going to the ER/having another panc attack

[Guest guest]

Just thought I'd let you guys know that I'm going back to the ER. Pain meds are

not controlling my pain and I can't tolerate anything to eat or drink. I called

my GI doc hoping the nurse would tell me to just try and ride it out, but

knowing that she'd probably tell me to go to the ER. Of course, she said that

if the pain meds aren't controlling the pain and I can't even tolerate water,

I've got to be admitted to the hospital. I'm sure I'll be fine . Just need a

few more days of gut rest!

W

[Guest guest]

Percy,

I'm from Dallas, although we are living in KY now. I understand what you mean.

My husband has a traumatic injury to the pancreas which has resulted in CP. He

has been yelled at, screamed at, and accused of being an alcoholic.

There are so many other things that work to block pain...Endodan, Tramadol, and

even some anti-depressants are great oral pain meds for people with CP.

If you have Chronic Pain as well as Chronic Pancreatitis, Duragesic patches work

pretty well once the dose is correct. These patches contain Fentanyl (a

synthetic Morphine-like drug) and are applied to the skin above the waist where

they are worn for 48-72 hours. You get a constant dose of medication with the

Duragesic, which means less pain overall. Janssen pharmaceuticals does have a

GREAT patient assistance program, since they are incredibly expensive (about

$500/month).

Someone suggested in an earlier post that CP patients should have a letter from

their doctor to take to the ER, explaining about the pancreatitis and pain

tolerance. I think that is a great idea, and we will do that for my husband.

Luckily, you're in Dallas, so there are LOTS of options.

Jen

[Guest guest]

Percy,

Finding the right medication that will work for your pain is often a

long trial and error procedure. Jen had several good

recommendations. My doctor finally agreed and understood that the

hyrocodone I was on was not enough to handle my pain. But he wasn't

experienced enough to be comfortable prescribing anything other than

that or Dilaudid, which I told him was not appropriate for me to use

on a regular basis. Perhaps your doctors feel the same discomfort

with prescribing something else because of their inexperience with

the other suitable narcotics. My Gastro switched me, after much

persuasion, to a duragestic patch, with Percocet 10/325 for

breakthrough. The only way I was able to influence him to do this

was by having consultation and an exam by a pain management physician

first.

The Percocet I use is 10/325 and the script has to be written

specifically for this product, or the pharmacist will dispense

10/650's. A consult with a pain management physician was necessary

before my doctor would agree to this switch. Having the consult was

worth it, because it did provide my gastroenterologist with other

options that he could feel comfortable with prescribing once they

were recommended by a specialized pain management physician. The

doctor knew I was concerned about the higher acetaminaphen content in

the other Percocet, which I was taking on a regular basis. I was

worried, as you are, about eventual liver damage. With the switch to

a duragesic patch, with Percocet for breakthrough, I am using less

than half the Percocet than I did before, since most of the time my

patches can manage the daily pain.

Perhaps this would be an option for you.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI, Intl.

Note: All comments and advice are personal opinion only, and should

not be substituted for professional medical consultation.

" What les behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared

to what lies within us. " - Ralph Waldo Emerson

My pain clinic is reluctant to prescribe me anything other than

hydrocodone 10/650 W/APAP, better known as Lorcet. Most of the

people I correspond with say their pain doctors won't prescribe this

because of the acetaminophen, I have been taking this drug for quite

some time and am very concerned about developing liver and other

complications, this drug has almost completely stopped ahving any

effect but no one will give me anything stronger, I believe this is

because of my past history with alcoholism. > one else out there who

may have these kinds of episodes, and what kind of action does one

take.

Sincerely,

Percy Lee

[Guest guest]

Percy,

Unfortunately, those who have pancreatitis due to alcoholism, or assumed

to be caused by alcoholism are not treated very well by the medical

profession. They seem to feel that these people brought this on

themselves and deserve what they get. This is a horrible thing to do. A

person with pancreatitis should be treated with care and compassion,

regardless of why they have it. If I were you, I'd make complaints to

the hospital, the state medical board and JCAHO ( http://www.jcaho.com )

for any mistreatment by a physician, and any other medical oversight

committee you can think of.. If the mistreatment is regarding not

getting enough pain treatment, definitely complain to JCAHO as their

hospital accreditation process requires hospitals to treat all pain

related cases with adequate pain medication. Check out the info on pain

management on their website. The more compliants of this sort that we

can give for mistreatment, the more likely it is that some sort of

reform can be made. Make sure all your complaints are official and

written in nature and keep copies of all of them for backup reference if

needed. Whenever possible, get doctor and nurses names so you can be

specific as to who mistreated you. I know this is sometimes hard to do

when you are hurting and in pain, but the more you have to back up your

claim, the better.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.