In, out, in, out, Pancreatitis is about!
So...just over a week ago (Weds 22nd) I started with some back pain. I have had similar pains on and off for years though not that regularly. It normally passes within a few days but this time it was a bit different. By Thursday it was worse and I actually couldn't face work at the Book Cave on Friday so phoned in sick. I was going to go see the doctor on Friday but woke up feeling a bit better and thinking it was on the way out left off ringing the doctor. By Saturday morning I had had enough and went to see the doctors at the hospital as my surgery is closed at the weekend.
There were three people ahead of me in the waiting room at the Emergency Department. I checked in with a grumpy looking nurse and explained how I was feeling.
'' On a scale of 1 to 10 how bad is your pain?'' she asked.
''About a 6'' I replied.
She took down the details and sent me back out to the waiting room to wait. It took ages. Nurses and Doctors were coming and going through doors but no one called anyone from the waiting room. My pain was getting worse and I was hunched over rubbing my back. Eventually Grumpy Nurse came back to me and how the pain was now.
''It's a 7 or an 8'' I said.
''Follow me'' she instructed and took me through into the Emergency Department and I was able to lie down on a bed. I felt a bit bad for the others waiting as I had just jumped the queue. ( I later learned that saying your pain is 8 on the scale between 1 and 10 automatically gets you seen as it classed as urgent).
She took my blood pressure which was up and my temperature which was normal and left me to wait for a doctor. I didn't have to wait too long and Dr Dan arrived.
He prodded me a bit and asked me about my pain and gave me a request slip to arrange a CT scan on the Monday and chat to my Doctor about a colonoscopy but sent me away to manage the pain with Panadol and Ibuprofen.
Saturday night as I got into bed the pain was so bad I got Will to drive me back to the Hospital. There was one other guy there who it turned out was waiting for his wife who was in with the doctor. I was taken into the Emergency Department and lay on a bed.
Again my blood pressure and temperature (Obs) were taken and I was prodded by the Registered Nurse (RN) on duty. Strangely, despite the pain, the prodding didn't hurt. The RN took some blood for tests and a urine sample and then Dr Dan turned up again. He had come in from home.
''So I see you are back again,'' he said.
''I see you are too.'' I replied.
''Not just for you,'' he added.
Again he was unclear what was going on with me. I did tell him I had had pancreatitis before years ago but that they were never sure what it was. Panadol and Ibuprofen were hardly working on the pain now so I was given Endone. 5mg didn't work so I was given another 5mg and that was when I started to feel more comfortable.
He gave me two options, to go home and see how I go or to stay in for the night. I chose to stay in for the night to be closer to medical attention so Will went home alone.
I was but in Ward 1 near the Nurses Station. It was a four bed ward but there was no one else in there. I didn't sleep very well with all the strange noises and the nurses chatter but felt relaxed and the pain was minimal.
Sunday morning I was seen by different doctors and once again sent home. They reminded me to get the CT scan done and go for a follow up appointment with my doctor.
But Sunday afternoon the hospital rang as I was trying to catch up on sleep in bed. They had the results of the blood tests.
''We have an answer,'' said the doctor, ''It's mild Pancreatitis. Do you want to stay home or come back in?''
I was struggling to manage the pain at home so, of course, wanted to go back in.
I went straight back to the Emergency Department. The Grumpy Nurse from Saturday was one of the ones who was prepping me to go onto the ward. She was in a much better mood and kept bursting into song.
''Crikey!'' I said, '' it's like 'Pancreatitis, The Musical' ''.
''I got some sleep,'' she said, ''can you tell?''
I was taken to Ward 11, another 4 bed ward and this time with one other patient. By the time I had got settled into my bed the other patient was gone. He had been wheeled off to another ward. It seems he didn't want to share a room. I had the ward to myself again.
That is where I stayed for my hospitalisation. I was in from Sunday afternoon until Wednesday afternoon. I was very well looked after. All the nurse were lovely. The only testing times were those periods when the previous medication was wearing off and I had to wait for the new medication to kick in. Those times were pretty awful.
Monday was difficult because I was taken into town for the CT Scan and I was still in quite a lot of pain,
At first I was only on clear liquids so was given chicken broth and jelly (?) for breakfast on Monday but then I was put on a hydration drip and went to 'Nil by mouth'.
Monday night the drip was finished and I had to start sipping water but at Midnight filled two hospital sick bags with horrible green vomit.
The next morning (Tuesday) I told the Docs on their round that I wasn't sure it was Pancreatitis but suggested it was a Possession after the amount of Green vomit I had produced in the night. They didn't even smile....? They told me the CT Scan had shown nothing nasty but that there were a few gallstones and that was one of the main causes of Pancreatitis. They suggested I have my gallbladder removed and I agreed because I didn't want to suffer like this again.
I was put back on a rapid hydration drip but was feeling a bit better by Tuesday morning and by Tuesday afternoon we all practically partying because I had gone to the toilet at last after three days.
I moved briefly back to 'Clear Liquids' then to 'Soft, low fat and thin' foods before finally on Wednesday I could have any 'low fat' foods.
Wednesday was the first time I felt hungry in days and while tucking into roast beef and vegetables (with no roast potatoes) I almost choked on a pea!
They had taken more blood in the early hours for testing and I was told if the results were ok I could go home. By now they were managing the pain with just Panadol. The blood results were fine but there was still some concern about the Lipase level so I have to go for more tests on Friday but I was finally allowed home, just in time for the fox attack I mentioned yesterday.
The upshot is I will be getting an appointment for the removal of my Gallbladder in the next few months.
Bring it on!