Percy from W

[Guest guest]

Percy,

Believe me, I have had plenty of bad treatment in the ER and in the hospital. I

have never been much of a drinker. I just never liked alcohol much. I have

chronic pancreatitis and liver disease. My liver disease is autoimmune, which

means my immune system decided to attack my liver. It has nothing to do with

drugs, alcohol, or risky behavior. It is not caused by a virus or bacteria. I

didn't catch it nor can anyone catch it from me. However, I know many doctors

and nurses think I must have been (and maybe still am) a closet alcoholic. I

mean, how ironic is it to have both pancreatitis and liver disease when I am the

one person in my family that never really drank! I have been treated like I am

a druggy. I have actually been accused of lying by an ER doctor. He told me

that he could not believe I didn't take more pain medicine at home if I was

hurting as bad as I said I was. Excuse me! I was throwing up so I doubt more

pain med would have stayed down. Also, I've had enough attacks to know whether

or not oral pain meds are going to be able to settle it down. That attack

landed me in the hospital for 4 days, home for 36 hours and then back in

hospital for 7 more days! Gee - guess maybe I was telling the butthead ER doc

the truth after all! He was one that refused to give me anything for pain or

nausea until he got the labs back and saw what was 'really' going on! The nurse

was so sweet and apologetic that he would not let her give me anything til the

labs came back. When they came back and my lipase was elevated and my liver

enzymes were as high as they had ever been, he wrote the order for med for pain

and nausea PDQ. He contacted my internal med doc and I was admitted right after

they got the labs back!

I can say with all honesty that there is nothing I did to cause my pancreatitis

or liver disease. There is also nothing I could have done to prevent either

one. This is not just my assessment but is also the assessment of my new

wonderful GI. I was put under his care when I was admitted the second time with

the attacks I was talking about in the previous paragraph. So, a bad ER

experience really ended up being a blessing.

Even if I had totally caused my current health problems and pain, it would not

make me any less deserving of kindness, compassion, and treatment for my pain.

I don't know why so many in the medical field feel they have the right to judge

a patient and that somehow they can simply look in your eyes and see that you

really aren't in pain as you say you are. I think they think they have some

kind of magic power or something!

I honestly don't have any answers as to how to avoid being treated badly, but

believe me when I tell you that I have been treated badly many times! If I were

in your shoes, I do think I would just tell them that your pancreatitis is

idiopathic and leave it at that. It is really none of their business that

alcohol may have contributed to it.

As for the pain medicine. I was on Lortab 10 three times a day until I was

diagnosed with autoimmune liver disease in January 03. The tylenol in the

Lortabs didn't cause my liver disease but with an already damaged liver (stage 3

fibrosis on a scale of 0 to 4, with 4 being cirrhosis) the pain doc didn't want

to take a chance on having me take tylenol on a daily basis. He changed my pain

med to oxycodone 5 mg three times a day. When I was put under the care of the

new GI and told I do have CP, ms contin 30 mg twice a day was added to my pain

meds. I have the oxycodone 5 mg up to four times a day for breakthrough pain.

You have reminded me, once again, how fortunate I am to have the doctors that I

have! I will keep you in my prayers that you will be treated with kindness and

compassion and will find a doctor that will help get your pain under better

control.

W