good news. . .Dr. Lowy in Cincinnati

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

Hope everyone is having a pain free day today. I went to see Dr. Lowy at the

University Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wednesday. Boy, was he awesome. He

was so straight up with everything including statistics, risks, complications,

etc., etc. He spent 1 1/2 hours with me, my husband, and my mom. I have had CP

for over 4 years now along with SOD and a loop in my pancreatic duct. Dr. Lowy

can definitely help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am getting ready

to have a TP/ICT. I have been on a feeding tube since October. I have to

continue this until my surgery. There is a lot of " prep work " to do before

having the surgery. I have to have a glucose tolerance test, an appointment

with an endocrinologist, a CAT scan to check my pancreas and liver to see what

kind of condition they are in now, and also a liver biopsy. In looking at my

recent ERCP films and a CAT scan, it did look like my liver was a little fatty.

This is caused by high triglycerides, which is hereditary as in that I have not

eaten since October and my triglycerides are 584!!!!!!!!! Go figure.

Therefore, Dr. Lowy wants to do a biopsy to see just how fatty my liver is. Too

much fat in the liver limits the amount of islet cells that will " take. " He did

133 TP/ICT's just last year. He has been doing them for 8 years and is the

Chief of Surgery Oncology and Pancreatic Diseases. The surgery should take,

without any complications, about 6-10 hours. He said that most insurance

companies will pay for the pancreatectomy and the replacement of the islet

cells, but won't pay for removing the islet cells. What a crock of $hit!!!

This costs about $11,000.00 so we will have to come up with that money maybe

with a fundraiser or something like that. He said it takes about a month or so

to get all the necessary information to the insurance companies to get approval

for the surgery. He has had wonderful success with this surgery. He said

approximately 75% of his patients who have had the TP/ICT and who got a good

amount of islet cells were off insulin within 1 1/2 years. I have to get my

life back. I am only 35 years old with a wonderful husband and two boys, ages 6

and 7 1/2. I have no life at all. I know that you all know what I mean. This

is such a horrible debilitating disease. I feel so much less scared about the

surgery after meeting with Dr. Lowy. He was just wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!

To all of you who have had this surgery, TP/ICT, would you please let me know

how your experiences went and what your quality of life is now?? I would

greatly appreciate any and all information from others that have already had

this done. We have a friend who had a pancreatectomy done by Dr. Lowy in

December. She did not have the ICT because she was already a bad diabetic. She

was back to work part-time at 4 weeks post op!!!!!!!!!!!! She said she would

do it again in a heartbeat. It was the best thing she ever did.

Anyway, I hope all of you are having a good day. Please let me know what any of

you think about this. It would mean a lot to me.

Thoughts and prayers to everyone.

T. (Ohio)