Hiya all

[Guest guest]

I have bounced in and out and back in on the group. I just wanted to

check in and say hi and wish you all the best.

It's been 4 and half months since my total pancreatectomy/islet cell

autotransplant and things are going pretty well. It was difficult to

work and with my hour commute each way it became clear to me that

this was standing in the way of my recovery. That and I have been

very unhappy at work for about two years. Good luck graced me and my

wife with an unexpected source of finances, and boom! I quit. Since

then I have started to really make strong improvment. I am off of

all pain meds and have been for a few weeks, though I still have

surgical pain that is a nussiance and sometimes bad enough I could

certainly take some percoset, but I wanted to detox considering I

had been on pain meds for 7 months straight. My energy level is the

main thing that can let me down but it is getting better and I have

come a long long way. Yes, in my case the surgery made me previous a

non-diabetic, and made me an insulin dependant diabetic but that's

the breaks. My diabetes is mangeable and not brittle, I rarely get

lows and most of my real highs are self-induced by eating too much

of a sweet thing. I am still splurging with food after 6-8 months of

living off of Ensure. If I exert good judgement I can probably get

down to 20-30 units of insulin daily.

So 4 months after the pancreatectomy I have no regrets. I can go out

and do things each day, I no longer have the constant concern about

having an acute attack of pancreatitis, and I don't require daily

pain meds with the fog they promote. It is a big surgery, and it is

going to take me a full year to get back my pre-diseased self, but I

really believe I will get back.

I hope each of you stays strong, is vigiliant about your care,

options, and education, and that you never give up hope. There are

treatment options for many. Don't let the disease overwhelm you -- I

nearly turned down the surgery that has given me back my life

because I overwhelmed.

Blessings and thoughts of health for you all,

Bert