Re: & Surgery vs Burning it Out

[Guest guest]

Eileen wrote:

> Many here have the surgery, but I also hear of some " letting the

pancreas burn out " . Can someone tell me the difference between the two

and the pros and cons?

Eileen,

Burn out is only a rare and random CHANCE. For some people, they can

have CP for 40 years and still not reach burn out. There's no

predicting when or if it will happen, and for most, if it does, they

go through years of irretractable, devastating, debilitating, horrific

pain, too many hospitalizations to count, loss of job, loss of

lifestyle, and years of chronic illness first.

I have no idea why I was so lucky. On the " pro " side is the

disappearance of pancreas pain. In my case, it's not completely gone

because I still have a pseudocyst that causes considerable severe pain

when it's irritated. No one knows why it gets irritated. As long as

the pseudocyst is still there, I am at risk.

Another pro would be the ability to eat normal food again, but I DO

have to take enzymes for digestion.

On the " con " side is the automatic development of brittle, insulin

dependent diabetes. Although mine is under control now, I've been

told that with time it should become much more brittle. When the

brittleness is severe, it becomes impossible to control a person's

blood glucose. I've been in denial about that, and just cannot

imagine trying to deal with uncontrollable blood sugars 24/7.

You'll have to ask one of our TP/ICT recipient's about their pros and

cons, but I'm sure the pro's far exceed the cons for those who have

had this surgery.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

www.pancassociation.org/anthology#Heidi.html

SC State & SE Regional Representative

Pancreatitis Association, International

Note: All comments or advice are based on personal experience or

opinion only, and should not be substituted for professional medical

consultation.

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for your sweet thoughts, Eileen. I know you've been

having a rough time yourself, feel better!

I have had this disease for well over 20 years and you would think I

would have reached burn out. I had an ERCP done 10 years ago, which

showed I had Pancreatic Stone Disease, Stage 5. I mean how long do

you have to wait to reach burn out?

> ,

>

> Wishing you incredible success,peace and speedy healing on your

> upcoming sugery.

>

> Many here have the surgery, but I also hear of some " letting the

> pancreas burn out " .

>

> Can someone tell me the difference between the two and the pros and

> cons?

>

> Eileen