Chronic Pancreatitis & Calcium Tablets

The other day I read that the pancreas becomes calcified... and that's a huge issue.

I used to take calcium tablet hoping to fight off osteoporosis. But I realized that each time I took the tablets my pancreas would hurt more. So, eventually, I stopped taking them.

Now that I know the pancreas eventually becomes calcified as a direct result from chronic pancreatitis I have an even better understanding as to why the calcium hurt my pancreas.

Maybe I should stay away from calcium rich foods (like broccoli) as well.

It's not like I'm planning on living long enough to enjoy the troubles caused by osteoporosis. I mean really! I should be so lucky!

It is my pancreas I must protect. Long live the pancreas!

Chronic Pancreatitis: What to Eat/Drink

Everyone with Chronic Pancreatitis is probably going to react to the disease differently particularly depending on what stage of the disease they are at.

I currently eat solids and drink non-alcoholic liquids. Sometimes without any or much pain or discomfort. I try not to eat or drink too much at any particular sitting. I try to stay away from foods that are too fatty. And, I try to get a well-rounded amount of vegetables. I hate vegetables. Nonetheless, a balanced diet is probably important for my overall health.

I get most of my veggies from Naked Drinks and Bolthouse Juices. Why? Because I can get several different types of vegetables in one drink and therefore save myself from eating too much or having to deal with veggies I don't like. Instead I'm done in a few gulps. I'm better with the green veggies but really don't like any of the yellow, white or red ones.

I drink them sparingly. If you are worried about the drink going bad in the fridge. Don't! Remember, you're more interested in preserving the health of your pancreas (and staying alive) than finishing a juice. Just buy the little bottle. Drink a couple sips a day. If it goes bad before its gone, so be it. It is probably better to get some diversity of healthy foods in your body then not.

Feel good about having a little and tossing anything that didn't go down comfortably. Your body probably doesn't need much to get the nutrients so anything you do is good. At least that is how I feel about it.

Again, everyone is at a different place with their chronic pancreatitis. I can't speak for anyone else's system. Only mine. And, this is where I'm at with my system and my eating and drinking habits today!

:-)

Remember... no booze.

Those of us with chronic pancreatitis don't get to drink alcohol anymore. EVER!

Pancreatitis: Eye Sight

Every time I have another pancreatic flare-up it seems my eye sight gets worse.

For the past week-and-a-half I've been sick with the flu. Either the flu or the over-the-counter medications have hurt my pancreas and have cause me to pay much closer attention to it.

A couple days ago while driving, I realized that I couldn't read the name of a building - you know how a company will have its name in large letters at the top of a building. Well, much to my surprise I was unable to make out the word.

My assumption is that the flu has made my pancreas more vulnerable which has in turn hurt my eyes. If I'm not mistaken, eyes are organs. Pancreatitis weakens organs.

Fiddlesticks!

Note to self: Get some really hot sexy glasses to go with my pancreatitis!

Pancreatitis: Calcification & Rhubarb

A few days ago, I read a depressing study (all chronic pancreatitis studies are depressing) about the calcification of the pancreas which inevitably leads to the demise of the person due to the pancreas inability to continue to function at the point.

I had never heard of calcification. What did it mean? I envision it to be similar to the petrification of wood. Yikes! That doesn't sound good.

So immediately I wanted to know how I could prevent the calcification of my pancreas. The study seemed to indicate that over time calcification was inevitable in chronic pancreatic patients (I believe the study came out of a Scandinavian country - Norway?). The hope is to live longer (obviously). So, the idea is to find out if there is a way to slow down or stop the calcification of my sweet, little overused pancreas.

Today, while finding a pancreas diagram to add to my Hot Flashes: Chronic Pancreatitis or Menopause post I came across GrannyHerb's website which stated that Rubaherb (Rhubarb Root/Rhizome) could help with the effects of pancreatitis. I don't know about you but I'm fairly cynical about hokey herbal websites and don't believe everything I read. That being said, I am always willing to check into things a little further if it is related to my pancreas and the potential longevity of it... and therefore the longevity of me!

I found a couple more sites that talked about the benefits of rhubarb. The Zhion website states, "Researchers found that a rhubarb extract prevented calcium phosphate precipitation in a in vitro study. Thus, they suggested that supplementation of rhubarb extract may have benefit of preventing calculus formation." [Source: Hidaka S, et al, Effects of a rhubarb (Rhei rhizoma) solution and its fractions on the formation of calcium phosphate precipitates.J Periodontal Res. 1996 Aug;31(6):408-13)]

Oh wow! I just Googled 'pancreatic calcification treatment' and there are websites addressing this issue! Whoopie! I'm a happy camper with my reading cut out for me!

I love progress. :-)

If anyone has any experience, strength, hope or information to share on this matter please share it! If you have answers, great! If you don't, no problem. I don't have answers either at this point... just looking around for longevity options. :-)

PS. If you're new to this whole 'I've got pancreatitis. What do I do? thing' I'd like to remind you (as your doctor most likely has) that we can't drink anymore... not at all. Not on holidays. Not on special occasions. Not ever. No exceptions. You may never have another drink for the rest of your life. Now go have fun living your life! It's beautiful out there and now you get to be sober enough to enjoy and remember it!

PPS. I just read on the Zhion site, " It is unclear if rhubarb is anti-cancer or carcinogenic. There are reports that it may cause cancer; there are also reports that its ingredients have anti-cancer activities."

PPPS. I found a couple more rhubard/pancreatitis studies on here. One study shows hints of potential value in test tube studies but also states that most test tube studies don't pan out. The other study states that the consumption of rhubarb probably does not impair calcium absorption. The sources for the studies are mentioned in the link above.

Hot Flashes: Chronic Pancreatitis or Menopause?

For the past week to week-and-a-half, I've been getting hot flashes - suddenly a wave of heat comes over me that is almost unbearable. Currently, the thermostat is either broken or set at 76 degrees. Generally, I would be freezing and wearing a warm sweater at such a temperature. At present, I'm hot, clammy and in need of turning the air temperature down even further.

I have been sick for 9-10 days with a cold... or flu. For the past few days I've been taking Tylenol Cold Head Congestion Day & Night over-the-counter medicine. which I think might be a little hard on my liver. (I've never had anyone say I have liver disease or any trouble at all with my liver. Although I was told it was 'gigantic' but that was 'probably just normal for me'.) Not sure.

There, I've turned the air down to 72 degrees. Maybe that'll help.

I haven't been eating a lot. Although, I usually don't. (My goal always two fold: 1. To not over eat. 2. To not lose weight.) Over the last few days my diet has mostly consisted of mixed berry medley with honey, about 12 oz of orange juice a day, a hamburger patty, roasted & salted pistachios and coffee with cream.

Currently, there is mild discomfort at the head of the pancreas at the duodenum. This is where I usually have discomfort.

My eye sight has worsen quite a bit since being sick over the past week-and-a-half. I'm guessing either the flu or the over-the-counter medicines are negatively impacting my pancreatitis.

Is anyone else having hot flashes associated with chronic pancreatitis? If so, I'd love to hear your story, what you think causes it and any other information you might like to share such as how you avoid or prevent it from happening.

Chronic Pancreatitis: A Terminal Illness

Yesterday, I was reading up on pancreatitis. You can never learn enough about it especially when so little is known about it.

One made reference to her disease as being terminal. Although I know it to be true I suppose I've never put it in those terms before. I use gentler working like 'you need to be careful because every attack takes years off your life.'
She's right, you know. The disease is terminal. It's like life. Life is terminal. You know from the get-go that no matter what you do you are going to die. Chronic Pancreatitis is the same. As with life, how you treat your body in many ways determines how long you will live.

For example, my personal goal is to live 20 years from the time I was diagnosed (March 26, 2008). But, if I drink tomorrow (or today for that matter) my life would end immediately. On the other hand, if I eat appropriately, exercise, remain relatively stress-free, etc than my hope is to survive long enough for a cure to be found. With how inept the medical field is regarding their progress toward finding a cure there is a good chance it'll take many years before a cure is found... or even reasonable rates of prolonged life.

For some reason, I felt joy and happiness toward life - my life - when I realized my disease is terminal. Not like I want to die but rather I want to live, live happily and to the fullest. Yes, this is how I try to approach life in general but the awakening that my days are numbered really reminded me how precious life is and how lucky I have it!

Pancreatitis & Coffee

I have a friend who has subtitled her blog is "Family is Funny".

Maybe I should subtitle this blog "...because Pancreatitis is Funny".

I was thinking about coffee and how much I like coffee. How I would rather fight you for it than lose my coffee.

Of course, this is silly because coffee is bad for those of us with pancreatitis so I should be wanting and willing to give it up. Instead I'm about as smart as this tattooed baby smoking in his little pool... and, luckily, about as happy, too!

Noteworthy: I've read that coffee is not good for people with pancreatitis. Think of it like a "Just say no to coffee" campaign. Why? Not sure I know. I think it has to do with the high acid content...

Hmmm... if that is the case and if you live near a Trader Joe's (which I don't) you could simply by low-acid coffee grounds.

Of course, I'm not sure that's why coffee is bad for you if you have chronic pancreatitis

And... of course, I also just gave you a solution to continue drinking coffee.

Man. I'm not good at giving up my coffee.

Of course, I wasn't good at giving up my booze either and that's what got me in this mess in the first place.

So, the question is do I, or will I, need to give up coffee to protect my health in relationship to my chronic pancreatitis? Answer: I don't know. If that time comes I will probably quit drinking coffee. In the meantime I try to moderate. Whatever that means... Actually, that means that I try not to drink so much that it hurts my pancreas.