A Big Bag of Worms about Burning out the pancreas!

August 26, 2002

Okay, I know that I should not bring this up here. I am probably

going to catch it, wide open. Flame me if you must, but this is an

important question. This only concerns a select few of us. The end

stage, 12+ years, pancreas cutdown to less than 30%. Reducted and

working fine. Your remaining pancreas is just as bad as the parts

removed. You have been told of the pancreas burning out and no more

pain. You may have tried beer to burn it out and found that it caused

more pain from the gas or whatever. Hard liquor only takes a small

amount and thus causes less problems. You can quit at anytime pain

starts. If need you can check into the hospital and scream alcohol

pancreatitis. Maybe get the stomach pumped and a few days to get back

on your feet. You got better turn around time only having part of the

organ. If you take a few sips of hard booze daily or whenever your

system is right, can you burn and shutdown the pancreas and leave the

blood vessels intact. The blood vessels were always the reason for

not removing the complete pancreas in the past. Could the very enemy

of the pancreas, the poison of alcohol, be used to cure the very last

stage, without surgery? Has there been a study on this or is one

going on? Is there another type of chemical to do this? No one should

have to worry about brittle diabetes because they already have it.

This the last final stand. Death or pain-free! I would like to hear

the pros as I could tell most of the cons. This is not for the ones

with a full pancreas and no major problems. This will hurt you very

bad. This for the ones backed to the wall. Will hard drinks burn that

little piece of pancreas out, and pain stop but brittle diabetes

continue. This maybe in the caveman era or hightech age. Someone

needs to test this if it has a chance, If I did it would I be the

first? Or is there history and a proven path?

Thanks,

August 27, 2002

,

the only thing I can say is that the ones who know are

probably those with alcohol pancreatitis and didn't stop

drinking. Unfortunately, from what I've read, most of those

people are dead due to a combo of pancreatitis complications

and all the other complications of being an alcoholic.

Personally, even cooking with a small amount of alcohol

causes major pain. I had a piece of cake that had a minute

amount of rum in it and ended up going home in severe pain.

Since I'm not into pain, I've decided to avoid the issue.

What I have read is that the so called pain-free " burn-out "

doesn't always happen. Sometimes, the pain is there even

when your pancreas is completely dead. Othertimes, they

reach the so-called " burn-out " . Kinda like playing russian

roulette since they have no idea what makes one person get

burn-out and another not. But, you are an adult and you

will ultimately be the one who has to make the decision to

try this.

(I'm end-stage just like you, except I do have all of my

pancreas. I'm doing my best to avoid surgery).

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Southwest Representative

Pancreatitis Association, International

August 28, 2002

Hi

I have been told by My GI that I if I am " lucky " my panc will burn

out. Thay are reluctant to remove it even though it has calcified

because of alcohol. I have never even considered trying to speed the

process up.

" If need you can check into the hospital and scream alcohol

pancreatitis. Maybe get the stomach pumped and a few days to get

back "

Really not sure what pumping the stomach would do apart from feel

horrible. If you did run in there screaming alcohol pancreatitis

then you had better be prepared for all the crap that goes with

it!!!

" This the last final stand. Death or pain-free! "

For me I would certainly be pain free if I tried it. But then I

would also be dead.

Alcohol makes the Panc produce a thick type of sludge to digest it.

For those of us with damaged panc this " sludge " will cause the rest

of the enzymes to back up and cause it to start digesting it's self.

If your theory is correct then why wouldn't heavy drinkers just

simply " burnout " their panc quickly. I had my first attack that put

me hospital in about 1996. I continued to drink heavily for a

further 4 years and I don't mean a couple of shots of the hard

stuff. The damage caused by alcohol in my experience has different

effects than those who have it due to physical abnormalities. So you

may well just be adding another lot of very painful symptoms...I

hope not.

Just a few thoughts

Brett

August 28, 2002