As a follow up to the last post - my Lipase was at 502 (norm 40-80). The GI Doc still wants a wait-and-see approach as it’s always good to defer surgery unless necessary.
This past Monday, as part of the wait-and-see, he asked that I do more bloodwork. Going into the lab I knew my levels were going to be even higher as I could feel the pain and bloating that comes with elevated Lipase. What I wasn’t expecting was the 1,566 level. That’s my highest yet.
So here’s the thing. When I was at the beginning of this process six years ago there was a day I was on the ski hill with Tracey, my brother Pat and his wife Kathy. I was in a lot of pain. Every bump on even the smallest cookie of snow caused pain, so much so that I packed it in around noon and Tracey drove me to the Foothills Hospital. A two hour drive that had me feeling every turn and bump. It hurt like a %#€?!%#.
When we got to Emergency we did a lot of tests, one being bloodwork. When the results came the Emerg Doc said ‘wow I can’t believe you were walking let alone skiing. Most people start wincing around 200!’
So here I was on Monday, and instead of going into emergency I was instead packing up for a two day ski trip with Tracey, the kids and their significant others.
Over those six years I have learned the system and now can coordinate a ski trip with very little risk. And not only can I do that but I can manage much higher levels of pain and discomfort.
It’s like this whole process is a series our placing foundational blocks on top of each other to build a stronger foundation.
We experience something, we learn from it and then we make it better for the next time.
I’m still in pain, I’m still uncomfortable, but I’m still doing fun things. And I’m able to do this because I keep trying harder to better manage the process.
Unfortunately this pancreatic pain will go one of two ways, either the suspected sludge in my duct will move on, or I will get an infection and end up back in emergency only to have another surgery.
See, I even know those steps, a far cry from wondering why it hurt so much to ski back in the day.
Oh and that ski trip six years ago was the discovery of the ducts being blocked by a tumour. My Achilles heel as it were. But here we are today, still on the right side of the snow!