a health care story

i'm a little mad

Four (!) years ago, I had necrotizing pancreatitis. You probably know that if you read this newsletter, but new people are being born every day, and I guess it’s technically not illegal for a four-year-old to read it. I’m impressed by you, hypothetical genius toddler, as well as by your precocious taste and discernment. Now go watch Totoro.

Anyway, aside from my initial hospitalization in New York, I’ve been very fortunate to work, mostly, with the same doctor at the same hospital at the University of Michigan. (Parts of my medical team have come and gone, as is normal.) These days, I am very stable. There are aspects of life I’m still trying to improve, but it’s been over a year since I’ve done anything that seriously upset my pancreas. The primary condition that I’m left with day to day is called “exocrine pancreatic insufficiency”: that is, I take pancreatic enzymes with food because my pancreas is damaged and can no longer produce them in the quantities I need to receive nutrients.

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