Pancreatitis & Karaoke

Last month I sang karaoke in public for the first time.

I'm not a good singer but we were in a cheap, rather cheesy roadside eatery and well... it just felt appropriate.

Everyone cheered me on as I fearlessly sang Hotel California by the Eagles.

One of the benefits about having pancreatitis is that it allows you to be a little more fearless in your daily life.

I had always been too shy to sing in public. Now with impending death at my doorstep shyness has taken a backseat to fun, fearless and safe risks and adventures.

Try it!

Life is short. Enjoy!

Pancreatitis & Roller Coasters

We are at DisneyWorld. Yesterday, I rode the Arrowsmith Roller coaster ride twice, back-to-back in the front row. The coaster is much smoother than previously so I'm assuming either the tracks or whatever holds the coaster to the tracks have recently been refurbished, tightened or cleaned. Nice ride! Not nearly as jerky as before.

That being said, I felt very sick after the ride(s). Like many of us with chronic pancreatitis, I'm quite skinny. I think I weigh about 107. I used to weigh a mere 5-10 pounds more than that but I haven't been able to get back up to my previous weight and have pretty much realized that it probably won't happen. Rather, now my goal is to try my best to maintain my weight.

Being so skinny might have made it so that my intestines are more easily damaged. The roller coaster might have been rather rough on my intestines and stomach. I tried to tough it out be in the end I didn't feel better and needed to return to our hotel room.

My daughter did some reflexology on my feet and found that both my stomach and intestine areas were very sore. We do reflexology on me regularly. It is something I often do on myself but wasn't feeling well enough to do yesterday. Generally speaking, my stomach and intestinal areas on my feet feel absolutely fine. Not so, yesterday.

I've informed my daughter that I will not be riding any more roller coasters. I do not know if the pancreatitis has a direct result on how awful I felt yesterday or if it was just a side effect of the pancreatitis because I am now thinner... and perhaps my intestines are weaker. Don't know, but wanted to share my experience and give you a head's up on the possibilities.

Pancreatitis: Don't Eat Too Much

The holidays are such an easy time to stuff yourself.

If you have pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis then you know that eating too much is not the sort of think you can afford to do no matter how good the holiday food looks.

If you are having someone over to your house that has pancreatitis please do not try to get them to eat more no matter how thin they are or how good your food is.

Trust me, people with chronic pancreatitis know how good food is even if we aren't eating much of it. We don't eat too much before it can send our system into an attack that could literally kill us. Would you like your holiday dinner guest to die on your lovely holiday living room floor an hour after dinner? Probably not. Even if they don't die from over eating it is probably better if they don't hurt their pancreas further from over eating.

If you were newly diagnosed with pancreatitis there are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Do not drink alcohol at all. No exception! Toast with sparkling apple cider or whatever other non-alcoholic drink you might have in your hand.

2. Do not overeat. The rule of thumb is that your pancreas will not start to hurt until about an hour or an hour-and-a-half after you finish eating. Therefore you need to be prudent while eating. Don't expect to feel the pain while you are eating and for that to let you know that you need to stop eating. Instead, eat a lite meal. You can always nibble throughout the night. But once you've eaten you can't take it back. Therefore, you want to ensure that you are not over eating in the first place.

3. Sugars, spicy foods and fatty foods are hard on your pancreas to digest. Try to stay away from them.

Enjoy the holiday season! Pancreatitis is not a friendly disease. Its mortality rate scarily high. Be good to your pancreas as that could perhaps help your lifespan.

The holidays are about joy, family, friends, happiness and good times not about food and booze.

The holidays are a great time to be around the ones you love. A time when we truly get to remember how precious life is and how much we enjoy it and the wonderful things in our lives!

Pancreatitis: Coffee with Honey

I know I'm not supposed to drink caffeine since I have pancreatitis. Yet, I do it anyway.

I admit it. I'm a coffee fiend. I drink several cups a day.

I like coffee with cream (real cream) only. No sweeteners. Just delicious fresh coffee with a good cream that makes my coffee rich in color.

When at home, I now use a fat free milk or a fat-free half-and-half.

Although I never have used a sweetener for my coffee, I have decided to begin to do so. It's is on a trial basis, for now.

I have begun putting honey in my coffee. The reason isn't to sweeten the coffee but rather in hopes that the cream with make the coffee easier on my pancreas. I don't know if it will work or not. In fact, I can feel that my pancreas is currently slightly swollen so I have my doubts. Nonetheless, I know that honey has eased my pancreas pain when, at times, I've been unable to eat. Honey also helps to fill me up when I can't eat.

I assume there is something in honey that works in a positive nature with the pancreas. I think this might be the case as a result of how it makes my pancreas feel when I can't eat and the fact that my pancreas is at ease with the honey intake.

All that being said, it does seem that my pancreas is probably slight swollen at present. That being said, I'm on my third large coffee of the day. It is 2:00 pm. Between the caffeine and cream intake (I'm not at home so the cream intake is either real cream or a non-dairy creamer - which probably has a sweetener in it. I've heard sweeteners are very hard on the pancreas).

I'll take my Wobenzym N which is an all natural systemic enzyme anti-inflammatory. I don't know if it actually helped but I always want to take it when I can feel that my pancreas is swollen.

Note: It is now several days later. I am still drinking coffee with honey in it. I don't believe it is helpful in anyway. We're still on vacation. I think I'll go back to straight coffee with cream when we return home. That being said, I should not be drinking coffee at all. It is said that people with pancreatitis should not drink coffee. Obviously, I'm not perfect. Heck, it's not even on my 'To Do' list.

Pancreatitis & Thanksgiving Dinner

The pancreas needs to be taken care of whether or not the holiday season is in full swing.

Since I have chronic pancreatitis and I'm happily heading toward my third Thanksgiving since having received the diagnosis I no longer eat as much as I want all day long. Instead, I eat sparingly as I do with all meals.

I eat small amounts of food at one time never stuffing myself and with the clear objective not to fill stomach.

The more I eat at one sitting the harder my pancreas will have to work and the more likely I am to suffer an attack especially if something in my life is stressing me out.

This holiday I will eat all meals in small quantities because I will feel better and enjoy my food more knowing that it is not hurting me.

I do not eat sugar products at all. If I were to eat something sweat it might be Tapioca Pudding made with honey rather than any other kind of sweetener.

Honey always makes me feel good and it is probably filling as well. I've never had any negative side effects from honey. At times, my pancreas hasn't felt good enough for me to eat and I've opted for a spoon full of honey. It seems to smooth the pancreas while acting as a nutrient or at least something related to the food chain.

I do not drink alcohol ever and that includes the holidays. Pancreatitis doesn't take time off for the holidays so I don't get to drink alcohol at all during this time.

If someone says that you look thin you might simply mention or perhaps only think to yourself how lucky you feel to be here and to have the opportunity to look thin particularly considering the alternative and how absolutely fabulous you look in your new skinny jeans as you celebrate life and how much you are thankful for another day!

I'm thankful for skinny people! From what I can tell I will never be able to gain more weight. Therefore, the alternatives to this weight probably won't get better. Therefore, I celebrate the opportunity to be this weight and I treasure everything about it!

Pancreatitis, Eating & The Holidays

Thanksgiving is almost here. I love stuffing myself on Thanksgiving. I can eat turkey for what seems to be an eternity. It's neverending. Then, I rest drowsily on the sofa.

This year will be different. First off, we're eating out. Second, I have pancreatitis. In fact, this is my third Thanksgiving while under the influence of pancreatitis.

This means that I will not be eating as much turkey as possible and celebrating my gluttony of the dead animal.

Instead, I will eat light, treasure my ability to eat at all, and be incredibly thankful for my life.

If you are unable to eat at this time perhaps a really nice bowl of turkey, chicken or beef broth would make for a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner!

Food and eating habits change with pancreatitis. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to appreciate all that we have in our lives.

Holidays are not a time when I drink. Since I now get to celebrate the scarcity of longevity I also get to celebrate without alcohol. There are no exceptions to this rule even if I really want a drink, even if I think just one is okay. No alcohol. No exceptions! Why? Because I want to live and with pancreatitis I have both life and alcohol. I choose life!

If you were recently diagnosed with pancreatitis. There are two very important things I like to keep in mind.
1. No booze! One drink can send my system into shock and kill me. This is not an exaggeration at all.
2. Don't overeat! It hurts a lot and can cause an attack.

How to Stop a Pancreatic Flare Up

1. Don't drink alcohol (ever again).

This is what I was told when I was admitted to the hospital and where I stayed for 16-days as a result of having an acute severe attack of pancreatitis. I want to stay alive, so I don't drink alcohol at all ever.

2. Stay away from things with calcium.

This is a new one for me. Since I read that the pancreas becomes calcified over time inevitably ending in death, I've decided that things with calcium just don't need to be in my diet at all. This includes daily vitamins which contain calcium, orange juice or any other juice that is calcium fortified, and things like broccoli.

For now, it does not include string cheese. I am addicted. I'm sure I will eventually need to remove it from my diet. Today is not that day. During times of flare-ups, I do not eat string cheese. It is too fatty and hard on my system.

3. I take Wobenzym N because it decreases inflammation. Therefore, I think it might decrease the inflammation in my pancreas.

I have no proof that it works. That being said, I always run to it when I feel my pancreas is swollen. I doubt this would be a natural reaction is it wasn't beneficial. Wobenzym N makes me dehydrated. Therefore, I keep water nearby and drink plenty of it. Of course, 'plenty' is a relative term based on what your system can handle. I don't drink as much water (or anything else) as someone might who doesn't suffer from pancreatitis.

4. I eat less, if at all.

Even if I'm hungry, I know my pancreas cannot heal if I do not let it rest. Chicken Broth is one of my favorites when I'm staying away from food to let my pancreas heal. It fills me up, adds liquids and seems to be rather gentle on my system.

5. I drink coffee.

I don't recommend this. Coffee is known to be a problem for the pancreas. Yet, it cuts down on my need for food and hurts my system less than food would. So, I'm not perfect and I drink coffee. Non-fat half-and-half or non-fat milk is better than milk with fat in it. No milk at all is better. Milk has calcium. Again, I'm not perfect. I just try the best I can.

I generally do the above for a few to several days as the pancreas seems to need this much time to feel better. Yes, I often lose weight during this time. It's not my preference, but it beats the alternatives.

I would love to hear what other people do when they have a pancreatic flare up. Please share your experience and knowledge in this area.

Below are a couple resources which might help:
PANCREATITIS: LIQUID DIET
HOW TO DIET FOR PANCREATITIS
CHRONIC PANCREATITIS