wonderful doctors

[Guest guest]

,

What wonderful news to hear about such a good experience with your new

doctor. I know you are relieved to hear that your gastric bypass was beneficial

and

not the cause of your Pancreatitis. I thought that was interesting about the

Actigall. It makes sense.

Good luck with your niece. It sounds like you are in for a busy summer. But,

certainly one filled with fun,

With Joy & Light,

Karyn , RN

Executive Director, PAI

[Guest guest]

I had two doctor's appts today and both went great. My first appt was with my

new GI doc, Dr. Goetsch. I have been feeling so much better the last week or

so. I was very hopeful that the reason I've felt better has been because of the

new meds Dr. Goetsch put me on (actigall and pancreas enzymes). My 11 year old

niece is here for her summer visit and I have been pretty much going non-stop

since Sunday, June 15th. No way could I have kept up this pace just a few weeks

ago. I did have a pancreas attack this morning. However, after taking a pain

pill, 50 mg of phenergan, vomiting up some disgusting bile, and then taking and

4 mg of zofran, the episode finally ended and I have felt great all day. Dr.

Goetsch told me that he believes the actigall is responsible for me doing so

much better. He said the panc enzymes are also very important but that even

though he does not know the cause of my chronic pancreatitis, he believes

something has been impeding the flow of the bile and the actigall is helping the

bile to flow better. He told me that he doesn't know why I had an attack this

morning and that I do have chronic pancreatitis so I will have attacks, pain,

nausea, and vomiting, and that some attacks will land me in the hospital. He

said the hope is that we can keep the attacks to a minimum. I asked him if the

gastric bypass (weight loss surgery) had caused any of my current health

problems and he said absolutely not. Some of you may remember that this is what

my previous GI told my pcp on the phone shortly before my last two attacks of

pancreatitis that earned me 11 days in the hospital. Dr. Goetsch told me that I

had not done anything to cause any of my health problems nor could I have done

anything to prevent any of them. He said that in defense of my previosu GI,

biliary specialists are not fond of the gastric bypass because after a gastric

bypass they cannot get to the biliary tree endoscopically. I told Dr. Goetsch

that I absolutely understand that but to think that I may have caused my health

problems by having the gastric bypass was very upsetting. He assured me that

the gastric bypass did nothing but help me to get healthier by allowing me to

get rid of 100 lbs of excess weight. I'm sure you can imagine how relieved

hearing that made me feel. In my heart, I truly did not believe the gastric

bypass caused the problems with my pancreas or liver (especially since I had my

first attack of acute pancreatitis 2 years prior to the gastric bypass and I was

diagnosed with my first autoimmune disease, lupus, 5 years prior to the gastric

bypass) but it was still very upsetting even to consider the possibility that I

was responsible for all my health issues.

Dr. Goetsch added the immunosuppressant, Imuran, to my list of medications. I

will have a CBC and hepatic function panel monthly for the rest of my life. In

two months, if the Imuran is keeping my liver enzymes at less than two times the

normal limit, Dr. Goetsch will begin tapering my prednisone further - I'm

currently on 10 mg daily and was initially on 20 mg daily. Dr. Goetsch said he

hopes to get me off prednisone completely since, in his opinion, prednisone

actually has a higher risk of causing pancreatitis than the Imuran.

Dr. Goetsch says that he believes I will continue to improve but that I cannot

expect to never have problems since I am dealing with several chronic illnesses

- lupus, autoimmune liver disease, chronic pancreatitis, and diabetes. I can

live with having problems. I would just like to have the good days that I've

had over the last week or so. It would also be nice if I could stay away from

the hospital and ER so as to not cause my family so much worry and anxiety.

My other doctor's appt was with Dr. Wyatt, my internal medicine doctor. He was

the one who brought Dr. Goetsch in the picture. He was pleased to see me doing

so much better. It is hard for me to even talk about how much I appreciate both

Dr. Wyatt and Dr. Goetsch without crying. It amazes me the blessings that have

come from my having to be put in the hospital two times for acute pancreatitis.

Just knowing that I have a doctor that is close to home that can take care of me

has given me such peace of mind! God is so good!

I hope this finds everyone having a wonderful day!

W