Hi every one,
My name is Joe and I'm new to this group. I have had cp for 5 years now. These past few mouths have been real hard on me with my pancreas. I also have what the call pancreas divusm. They have trying to open my pancreas duct foe almost a year now with stents so far no luck they are now talking about a whipple surgery for me . Just want to say hi hope every one is having a pain free day.
Joe
Hey Joe,
And others… I have a question for you all…
My ex-wife had been diagnosed with this and other things … she is so addicted to chocolate … she eats it all the time… can any of you tell me if that is a bad thing - should she really get off the chocolate … but it isn’t just chocolate - popsicles … mostly things with sugar in them.
any ideas here?
Thanks
enz
Hi, Joe, and thanks for the pain-free wishes. Some people have really good results with Whipples, hope that you are one!
Meaning, what kind of chocolate is she eating? Milk chocolate should be avoided because of the milk fats. White chocolate should be okay in moderation. True dark chocolate (not Hershey's Special Dark which is mainly milk chocolate anyway) is the best. Not only is it lower in sugars, but it has 4 times the antioxidants than tea does. Whether or not she can have sugar is dependent on if she has developed diabetes from her cp and also her generall overall health.
Thank you for sharing this with me.
enz
Warbi,
again thanks for this info… what about alcohol … in small amounts - is that jut totally don’t go there thing?
Thanks
enz
Hmmm… the alcohol thing. Well, 99.9% of what you will hear and read will say to avoid alcohol altogether. Most of the information I have read says to totally avoid it especially if alcohol is implicated in the pancreatitis. Having said that, I did come across a site run by the Univesity of Virginia saying that small occaisional amounts of alcohol are okay as long as it is not binge drinking. On the occasions that I have strayed I have found that going outside of the dietary restrictions has hurt my pancreas more than having a glass or two of wine. Beef seems to have the worst effect on me which is a shame because I really enjoy the sometime steak or roast beef sandwich. In the end, it is dependent on each person’s health and judgement. What affects some, doesn’t seem to affect others. If a person does decide to go outside the guidelines, he or she should be prepared to pay the consequences either in pain, nausea, and/or vomiting and diarrhea. What I do is for every two or three weeks that I strictly follow my guidelines, I will have a meal where I am “bad” whether that entails eating a pizza or a cream-based pasta dish or having a glass or two of wine.
warbi,
That is good to know.
Thanks
hmmmm. alcohol i agree with warbi every1 is not the same we use process of elimination as we go along some work some don't. for me alcohol is a big no no, even tho i never drank much( here n there) but after common bile duct stones blocked my pancreas any alcohol now totally wrecks havoc on me. within hours of consuming it i am in agony and on the bathroom floor hanging over the toilet if u kno what i mean lol lol. every doc i have spoken to has said do not repeat do not drink any alcohol in any amounts they say ur asking for a death sentence by doin so. alcohol is prblly the worst u can ingest if u have cp and i am starting to believe since ech time i drank i was in sheer agong. hope this helps u like warbie stated he is able to consume small amounts of alcohol after weeks of staying on a strict diet. mayb u will be the same. i hope that this has helped and feel better soon
nancy
Joe,
Hi this is Carolyn Bloom from Napa Valley…was wondering how things went at Mayo and what they suggested for you. Call me at 707 963-2685. I tried looking for a message from you on the chat line but didn’t see one. Since you and I have such similar problems I like to keep in touch with you and exchange info.
Anxious to hear your news.
Carolyn Bloom
bloom@napanet.net
Hi, all–
All my docs have just said eat as little fat as possible-- that even 10g per day might be too much given the pain I keep having. I was also told to avoid spicy stuff, caffeine, etc.-- and chocolate has caffeine. This might be part of the culprit in the chocolate.
And, without exception, they’ve all said that alcohol would make a mess for someone with any pancreatitis, let alone CP that started w/alcholol use or overuse. My CP is idiopathic and I very, very rarely had any alcohol at all, but I’d never try even a sip now that I have CP. It just wouldn’t be worth the risk.
While I hate the boring, limited diet, it sure beats TPN/IV feeding.
Wishing you all the best-- and some pain relief, too, of course!!
Many hugs,
Lisa
Joe,
I don’t drink alcohol. (I used to occassionally and sometimes wish I could have a pale ale.) I have idiopathic CP and would not even consider it. The pain is not worth it. I have not been able to have chocolate for years. The place that I worked at for 18 years banned me from having chocolate because it turned me into a real monster. 
Now I don’t even miss it. Chocolate has caffeine in it. Everything that I have heard about CP says caffeine is a no no. I notice if I have a cup of tea or green tea that things are not good. I quit drinking caffeinated products years ago and now can’t stand the taste! It is amazing how your taste buds can change over the years.
I too would like to know how your appointment went.
Vonnie