope that in time we are able to find a cure or at least a way to live a longer, pain-free life with this disease.

One of my favorite discoveries are natural bulk herbs that reduce tumors that I turn into teas. Often tumors go undetected. Therefore, I feel like I'm being proactive when I try to fight tumor growth from the beginning.

Pancreatitis & Roast Beef

I love protein. I love red meat. Always have. Always will. If that were a crime, I'd be a lifer.

Over the past 3+ years of living with chronic pancreatitis I've learned to limit my steak intake, as well as cook steak with ginger in hopes of decreasing any negative effect it might have on my pancreas. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. Therefore, as the theory would go, ginger might work as an anti-inflammatory for the pancreas. My personal experience is that I like ginger and it does seem to work for me.

No that doesn't mean I get to eat whatever I want whenever I want. It means that if my pancreas is sore that I tend to eat foods with added anti-inflammatory spices to decrease the risk of my pancreas getting further inflamed.

What does this have to do with Roast Beef? Hmmm. Nothing!

But it does have to do with Steak!

Recently, while visiting family in NYC I got in the habit of buying roast beef instead of steak. Ends up, I eat roast beef in smaller portions than I do when cooking a piece of steak.

With roast beef, I find myself nibbling on it throughout the day rather than sitting down and having a 4-6 ounce steak in one sitting.

Nibbling small amounts of food might be the ideal diet for someone like me who suffers from chronic pancreatitis. It means I'm never eating too much at once. Therefore I'm not overloading my pancreas with more than it can handle yet I'm able to happily nibble away at my favorite food, red meat!

Note: I buy the roast beef without any additives, preservatives or MSG.

Pancreas Flare-up and Broth

Eating can be painful when experiencing a pancreatic flare-up. For me, the goal is for the pain to stop as soon as possible. Allowing the pancreas to rest seems to be the best cure when I am experiencing a pancreatic flare-up.

For me, allowing the pancreas to rest means either not eating or eating very little. Usually, I begin with rebelliously eating a little, then I surrender to the fact that I need to eat even less, eventually realizing and accepting that I simply need to be on liquids for a little while.

Chicken broth is one of my favorite liquids and it makes me feel good when I can't eat because my pancreas is inflammed and I'm experiencing a flare-up. The salt and warm liquid is soothing. It's also filling and soothing when I can't eat.

'A little while' could be a few days, weeks or months. Everyone is different. The severity of where a person is at with their disease and how inflamed and/or damaged the pancreas is would probably, at least in part, help to determine how long a person needs to stay away from food.

The longer I stubbornly eat the longer the flare-up will last because it will just take that much longer before my pancreas can rest and therefore heal.

For me, it is important to be willing to give up food when I am experiencing a flare-up of the pancreas. But I don't want to lose weight and I get hungry. So, I want to eat. The sooner I relinquish control and surrender to the fact that my pancreas cannot rest while I am eating the sooner my pancreas can heal and the less likely I am causing it further damage and scarring. As a result, I assume I the earlier I get on a liquid diet during times of pancreatic flare-ups the longer I will live.

Chronic pancreatitis is a dangerous disease. I'd like to live relatively pain-free for as long as possible. YEARS! Therefore, when experiencing a flare-up, I try to remember that liquids are good and food can increase the pain and delay and/or prevent recovery.

If you are or someone you love is experiencing a pancreatic flare-up then my heart goes out to you. It can pass. Patience is necessary. It is always important to remember that alcohol is no longer an option and can put your life at risk.

Pancreatitis and Peppermint Tea

Since most of what I do for my chronic pancreatitis is holistic, tea is a natural go-to because it is a liquid with each herb potentially offering healing benefits.

I've found several different herbs from which I make teas which I feel might have beneficial effects on my pancreas or parts of my system or health that I feel work in unison with my pancreas.

I love Peppermint Tea!

It tastes good. Some herbs taste really bad so it can be nice to add peppermint leaf to them to improve the overall taste of the tea.

Peppermint is considered to have many health benefits. Below is a list of some of the benefits peppermint is purported to offer.

Health Benefits of Peppermint
-Relieving Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
-Decreasing abdominal cramping and pain
-Reduction in bloating
-Helps relieve intestinal gas
-Helps with constipation and diarrhea
-Excellent source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A
-Good source of magnesium, folate, dietary fiber, calcium, iron and Vitamin B2
-considered to nausea (my personal experience is that peppermint is very helpful in this area)
-Vomiting (my personal experience is that peppermint is very helpful in this area)
-Headaches

Peppermint is also considered to be helpful in managing mild asthma, stress and warding off the common cold.

Peppermint is one of my favorite additives when I'm making tea because of its great taste and benefits. Plus, I personally have felt no ill effects from using it in my teas! I like mixing it with Artemisia Capillaris Tea. The peppermint greatly improves the overall taste of the tea. I find that these teas help my pancreas feel better on a daily basis.



Sources:
Harvard Medical School
The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, Joseph Pizzorno, and Lara Pizzorno
Benders’ Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology
USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
Wikipedia

What is Acute Pancreatitis?

On March 26, 2008, I went into an emergency hospital and said, "I believe I have Severe Acute Pancreatitis". The ER doctor laughed and asked if I was a doctor. I said, "No, but I can read. Please just do the tests." The tests were done. He came back and said I was fine. I asked what the numbers were. He said 60 was normal. I asked what my number was. He said that it was over 200... and that he'd be right back. He came back with a very different, less arrogant expression on his face and said I would be admitted into the hospital and taken off all food and water and put on an IV so my pancreas could rest.

That's probably an excellent example of just how hard it is to detect issues with the pancreas. I was 39-years-old at the time. Doctors expect people with severe acute pancreatitis to be old men. Perhaps it was because I didn't fit this doctor's diagnostic expectations he so willingly chose to initially reject the idea that I had severe acute pancreatitis.

My symptoms were not typical. I had no back pain and my overall pain was limited. This is most likely because I had experienced pain earlier on and as the disease progresses the pain decreases... from what I've read. Therefore, the fact that I wasn't in pain was probably looked at as a sign that I was not a likely candidate for the disease rather than my disease had already progressed to such a dire state.

While I've never heard of the disease described in this way, my main fear was that when I drank it felt like the liquid cascaded over something in the upper middle part of my abdomen - like a waterfall. It felt as though the liquids were missing the area they were supposed to go down.

I had been reading the symptoms of pancreatitis for a few months. When my daughter would perform reflexology on my foot the pancreas was always sore. For a few months before my hospital experience I read about it and watched my body develop and react to the symptoms. A quite drinking a couple times but would inevitably forget or not believe that it was necessary for me to not drink alcohol.

I was in the hospital for 16 days until I was kicked out for bad behavior. The hospital was in France and a couple of my nurses didn't seem to be too partial to my American decent and I feel that triggers poor quality health care, as a result. At a certain point, I felt I would find a safer, less chaotic and saner recovery at home.

During much of my hospital stay my heart rate was very low. Too low. The nurses would gasp and urgently call for the doctor which I found rather unprofessional. Feel free to freak out but please leave the room first. I spent many hours day-after-day walking the halls - me and my IV contraption - to keep my heart beating.

Acute severe pancreatitis can stop other organs from working which can result in death. There is a very high mortality rate for acute severe pancreatitis.

As a result of the attack my lungs are permanently weak and when exposed to 2nd hand smoke they often feel like tissue paper. When I exercise or exert energy I am careful to this day not to overdue it. I have a fragile body that need to be treated with kid gloves and respect.

At one point, I was told I could eat a meal and we'd see what happened. That was the worse advice I could have been given. I'm not a guinea pig. Yet, that is exactly how this advice treated me. My body did not do well and I was then in severe pain and my recovery was set back drastically.

Perhaps the reason I wasn't having pain outside the hospital was because I listened to my body and stayed away from things that hurt - like large meals. Or, perhaps I just drank more than I ate. Whatever the case, in my opinion, episodes like that are exactly what decrease the lifespan of someone who suffers from pancreatitis and is can cause a deadly attack.

When I went home I tried different kinds of foods but I really wasn't ready for them. Yet, I was hungry. Tea, coffee, honey and local honey, broth, tapioca pudding, fat-free yogurt, baby cereal and the like were the sorts of things my body seemed to fair best with.

Coffee was helpful because it would decrease my appetite making it easier for me to refrain from eating. On the other hand, too much coffee would irritate my system. So, I tried to find balance. Being hungry all the time sucked... but so did attacks.

I try to stay away from pain killers because I don't want to mask the pain. Rather, I want to know what is causing it and proactively resolving the issue and thereby dissipating the pain.

I believe that if I am in pain or have discomfort than there is the potential for greater harm to pancreas as well as other organs which I believe can cause scarring as well as decrease my overall life span.

I prefer to approach my chronic pancreatitis (acute severe pancreatitis does not always turn into chronic pancreatitis - so they say - but in my case, it did) holistically through diet, exercise and living a happy, stress-free life. I'm not perfect at it. But dealing with doctors was a nightmare while doing it on my own is joyful!

It's okay to be super skinny. It's better than being dead. Eventually it might be possible to put on weight. For now, just be happy your skinny, not dead. Skinny is much more attractive than a rotting corpse.

My thoughts on surgery are 'Why would I let someone cut something out of me that I might need later especially when they don't understand the disease'. Basically, for me, surgery is not an option at this stage of the game and probably never will be. A transplant I would consider.

I read a study that claimed half the people with chronic pancreatitis die within two years (most of whom die from alcoholism and diabetes). I've been alive and functioning well for much of it for well over 3.5 years. My goal is to live 10 years. Doctors don't have what I want... but search engines have been quite helpful in creating a game plan for longevity.

If you or a loved one is currently experiencing acute pancreatitis, I can only remember the fear, concern and devastation attached to that time period. It can pass. Don't drink. Don't eat too much ever. And for now, don't eat too soon. Be patient. Have faith. That is what seems to work best for me. Take it one day at a time and always remember that your body is your temple and without it, you're dead.

Enjoy your life. You deserve it!

Pancreatitis & Popcorn

Popcorn is my bestest friend in the whole wide world! :-)

Okay, maybe not, but you get the jist.

Popcorn doesn't hurt my pancreas. I pop it myself from kernels using Canola or Olive Oil on the bottom of the pot.

Popcorn is not a fatty food.

Popcorn is a grain which is important for my balanced diet.

Popcorn helps to keep me regular which helps to flush my GI tract promoting a stronger system overall.

I use iodized salt on my popcorn which is essential my thyroid. My thyroid is part my endocrine system. My pancreas is part of my endocrine system.

My thought is that maintaining proper health throughout my endocrine system will increase longevity for my pancreas.

Therefore, I eat popcorn!

Notes: Flavored pre-popped popcorn and flavored microwavable popcorn tend to contain ingredients that are not natural. Some of these ingredients could hurt my pancreas or simply not be healthy to digest so I pop my own.

I use both generic and Orville's popcorn. Both have different instructions so for the best tasting popcorn don't assume the same cooking directions work equally well for both. I learned this the hard way!

Pancreatitis & Turmeric The Elixir of Life

There is a drink called Turmeric - The Elixir of Life that is filled with anti-inflammatories such as ginger, cayenne and turmeric and other good things that don't hurt my pancreas such as honey, sea salt.

Click on the link to read more about the product. It appears that it is only available in 5 areas within the State of NY. If that's not local to where you are perhaps you can make your own?

By the way, it's made with local NY honey - an added bonus if you're from here. If you make your own you might use local honey to help defray the effect of seasonal allergies.

Something to remember is that with pancreatitis more is not necessarily better. For me, I'm not ever better off with more of anything (unless it's sleep, lowered stress and more money). As far as foods and liquids go, I'm always better off leaning toward less. If you are trying a new food or drink take it slow so you can see how your body reacts.

I have had an entire bottle of Turmeric - The Elixir of Life at a time. But you'll need to test it out to see what works best for you. With most juices, I've learned that I'm best off only having a couple ounces at a time. I've also learned that it is very important for me to have a variety of juice so I'm getting the entire rainbow of food groups. Different food colors offer different benefits for the body.

I'm notorious for only liking certain things and sticking with only those things. Unfortunately, this sort of eating doesn't benefit the overall health of my body so I try very hard to have a variety of colored drinks. Green, red, blue, yellow and orange. If I only have a couple ounces of two colors in a day then that's fine. I do try to mix it up so my body can benefit from all the colors. My choice would to never drink mango juice. That being said, I've learned what an important part of my diet it can be since it is so high in potassium and it is easy for a person who doesn't tend to eat a lot to have unsafe levels of potassium. Something I recently learned the hard way.

Pancreatitis and Local Honey

About a month ago, both my daughter and I noticed that local honey had helped us with pollen and other seasonal allergies.

Something I've been working on is improving my overall health. I feel that the better I feel as a whole the better off my pancreas will be as a result.

We had been eating a ton of honey. We were going though a 32 oz jar per week. I started buying it from a local health food store to get the 5 lb bottle for $19.99

instead of the 2 lb jar for $15-17.

All of a sudden we realized that I wasn't getting the sniffles and a runny nose while my daughter wasn't getting the twice yearly really bad hack that lasts a couple months.

We eat honey in our plain fat-free yogurt, baby cereal, coffee (well, she doesn't drink coffee) and tea, on berries, pancakes, etc.

So my thought is this... if my system doesn't have to work harder to stay healthy whether it be a cold or allergies then my immune system is better able to keep my pancreas as healthy as possible. I experience has been that my pancreas is more vulnerable when my system is run down physically or mentally. Therefore, I'm working on both!

Added benefit? I love honey! It's my favorite sweetener and besides natural fruit it is really the only sweetener I use.

Living with Pancreatitis & Respecting My Liver

One thing that seems clear is that the liver can be the downfall of someone who suffers from pancreatitis rather than the pancreas itself, or pancreatic cancer. Steve Jobs received a liver transplant a few years back after having fought pancreatic cancer for several years before that.

I do not think Steve Job's survival rate should be expected. I do not expect it for myself. I don't have medical insurance. Would I really be in line for a transplant? In any case, I do believe that the more we learn the longer we can live.

Unfortunately, I don't always pay much mind to my liver. I try to focus intently on my pancreas but it has become clear to me that neglecting the well-being of my liver could inevitably be my downfall.

Generally we focus on things for a reason. About 5 days ago I felt my liver swelling up. I was either having problems with my liver, my bile duct or both. No, I'm not a doctor. I'm guessing. I'm, also, probably right. When I went into the emergency hospital and told the doctor on call that I thought I was having a severe acute pancreatic attack I was right, so there is a good chance that I know and listen to my body well enough to be correct about this, as well.

My liver was swollen to the touch and I might have also had inflammation of the bile duct or something in that same region. I've had a lot of problems in that area when I've experienced pancreatic flare-ups. The only way I know how to deal with that is by decreasing and easing inflammation of the pancreas.

The liver is a separate issue. So, I went back to the basics. I did reflexology on the liver spot on my foot. You can find reflexology charts on Google. Depending on what area of the body I am trying to work on with reflexology will determine the chart I use. It seems different charts better diagram different areas and issues. According the reflexology and the bottom of my foot my liver was sore. Of course, I could also feel that it was extended. The liver - like the pancreas - isn't something we can fix. It doesn't get better and heal itself. Therefore, I want to take the absolute best care of it that I possibly can. I don't want swelling or harm to come to it.

My next step was to google "Foods Good for the Liver". Different pages bring up different results. Read a few pages. Find what seems right. Use discernment when reading and be critical in my approach. Remember, anyone can write anything and really, you only want what will help.

My goal was to immediately work toward decreasing the swelling in my liver. First, I had ginger. Ginger is an excellent anti-inflammatory. I also bought some beet juice, ate some garlic cloves (be careful with garlic, too much is bad for the kidneys), Brazil nuts (high in selenium which deters cancer), ate a few walnuts (not too many because I found it too rich for my pancreas) and then ate lots of almonds and drank black tea (which I don't usually drink but seemed to be quite helpful. Within a day or so my liver was back to normal.

What I have learned is that I do not want to overlook my liver. Many sober alcoholics die from psoriasis of the liver. I don't know yet how to best protect my liver from this disease but I will continue to look into and, for now, I will remember to eat foods that benefit the health of the liver.

The basics were that my liver was swollen and my stool was light in color and that 5 days later my liver was no longer swollen and my stool had returned to a healthy, darker color.

I firmly believe that while we do not have total control over our health there is enough information to help guide us in the right direction more often than not. When it comes to the pancreas, doctors are not well enough informed to be of much help to us. Mostly they seem to believe we're a lost cause by the time it gets to them or that the problem is something else entirely. That sort of mentality is not going to promote longevity. I believe I have more of a chance of living longer, healthier and happier if I am personally proactive in my overall well-being and if I choose to fight off potential problems either before they happen (pancreatic cancer) or as soon as I am aware of them (a swollen liver). I believe my body is completely connected to itself and the healthier I keep each part of my body the healthier I will remain overall. This means that I believe my pancreas and liver can affect each other so the better I treat both the healthier I will be. This also extends to eating well, keeping stress levels low, exercising and not drinking alcohol.