I'm sorry to hear about your job situation
but happy to hear you see the silver lining! You can get Simmy all taken care of AND enjoy the beautiful summer in MA
!
There are 2 types, chronic & acute. Most commonly, there is vomiting & abdominal pain, but there can also be lethargy, lack of appetite & diarrhea. It then is either acute or chronic based on whether the testing, including Spec fPL returns to normal or remains elevated. The Spec fPL was developed at Texas A&M & they continue to be a leader in the research & investigation of GI issues. They have a cool website with info & studies going on. I emailed one investigator because they are studying the use of cyclosporine in combo with prednisolone for chronic pancreatitis. In humans it has helped with cases where there is an immune mediated issue going on. They have a really nice website with all kinds of helpful info.
With T's current flare, he started to increase time in a crouching/meatloaf position after eating (preparing for pain) & then he started to look like he was nauseated which included droplets on his nose (kind of like we start to get increased saliva when we get nauseated). By the next day, he would eat less & then today when he approached his bowl, he would smell it & immediately back away because it nauseated him. He gets a distinct nauseated look on his little face. Next would come aversion to his food so I tried Cerenia for nausea first for a few days & that helped but still wasn't allowing him to eat an appropriate amount, so I gave him mirtazapine (will help with nausea but also is an appetite stimulant) so that he will eat. I'm hoping to pull him out before it worsens. When he's had bad episodes (he's only had 2-including when diagnosed) he got to the point where he would just sleep. We needed subQ fluids & multiple meds to get him back to feeling well. He's actually been completely stable since August 2015. The first episode came on quickly & there weren't the subtle issues like nausea. He just became very ill & was actually vomiting & in pain. He is not cat like in that he doesn't go hide when he's sick. He becomes extremely vocal & act more like a dog with pancreatitis. I took him for labs & they do whats called a Spec fPL & sent everything to Texas A&M. They are one of the leading research centers for GI issues. He then was taken to a large U. vet & had an ultrasound & needle aspirate of his pancreas as well as some other testing done. Some vets will immediately do exploratory surgery to examine the entire GI system. My one friend's emergency vet clinic did that & told her the cat either had pancreatitis, IBD, triaditis or cancer. Turns out after the surgery & testing that the cat had triaditis (inflammation of pancreas, intestines & liver) which is not uncommon since the organs are so close in proximity & function.
Thank you for your concern. Keep up the amazing work
!!
I've been working nonstop since I was 16, and I'm 39 now, so it's also been a good mental break for me. My plan is to go back to work in September. 
And you are right, taking your silver linings where you can.