Hi Everybody,
My name is Karen and I currently live in South Africa. I was due to emigrate back to the States on the 3rd of August, but on the 31st of July while the movers were at my house, I collapsed and was rushed to hospital with severe acute pancreatitis. I didn’t even know such a think existed, so came as quite a shock.
I had Type 2 Diabetes and was honestly not looking after myself properly, but the doctors say it didn’t have that much factor as mine was the genetic type (thanks mom!). After spending 5 nights in ICU where I had an honest to goodness near death experience, I was well enough to be released back to a ward. After one night there I signed myself out of the hospital ama and got home as fast as I could. Hospitals are not conducive to getting better in my opinion! I also had to get away from the morphine and drugs – made me feel so terrible!
I got home and it was pretty bad for a day and then I started feeling so much better. After 2 days I stopped taking my pain meds completely, but had all dreams re-shattered when I went to visit the physician who confirmed I now have a pseudocyst growing. He said I couldn’t fly for 3 months, but he also said I would die leaving the hospital so I’m not going to take him to word too much.
I have an appointment with my surgeon on Monday and hopefully he can go in and drain this thing within the next 2 weeks so I can get out of here and my daughter and I can start our new lives back in Philly.
I feel amazingly lucky, as I am still pain free throughout this whole process, which is apparently quite unusual. I am also managing to eat fairly normally. Low fat (no more butter and cream for me!), but red meat and avos and all those things don’t bother me at all.
So hopeful that this was a one off thing, and if I continue to stay healthy and keep up with my insulin (am now Type 1 Diabetic), then I should be able to live a normal life. I NEVER want to go through that again!
Thanks for reading – keep well!!