Re: Incidence of Diabetes in Pancreatitis /

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/29/2002 3:55:53 PM US Eastern Standard Time,

swetet@... writes:

> >>>>Well, you asked if I considered removing Jackie's pancreas with the

> islet cell auto-transfer. It is on my mind a lot. I am just afraid that

> with her being so young it may not last but so many years. Being a brittle

> diabetic is a serious thing. People go blind, lose their limbs, their

> life. I don't know what to do. Her pain is being made comfortable with 4

> lortab a day and Ultram. I am thinking if she could stay not getting in

> that extreme daily pain then maybe she has time to get older and make her

> own decision with some age and wisdom on her side, at least a few more

> years. <<<<

Hi ,

I will try and give as factual an answer as I can, and share only my

experience, because it is important that we don't give advice, etc. This is

my understanding of the pathophysiological processes at work when someone has

Pancreatitis. The pain is caused from the caustic enzymes coming in contact

with the pancreatic tissue AKA islet cells. When narcotics are taken, the

patient experiences no pain, but the enzymes are still in contact with the

tissue, and this inevitably results in irreversible damage tot eh islet

cells. Serum enzyme levels, as we all know, do not have to be elevated for

the pancreatic damage to be occurring. Chronic Pancreatitis is a progressive

disease. This means that regardless of what we do, the damage is continually

occurring. I was given misinformation when I asked about this procedure early

after being diagnosed, and before I was a diabetic. I was told the surgery

did not work and that the fatality rate was high. What I wasn't told was that

the fatality rate without the surgery was possibly higher. So as I thought

about this for the next two years, my remaining islets were gradually

destroyed, until I became diabetic 12/99. The other problem that happened to

me was that, as I medicated myself from the pain, I was not told the damage

was still occurring, and so over the next two years, after the caustic

enzymes were done eating my pancreas, they commenced to the surrounding

organs. I was then told by other doctors that the information I had gotten

originally was wrong and that earl;y diagnoses and intervention was critical

to successfully preventing diabetes and to irradiating any potential source

of pain. My pain is not longer from my remaining piece of pancreatic tissue,

it is now from the autodigestion of the multiple organs involved.

Karyn

Karyn E. , RN

Founder / Executive Director

Pancreatitis Association International

Corp. Office: Indps, IN, USA 1-

[Guest guest]

Karyn, that was the best description of the disease that I have ever read or

heard. It synthesizes everything else that I already knew but had not put

together. This from someone who has had cp for 48 years. Thank you.

Bruce

Re: Incidence of Diabetes in Pancreatitis /

In a message dated 11/29/2002 3:55:53 PM US Eastern Standard Time,

swetet@... writes:

> >>>>Well, you asked if I considered removing Jackie's pancreas with the

> islet cell auto-transfer. It is on my mind a lot. I am just afraid

that

> with her being so young it may not last but so many years. Being a

brittle

> diabetic is a serious thing. People go blind, lose their limbs, their

> life. I don't know what to do. Her pain is being made comfortable with

4

> lortab a day and Ultram. I am thinking if she could stay not getting in

> that extreme daily pain then maybe she has time to get older and make

her

> own decision with some age and wisdom on her side, at least a few more

> years. <<<<

Hi ,

I will try and give as factual an answer as I can, and share only my

experience, because it is important that we don't give advice, etc. This

is

my understanding of the pathophysiological processes at work when someone

has

Pancreatitis. The pain is caused from the caustic enzymes coming in

contact

with the pancreatic tissue AKA islet cells. When narcotics are taken, the

patient experiences no pain, but the enzymes are still in contact with the

tissue, and this inevitably results in irreversible damage tot eh islet

cells. Serum enzyme levels, as we all know, do not have to be elevated for

the pancreatic damage to be occurring. Chronic Pancreatitis is a

progressive

disease. This means that regardless of what we do, the damage is

continually

occurring. I was given misinformation when I asked about this procedure

early

after being diagnosed, and before I was a diabetic. I was told the surgery

did not work and that the fatality rate was high. What I wasn't told was

that

the fatality rate without the surgery was possibly higher. So as I thought

about this for the next two years, my remaining islets were gradually

destroyed, until I became diabetic 12/99. The other problem that happened

to

me was that, as I medicated myself from the pain, I was not told the

damage

was still occurring, and so over the next two years, after the caustic

enzymes were done eating my pancreas, they commenced to the surrounding

organs. I was then told by other doctors that the information I had gotten

originally was wrong and that earl;y diagnoses and intervention was

critical

to successfully preventing diabetes and to irradiating any potential

source

of pain. My pain is not longer from my remaining piece of pancreatic

tissue,

it is now from the autodigestion of the multiple organs involved.

Karyn

Karyn E. , RN

Founder / Executive Director

Pancreatitis Association International

Corp. Office: Indps, IN, USA 1-

[Guest guest]

Karyn, that was the best description of the disease that I have ever read or

heard. It synthesizes everything else that I already knew but had not put

together. This from someone who has had cp for 48 years. Thank you.

Bruce

Re: Incidence of Diabetes in Pancreatitis /

In a message dated 11/29/2002 3:55:53 PM US Eastern Standard Time,

swetet@... writes:

> >>>>Well, you asked if I considered removing Jackie's pancreas with the

> islet cell auto-transfer. It is on my mind a lot. I am just afraid

that

> with her being so young it may not last but so many years. Being a

brittle

> diabetic is a serious thing. People go blind, lose their limbs, their

> life. I don't know what to do. Her pain is being made comfortable with

4

> lortab a day and Ultram. I am thinking if she could stay not getting in

> that extreme daily pain then maybe she has time to get older and make

her

> own decision with some age and wisdom on her side, at least a few more

> years. <<<<

Hi ,

I will try and give as factual an answer as I can, and share only my

experience, because it is important that we don't give advice, etc. This

is

my understanding of the pathophysiological processes at work when someone

has

Pancreatitis. The pain is caused from the caustic enzymes coming in

contact

with the pancreatic tissue AKA islet cells. When narcotics are taken, the

patient experiences no pain, but the enzymes are still in contact with the

tissue, and this inevitably results in irreversible damage tot eh islet

cells. Serum enzyme levels, as we all know, do not have to be elevated for

the pancreatic damage to be occurring. Chronic Pancreatitis is a

progressive

disease. This means that regardless of what we do, the damage is

continually

occurring. I was given misinformation when I asked about this procedure

early

after being diagnosed, and before I was a diabetic. I was told the surgery

did not work and that the fatality rate was high. What I wasn't told was

that

the fatality rate without the surgery was possibly higher. So as I thought

about this for the next two years, my remaining islets were gradually

destroyed, until I became diabetic 12/99. The other problem that happened

to

me was that, as I medicated myself from the pain, I was not told the

damage

was still occurring, and so over the next two years, after the caustic

enzymes were done eating my pancreas, they commenced to the surrounding

organs. I was then told by other doctors that the information I had gotten

originally was wrong and that earl;y diagnoses and intervention was

critical

to successfully preventing diabetes and to irradiating any potential

source

of pain. My pain is not longer from my remaining piece of pancreatic

tissue,

it is now from the autodigestion of the multiple organs involved.

Karyn

Karyn E. , RN

Founder / Executive Director

Pancreatitis Association International

Corp. Office: Indps, IN, USA 1-