Food vs. Pain: It begins again

 Since February, I have been experiencing significant pancreas pain. It started out as a nuisance. I could not figure out why the area around my belly button hurt. Finally one day I pressed on my belly button, and the pain radiated to my pancreas. My heart broke when I realized it was my pancreas which was causing the pain.

In 2018, I had a similar experience with pancreatic pain. Unfortunately, I tried to fight it out for a long time. I ended up losing a lot of weight and had several health crises before I was able to have a procedure done to mitigate my pancreas issue. This time, I thought, I would get treatment early.

I had an appointment with my GI doctor in August. In September, I had a procedure done which found my bile ducts were inflamed. In October, I had another procedure to clean out and open up my bile ducts. This time, the pain did not go away.

I kept telling myself I was imaging my pain was getting worse. In November, food was making me really sick. I changed my diet to be almost strictly vegetables. This alleviated some of the pain. During the week of Thanksgiving, the pain was getting bad. I desperately tried to eat turkey on Thanksgiving, but I became extremely sick and developed horrible pain in my pancreas after taking a few bites.

Last week Friday, I became abruptly sick in the early evening. I went to bed. I felt incredibly nauseas. I took some anti-nausea medication. I stayed in bed for the rest of the day. Over the weekend, the pain was intense. I pushed through. I would wake up in the morning with bad pain in my pancreas. When I ate, the pain became worse. I would go to bed. In the evening, the pain would lessen to allow me to eat.

Yesterday, I was in severe pain. I stayed in bed. In the evening, the pain miraculously lifted. I was able to eat some food and enjoy time out of bed.

This morning, I woke up in severe pain again. I tried to eat some soup and a small tangerine. The pain exploded in my pancreas. I couldn’t sit up. I was doubled-over. I tried and tried to get over the pain. When my body would not stop shaking uncontrollably, I took a half tablet of some emergency pain medicine. I waited. It did nothing. Over an hour later, I took another half pill. Nearly an hour later, I had pain relief. I was able to sip some water.

Now, the pain medicine is wearing off. I have eaten very little. I think to myself, “I should eat something,” but I can feel my pancreas and intestines are very temperamental. They ache and the pain is significant. Do I dare try to eat? Do I want to waste another precious pain pill?

I am thankful I was able to call and get an appointment to see a provider at my GI doctor’s office on Friday. Maybe she will be able to help. I am tired of fighting through this pain. I wish eating was not such a constant battle.