Re: Re; a lesson learned

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/18/03 12:14:24 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Pag4024@...

writes:

> If I eat what I am supposed to eat and rest when my body is tired I

>

Hi Paget,

My experience is that while not now nor ever likely cured, if I modify my

lifestyle I can enhance my abilities to live better. This does take time to

adjust and self experience to know what decisions to make. I'm going on four

years now and while I make mistakes, they are fewer and I tend to live a

little better. The happier the ol GI tract is then the happier you will be.

Best wishes, Poncho - GA

PS And we are all different so individual choices must be made. There is no

magic wand.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/18/03 12:14:24 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Pag4024@...

writes:

> If I eat what I am supposed to eat and rest when my body is tired I

>

Hi Paget,

My experience is that while not now nor ever likely cured, if I modify my

lifestyle I can enhance my abilities to live better. This does take time to

adjust and self experience to know what decisions to make. I'm going on four

years now and while I make mistakes, they are fewer and I tend to live a

little better. The happier the ol GI tract is then the happier you will be.

Best wishes, Poncho - GA

PS And we are all different so individual choices must be made. There is no

magic wand.

[Guest guest]

Paget,

Your post hit so close to home. When you said, " My Chronic Pancreatitis is

here to stay, it's just now I have to learn how to live inside it's

boundaries. Deep down inside me I have always been looking for a cure, I was

determined that I was not going to live like this for the rest of my life. "

I remember that moment of clarity when I realized that I had a chronic

disease, something that would challenge me for many days to come. Somehow I

thought I would be different, or if I would just do this, or do that, or

prayed more....I was desperately looking for answers and looking for a cure.

I would ask myself, " Do I really want to get well? " because I do believe

there is a

mind state that goes along with chronic illness

, it is similar to victim roles people get in, to tackle this would mean

serious change.

I certainly have not given up, and continue to do research and reach out to

others to see how they are achieving some semblance of peace or serenity. We

do need to integrate the reality into our lives, without, abandoning our

hope. Some achieve that balance better than others, definitely better than

myself. Paget, when you said, " Maybe they too had taken a long time to

figure this out. " I feel certain that you are among many whose journey

toward this discovery is not only lengthy, but one in which each 'lesson

learned' will enlighten us to our relationship to the world around us.

In my young tenure with this disease, two months short of three years, I have

become aware that even though we are walking this new path of having Chronic

Pancreatitis, we are all on different levels of acceptance & denial. It seems

that

when I feel I have achieved a level of understanding and acceptance with how

the disease is affecting my life, I turn around and I am doing it again.

Examples, are accepting the disease, then having to accept the pain, then

having to accept the diabetes. The beauty in all this is how well we can

share, and help, and support one another through these " lessons. "

Blessings,

Karyn E. , RN

Exec. Director, PAI

Indianapolis, IN

The PAI serves as a means of support, information, and advocacy. The PAI

cannot offer medical advice or direction nor substitute for your health care

provider.