Coping Skills

Coping skills

The effects of chronic pancreatitis may persist for years. By avoiding alcohol and smoking tobacco, eating well and working closely with your doctor to find appropriate medications, you have a better chance of managing the condition and living a more active, productive lifestyle.
As is true with other chronic diseases, living with pancreatitis can cause emotional ups and downs. Here are tips for dealing with those swings:

1. Maintain normal daily activities as best you can.
2. Stay connected with friends and family.
3. Continue to pursue hobbies that you enjoy and are able to do.
4. Consider joining a support group, especially one for people with chronic pain.

Keep in mind that your physical health can impact directly on your mental health. Denial, anger and frustration are common with chronic illnesses. At times, you may need more tools to deal with your emotions. Professionals such as therapists or behavioral psychologists may be able to help you put things in perspective. They can also teach coping skills, including relaxation techniques, that may help you.
In addition, many chronic illnesses place you at an increased risk of depression. This isn't a failure to cope but may indicate a disruption in your body's neurochemistry that can be helped with appropriate medical treatment. Talk with your family, friends and doctor if you're feeling depressed.

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To view information on another disease, click on SOD and Pancreatitis Library, or continue on here to learn more about pancreatitis!

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Self Care

Self Care

Chronic pancreatitis may leave you with lifelong signs and symptoms, such as pain and malabsorption of certain nutrients. However, most people with acute pancreatitis recover completely. But even if you experience no lingering symptoms, it's important to take steps to keep your pancreas as healthy as possible:

1. Avoid alcohol. If you can't voluntarily stop drinking alcohol, get treatment for alcoholism. Abstaining from alcohol may or may not reduce your pain, but it will reduce your risk of dying of your disease.
2. Avoid smoking tobacco. Smoking tobacco exacerbates pancreatitis and might cause pancreatic cancer. If you are a patient of CP you already have a higher risk of pancreatic cancer. If you smoke tobacco, your risk for pancreatic cancer is even higher.
3. Eat smaller meals. The more you eat during a meal, the greater the amount of digestive juices your pancreas must produce. Instead of large meals, eat smaller, more frequent meals.
4. Limit fat in your diet. Limiting fat will help reduce loose and oily stools that result from a lack of pancreatic enzymes. Discuss with your doctor or a dietitian how much fat to eat each day because some fat is essential.
5. Follow a diet high in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates give you energy to help fight fatigue. They're present in foods made from starches (complex carbohydrates) or sugars (simple carbohydrates). Try to get most of your daily calories from complex carbohydrates found in grains, vegetables and legumes. If you have diabetes, a dietitian can help you plan an appropriate diet.
6. Drink plenty of liquids. If you have chronic pancreatitis, be sure to drink enough liquids so that you don't become dehydrated. Dehydration may aggravate your pain by further irritating your pancreas.
7. Find safe ways to control pain. Talk with your doctor about options for controlling your pain, including the benefits and risks of prescription and over-the-counter pain relievers and the use of digestive enzymes.

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To view information on another disease, click on SOD and Pancreatitis Library!

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