Hi, I just joined and am looking for the same. Glad to listen and/or share my story. You're not alone - there are plenty of us out there this difficult disease.

I suppose as people heal they stop posting. I want to post to offer encouragement. Sometimes every once in a while there is a true miracle story to this dreadful disease. I started having gallstone attacks around 2010. Usually I would have about two attacks a month for about two months cycle and then would be good for about 6 months. After about 2 years of this I started having more severe attacks which were mild pancreatic attacks. When one would hit I would roll on the floor writhing in pain for about 6 hours, where the gallstone attacks would last about 2 hours. Finally it got so bad I had two episodes on two nights back to back and went to the doctor where I was given an ultrasound which at that time showed a gallstone stuck in the bile duct. When I went to the doctor for the follow up from the ultrasound I was told to get the gallbladder out or I would end up in the hospital, but of course I got better and stopped having attacks, changed jobs insurance etc. Fast forward to 2013 one Friday morning I started to feel stomach pain which started to turn bad quickly. I thought another gallstone attack since it has been awhile. It quickly progressed. I took Alka selzer which did not help, got worse vomited, took more alkaselzer. Still; got worse, I took hot shower to get my mind off pain. Could not lie down pain was intense. Finally got so bad I wanted to end it. I could not imagine at this point the hospital being able to stop this pain. It was just like the army movies when someone gets gutshot. I was writhing, panting, sweating screaming for help. I was taken to the hospital. They had to pull me from the car I could not walk. I was placed in a wheelchair and brought directly to the back bypassing the waiting line. It was like I was in labor. (I am male) but anyways, the panting screaming begging for help from the pain. Doctors holding my hand just like a woman in labor telling me to breathe. I could not I begged them to knock me out. They insisted they could not. I was truly in convulsions. Blood test, ultrasound, CT scan and finally a pain shot was given. It had no effect. I cried out " See I told you this pain cannot be stopped" About what seemed like 15 minutes later another pain shot still no effect. I cried I am doomed. I asked if I was going to die. I was told at least not right here right now. I addressed my family and told them I loved them. I surely thought I was a gonner. Finally another shot was given. This time I felt a warm rush from my gut which reminded me of being a child and mom throwing a fresh warmed blanket from the fire over me. I was able to breathe. First two shots were morphine. Last pain shot was dilaudid. Thank God for dilaudid.
I was NPO (nothing by mouth). I was in the hospital for 18 days. Had enzymes in the lungs, psudocyst, nasogastric suction, nasogastric feeding etc. I lost 80% of my pancreas due to necrosis. Never became infected but finally was given clear liquid diet and then liquid diet followed by light solid foods. I was not able to eat without the pain shot due to the psudocyst bulging against my stomach. Every tiny sip hurt like hell so I learned to time meals with the dilaudid I was given every 3 hours. Finally after being sent home I thought I was going to be ok even though I was eating meals with the enzymes I got another pancreatitc attack. I was put in the ICU and transferred to another hospital where I stayed another 17 days. Cought a staph infection, had thorecentis (Plueral Lung sack)drained etc. Finally after 16 days I was started on liquids and could not be sent home until I could consume enough calories. Still this was not optimum because I was timing food consumption with diluadid shots. After I was sent home I had nothing but Hydrcodone which did not help. I lost 50 pounds in those 36 days. Finally after the first week the pain pills started to help because I was healing and the pain was manageable where the hydrocodone would allow me to eat or drink small amounts. But finding a doctor to give me pain pills was a nightmare. After a few prescriptions of about 30 pills, my doctor did not want to give me any more stating she did not believe I still had pain. I know pancreatitis is relatively rare but I thought she should understand. I switched doctors to the doc who was treating me in the hospital. He was concerned about giving me the pain meds but did anyway. Turns out that was the last prescription I had filled. After almost two months of this going on I was well enough to get off the pain pills. They were a lifesaver. I could not eat or drink anything without them. I did not become addicted to the dilaudid even though I recieved a shot every 3 hours for 36 days. During this time I had the gallbladder taken out. It also was not a normal ordeal. Since it was rushed I was in the hospital for 4 days immediately following the surgery. I went home and got a kidney stone 4 days post surgery, and had to go back to the hospital for a hyda scan to ensure I was not bleeding internally. After 4 months I was released to go back to work. This was my first day sitting upright. This time was miserable. I was never able to sit up the whole 4 months during the ordeal. After a long slow recovery I slowly got better. I did not think I would ever be the same as before. I got to where I could walk but could not stand for any length of time. I had to sit in the shower etc. But after physical therapy I slowly got some strength back. I was told to mind my diet and not drink alcohol even though my pancreatitis was not caused by alcoholism because the pancreas is very sensitive to alcohol. I was told I could become chronic. My have things improved. I am without 80 percent of my pancreas but am symptom free. I am not diabetic, do not take any enzymes, gained all of my weight back and 3 years after my pancreatitis, I am now as close to 100 percent recovered as I will get. I even drink alcohol with no issues, But have not pushed it. I have drink 8 beers in the course of a day once but limit myself to 6 in a complete day which only occurs rarely. I drink about 4 or 5 on the weekend only but there are happy endings and full recoveries for some so keep up the spirit if you get pancreatitis. I thought my life would be severely changed forever but so far only for a short while. Now I worry about cancer due to radiation from the 12 CT scans I received at a relatively young age of 49.

Hi I just joined this site yesterday. I too am looking for people to speak with. I was recently diagnosed and am still trying to learn my new lifestyle that was given to me in a few simple words. Mine is a hereditary issue that decided I was the next "lucky contestant". I have spent the past week in and out of depression and still trying to come to terms with what is happening. I also have bad anxiety from another family hereditary disorder, and from what I have been hearing that can make it worse. Coping with this has not been easy, but the strength in numbers of support can help lessen the worry. I'm around if anyone would like to chat