The most recent hospital visit

After leaving Mayo, I actually started to feel gradually worse over the next several days. The following weekend, the pain became pretty severe. I toughed it out over the weekend, but called and went to the hospital on Monday. The vomiting was the thing that put me over the edge that time.

After checking my enzyme levels a couple of times that day and the following day, I was sent home. My levels were not high at all. That does not mean that I didn't have pancreatitis, because I have had it enough to recognize that pain. I honestly don't know why the levels were not high. Maybe it was because I waited so long to seek medical attention. Perhaps the levels had dropped by that time. They dropped very rapidly between the Saturday I was in the hospital and the Monday when I was at Mayo. I just hope that this doesn't mean that my pancreas is not working as well. Here's one of several articles about not having elevated enzyme levels: http://gut.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/44/4/542

Of course, that particular article mentions alcoholics as the primary patients with pancreatitis; a category that I do not happen to fall into. Honestly, this constant pain is getting frustrating. I am just kind of tired of it.

I did have a theory that maybe there was some chemical imbalance in my brain causing this to happen. I have had recurrent headaches with increasing frequency. They are usually worse in the morning when I wake up. Often, they are accompanied by nausea (yuck!). I also have dizziness, visual disturbances (for lack of a better description), memory problems, and sometimes ringing in my ears or "stuffiness" in my ears; you know that feeling that you are in a tunnel, but you ears won't pop? Maybe it is nothing and I am just a freak or something. I just want them to find a reason for this that can be quickly remedied.

That's about all for now. I have to mull these ideas around for a while. I don't know that it matters. I am just the patient, not somebody with any answers or expertise.