Re: Surgery- Those Who Have Not - to Eileen

[Guest guest]

Eileen,

One thing I have to point out is that surgery is not always an option

for everyone. It depends greatly upon what a person's individual

problem with their pancreas is, and what type of chronic pancreatitis

they have.

There are three types of chronic pancreatitis; chronic calcifying

pancreatitis, chronic obstructive pancreatitis, and chronic

inflamatory pancreatitis. Most of us have either calcifying

pancreatitis or obstructive pancreatitis, since chronic inflamatory

pancreatitis usually only affects elderly persons without a history

of alcohol excess.

In most cases, you'll only see surgery being performed on those

people with chronic obstructive pancreatitis, since they are the

ones who have problems with obstruction in their pancreas or the

biliary ducts, which prevents the proper flow of the digestive

juices throughout the body. Sometimes, many of their problems can

be solved by surgery of one type or another.

The type of pancreatitis that I have is chronic calcifying

pancreatitis. When I was first filmed, my pancreas showed

extensive calcification all throughout the organ. The calcification

increased rapidly in a short period of time. In my case, surgery was

considered, reviewed and then refused by two surgeons, one of them

being a Pancreatologist and surgeon at the Mayo Clinic. My problem

was the two pseudocysts that I have in my pancreas. I don't have any

other obstructions, and all of my ductwork is clear and of the right

size for anything to pass through, so stenting was never needed or

considered. It's just that the pancreas was full of calcification.

I still have my gallbladder, and its fine, no stones or problems

with it's function. My only problem was, and is, the pseudocysts.

Unfortunately they are both located in positions that are unreachable

for drainage, and both surgeons refused to consider surgery because

there are too many other organs that would have to be disturbed just

to reach the areas where the pseudocysts are. Both said that the risk

would be life threatening, and that even if they were able to reach

the pseudocysts, they didn't feel that I would end up better off as

an outcome of the surgery. Too risky, and too much chance of making

my problems worse, not better.

With those prognoses', surgery isn't an option, and I'm glad that I

never had it, because now with my burn out, the pancreas isn't

causing my problems, the pseudocysts are....and they only cause

sporadic flares. Since the burn out I don't have daily, continual

pain like

I did before.

That's one answer to your question.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

www.pancassociation.org/anthology#Heidi.html

Bluffton, SC

SC State & SE Regional Representative

Pancreatitis Association, International

www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/pancreatitis/

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

opinion only, and should not be substituted for professional medical

consultation.

[Guest guest]

Heidi, thank you so much for your answer, it really does help me

understand this disease and also of what part it might play in my

own life.

I did not know about the different kinds of chronic pancreatitis,

and so I learned about that as well.

Thank you so much, and I hope I hear more about everyone else as

well.

Eileen

> Eileen,

>

> One thing I have to point out is that surgery is not always an

option

> for everyone. It depends greatly upon what a person's individual

> problem with their pancreas is, and what type of chronic

pancreatitis

> they have.

>

> There are three types of chronic pancreatitis; chronic calcifying

> pancreatitis, chronic obstructive pancreatitis, and chronic

> inflamatory pancreatitis. Most of us have either calcifying

> pancreatitis or obstructive pancreatitis, since chronic inflamatory

> pancreatitis usually only affects elderly persons without a

history

> of alcohol excess.

>

> In most cases, you'll only see surgery being performed on those

> people with chronic obstructive pancreatitis, since they are the

> ones who have problems with obstruction in their pancreas or the

> biliary ducts, which prevents the proper flow of the digestive

> juices throughout the body. Sometimes, many of their problems can

> be solved by surgery of one type or another.

>

> The type of pancreatitis that I have is chronic calcifying

> pancreatitis. When I was first filmed, my pancreas showed

> extensive calcification all throughout the organ. The

calcification

> increased rapidly in a short period of time. In my case, surgery

was

> considered, reviewed and then refused by two surgeons, one of them

> being a Pancreatologist and surgeon at the Mayo Clinic. My problem

> was the two pseudocysts that I have in my pancreas. I don't have

any

> other obstructions, and all of my ductwork is clear and of the

right

> size for anything to pass through, so stenting was never needed or

> considered. It's just that the pancreas was full of calcification.

>

> I still have my gallbladder, and its fine, no stones or problems

> with it's function. My only problem was, and is, the pseudocysts.

> Unfortunately they are both located in positions that are

unreachable

> for drainage, and both surgeons refused to consider surgery because

> there are too many other organs that would have to be disturbed

just

> to reach the areas where the pseudocysts are. Both said that the

risk

> would be life threatening, and that even if they were able to reach

> the pseudocysts, they didn't feel that I would end up better off

as

> an outcome of the surgery. Too risky, and too much chance of

making

> my problems worse, not better.

>

> With those prognoses', surgery isn't an option, and I'm glad that I

> never had it, because now with my burn out, the pancreas isn't

> causing my problems, the pseudocysts are....and they only cause

> sporadic flares. Since the burn out I don't have daily, continual

> pain like

> I did before.

>

> That's one answer to your question.

>

> With love, hope and prayers,

> Heidi

>

> Heidi H. Griffeth

> www.pancassociation.org/anthology#Heidi.html

> Bluffton, SC

> SC State & SE Regional Representative

> Pancreatitis Association, International

> www.health.groups.yahoo.com/group/pancreatitis/

>

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

> opinion only, and should not be substituted for professional

medical

> consultation.