Day 223: Pancreatitis (Again)

The past couple days have been a little roller coaster for Cristian in his recovery. We have seen a consistent improvement in his blood levels and glucose remains solid. This has given him more energy to play and get out of bed. On the downside he has started complaining of belly pains. This morning in speaking with the doctors we said he is acting similarly to how he was when he had pancreatitis earlier this year and asked them to check. Confirmed, his belly pain is a result of pancreatitis.

The doctors are unsure what has caused him to get pancreatitis again. It could be a combination of the chemo and vomiting, or a reaction to some of the medicine that he received following the chemo. It sounds like there is no real way to determine the exact cause, all we know is that we need to get him feeling better.

Like the last time Cristian had pancreatitis we have to wait it out. There is no way to speed up the healing other than to give your gut a rest. No food or water, even if he asks for it, until tests confirm that the pancreas is functioning normally. To make sure that his body is still getting the nutrients that it needs, we will be starting IV nutrition tomorrow. While not as beneficial to the body as digesting food, this helps fill the gap until he can eat normal again. In order for us to go home Cristian will need to be able to eat and drink somewhat normally.

While we wait for that to happen we will be working to keep Cristian as comfortable as possible. With his blood levels improving he is now able to move about the room, but the belly pain causes him discomfort. We are using meds to take the edge off and distracting him with toys and games to try and make thing a little more fun.

We thank God for all the healing and blessings he has given our family to this point. We ask that he continues to watch over our family and get Cristian out of the hospital ASAP so he can be at home playing with his sister and sleeping in his own bed. We ask that you all add a prayer for Cristian as well!