I wanted to start a thread for people like me who are no longer allowed to drink alcohol or want to talk about the very misunderstood illness that is pancreatitis. I’ve been reading mumsnet threads since about 2013, I came online looking for advice about shared access driveways and stayed for the mother in law threads. I have joined now to start this thread specially, as I would like to talk to anyone who may be experiencing similar to myself.
I’ve been alcohol free since January 2023, I have read many great posts on the alcohol support threads, however many on those are still able to drink, although I completely recognise what everyone is going through, many on those threads still have the safety net of being able to consume alcohol if they crack, which is so easy to do when you are trying to cut down consumption for either health, or because you have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, believe me I’ve been there in the past, I get it. But when you are forbidden from something, forever, it shines a very different light on the matter and offers a whole new set of challenges.
My alcohol consumption has always been what is referred to as binge drinking, I smoked in the same sort of patterns as well. I would drink two or three times a week roughly, but if I was on holiday, or it was Christmas etc, I would drink daily, would have days off drinking, didn’t need it to cope with anything, never started pouring it on my cornflakes, but weekly units would have been very high, this was in line with the drinking of everyone around me, and for those who regularly drink. Although lots don’t like to admit it, or are in denial that they are not as bad as the next person (we all have that to an extent I believe).
So I was staying with a relative for two weeks, they drink everyday, so I drank everyday with them, at the end of the two weeks I returned home, stopped drinking, a day later I experienced the onset of pain in my right side, my symptoms escalated into the most indescribable pain in my abdomen and back, I was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, caused by alcohol. I was given several doses of morphine, which did nothing at all for the pain, I was, I’m embarrassed to say, pretty vocal, I won’t talk too much about it now, but will later in the thread, I’m hoping that others will discuss with me there own experiences of it, as I will myself, it’s just horrendous.
At some point on this first day, after a scan with a very unsympathetic doctor, who just stood there with his team and watched on as I moved myself from my trolley to the scanner in agony, I was greeted by the alcohol councillor, they were very nice and asked me questions about my alcohol consumption. I said I probably did drink way too much and definitely had drank a lot in the last two weeks, I imagine I’ve probably got whatever the official term for ‘piss-head’ is on my medical record!
After a week in hospital, I was discharged with pain medication, I had a long and painful recovery, my stomach was distended and I had internal bruising. Later in the year I was admitted to hospital again with a pseudocyst on my pancreas which I didn’t realise had been growing all year, it had gotten very big and had become infected, I was in for three weeks and had to have a procedure to deal with it. I haven’t gone into much detail, as I’m trying to just outline the basics of my thread (probably not very well). I of course will discuss any aspect of pancreatitis and hopefully so will others, later in the thread.
So what’s the point of this thread, well as I’ve witnessed on mumsnet, threads do not always go as intended, they change or get derailed or completely stall if they are not interesting enough, or don’t have a parking diagram, but I’m hoping to find others to discuss a few things that I just can’t seem to find anywhere, or if I do, I just need or want more stories and information to help me feel less alone. Illness can be very lonely, and coupled with no longer being a drinker, it can be lonelier still, I haven’t, for example, seen my best friend this whole time, and one big aspect of that I’m pretty sure is because I no longer can drink.
So anyone is welcome, but especially if you have suffered or lost a loved one to any form of pancreatitis, if you have had to completely abstain from alcohol (and indeed smoking) because of pancreatitis or infact any other medical reason, or if your staring down the barrel being told you are not allowed to do anything you loved or did before any incident in your life, those of us who cannot return to life before, and don’t have the luxury of, if you slip up, it will be fine. For example, if I drink alcohol, it will more than likely set off more pancreatitis attacks, would lead to chronic pancreatitis, where you live with pain everyday, or would lead to organ failure and death, no cheeky little glass of anything for me!! So let’s see where this goes. Incidentally, anyone suffering from pancreatitis or other bowel issues, there is an excellent charity called Guts UK, it had personal stories and help for those who might need it.So come chat if you need it.