Three years ago, I felt sharp jabbing pains in my side. I was nautious and couldn't keep food down. As a diabetc, this was particularly worrisome. After 12 hours of pain and suffering, my mom took me to the Emergency Room. I was 27. When we got there, I was immediately admitted wit hsevere pancreatitus. Reported to be one of the most painful diseases, I had a severe case. By the time I made it to the hospital room, my liver, kidneys, and pancreas had all shut down. For the next 3 weeks, I was kept on a steady diet of pain medication–and that's it. I wasn't allowed to eat (I was fed intraveniously). When they finally released me fro mthe hospital, I had lost 40 pounds. But my ordeal wasn't over. I had missed a month of work and wasn't cleared to return for another 2 months. I made five more emergency trips to the hospital after suffering severe pain. It was a nightmare.

Three years later, I'm always on guard for the pain to return.  Icarefully watch what I eat. I take all my medication. While the doctors and nurses were kind, I was so doped up during my stay that I often had no idea what was happening. I needed someone there to listen for me and help me make decisions (luckily I have a great mom!).

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