3 yrs and still going!

3 yrs3 days

3 months

Well, after watching Grey's last night and seeing my surgery on there... well, it just reminds me I have been slacking on my posts. A great friend told me I should post an updated picture of my scar so that others could see that they really do fade over time. I cherish my scar, as many of you have heard me say, but it's definitely turning into a less noticeable one. I posted my scar 3 days after surgery, 3 months after surgery, and now 3 years. In fact, it will be three years on Tuesday (8th) since I evicted my pancreas and have lived without the daily pain of the evil pancreas. . Time has flown it seems. It's amazing how quickly your life fills up with other activities when pain is not the main focus of every day. I watched Grey's last night and teared up thinking of those days of surgery and how scary they were to not know what would happen after I evicted my pancreas. Would I be a severe diabetic? Would the pain still be there? It was an emotional time for my family, friends, and me. I used to think that the illness was who I was and I am still learning to this day that my life is so much more than controlling the pain and hiding it the best way I knew how. My smile is legit these days and my energy is overwhelming. It has to be to keep up with my beautiful 18 month old monster. I can't thank the family and friends who stuck by my side through all of this. So to all out there that are getting ready to have this surgery, living in pain, or are thinking about what to do next... my heart is with you. The pain will go away and we will take it one day at a time.

I need my spleen back... just for a few days...

I should count my blessings that this is the first time since surgery that I've considered myself sick. That seems pretty impressive without a spleen. My 8 month old developed RSV and a double ear infection. So what do you do as a mom? You devote your entire day to making sure he's feeling as well as can be. For me, that meant that I was around a sick child and I wasn't sure how this would end. I asked his pediatrician and she stated that RSV is just like a cold in adults. So, I broke the news and said, "What if you're missing your pancreas and spleen?" The look was priceless. :) I got the, "uh... well, I don't think the same rules apply to you." So, I got it and I got it good! I may have gotten it a little worse than normal, but other than the few sleepless nights, I came out just fine! So, I can say, I definitely haven't gotten more sick without my spleen or pancreas, but it may just take a few extra days to get over the illness. No big deal! I know this seems to be a common question with patients getting ready to undergo this surgery and I've never been able to have an exact answer for you, but here you go! No worse for wear than before I evicted my pancreas. :)

NO MORE INSULIN!!

I had to share the great news that I went to see my endocrinologist on Friday and was told that we were going to try not taking any insulin at all! My A1C was 5.4 and was low enough that he didn't think the 4 units of insulin per day were really doing that much! He thought my body was making enough on its own to try to do without! So, we shall see!! This is very exciting as I'm not a big fan of needles and a HUGE fan of sweets and carbs! :)

I also wanted to share the wonderful news that is coming about.... I have decided to start my own charity and really push towards the things I have wanted to accomplish since overcoming pancreatitis. So very soon there will be the angry pancreas foundation! (http://www.angrypancreas.com/). If there are any patients that would like to share their stories and journeys with the disease, PLEASE email me so that I can post them on the website and share with others! My email is nicoleabernathy@gmail.com

Today is a very sad day for me. Today I say goodbye to a dear friend whom has dealt with pancreatitis for the last few years. She had the auto islet cell transplant in May and we were getting through her recovery together. Unfortunately, she took her life on August 29th and today she will be put to rest. It's not something I've ever dealt with and the loss and feeling of guilt that I think accompanies the people that are still here is very hard. Her family and friends are all thinking of her and know that she is in a better place, but we will miss her terribly.

The loss of her has given a whole new light on my adventure with pancreatitis. There shouldn't be another person that loses their life to this disease. It's time we found a cure for it and the years of suffering with something so terrible takes a toll on even the strongest person. It's just not fair.

Her family is in my thoughts today and always.

I had to post a picture of my beautiful son to emphasize how lucky I am to have met Dr. Sutherland and to have had the AIT surgery in 2008. Without this surgery, I would not have my beautiful son and be pain free. What an amazing thing to experience thanks to Sutherland and his wonderful staff!

Results back from Minnesota

I got my lab results back from my trip to Minnesota. I was tested on my C-Peptide levels, Glucose Levels, Avg Glucose, and Albumin/Prealbumin levels.

The C Peptide test measures how well my body is producing insulin on its own. The fasting test was done and my level was .7 (normal range is .9-6.9) The doctor said this was fine and that it wasn’t anything to worry about. Then I drank a boost and they took another test to see how my body responded to it. My C-peptide was then 2.2, which shows my body’s insulin productivity responds well to eating and is functioning normally!

My fasting blood sugar level was 84 (normal is 80-120). 2 hours post eating it was 75! My 3 mo average blood sugar(A1C) was 5.7. Anything below 6.0 is not considered diabetic, so I am doing wonderfully in that area. The doctor would like to try me completely off insulin once my pregnancy is over.

The last test was the prealbumin and albumin. We did this test to see how my body was absorbing nutrition since I’m not on the enzymes anymore. I’m not anemic or have any vitamin deficiencies, but we wanted to make sure I was absorbing properly. The prealbumin test was 18 (normal is 15-45)! My body is absorbing perfectly normal all by itself! I was quite excited! The albumin test was 3.8 (normal is 3.9-5.1), so I just missed this by a hair, but again they said not to change anything because they believes it’s all functioning properly.

So, I just wanted to share the good news that everything seems to be working great!

A1C Results

I just got my A1C Results back! In November, my A1C was 6.2 and now it is 5.7!! That means that my average blood sugars are in normal range of a non-diabetic! So, it definitely sounds like a possibility of no more insulin once I'm done being pregnant! Woohoo!!!