TP w/o ICT

[Guest guest]

Jean,

You wrote, " Do you think that means 's pancreas is deceased? I actually

think that having the pancreas removed would be a good idea since she will

never have the money for the tp.ict. "

If 's pancreas was 'deceased' or 'burnt out,' she would be a brittle

diabetic. Since she is not, then she has a good portion of active functioning

pancreatic tissue.

In regard to the TP w/o ICT, that is becoming a bigger trend. On Dr.

Sutherland's website, they have updated the description of the TP/ICT to say,

" Since

there are no guarantees that people who have the pancreatectomy and auto

islet transplant will have a sufficient number of islet cells, patients have to

accept relief from the debilitating pain of chronic pancreatitis, has the

possibility of becoming diabetic when they have the surgery. If diabetes is

prevented, that is a bonus. "

I think the person who can speak first hand from this experience is Sue from

the UK. She seems to be doing quite well. That may, actually, be due top the

fact that, (per Dr. Sutherland) there are additional islet cells housed in

other parts of the biliary system. Often following a TP, these islet cells are

activated to compensate for the lack of insulin production. " He said that at

this time he cannot prove that it is just a theory he has based on S/P TP w/o

ICT patient evaluations.

Karyn E. , RN

Executive Director, PAI

Indianapolis, Indiana

[Guest guest]

Hi - this is Sue from UK. as Karyn mentioned, i have had TP w/o ICT. This

doesn't automatically mean that you will become a brittle diabetic. My diabetes

is reasonably well controlled. I only experience occasional mild hypos (low

blood sugars) for which i get warning signs, and they are easily corrected. I

monitor my blood sugar regularly, and if i get a high blood sugar i take

additional insulin. I am a qualified nurse and work shifts, including nights.

If anyone wants any further info about this surgery, please feel free to

contact me.

Sue.