Re: need information

[Guest guest]

,

Pancreas burnout is when all the exocrine and endocrine functions of

the pancreas have been damaged to the point that they are no longer

functioning to produce enzymes, insulin and glucose. The beta cells

have been destroyed and the patient becomes a diabetic, quite often

brittle. CT-scans of the pancreas will show severe calcification and

necrosis, and enzyme production ceases. An amylase and lipase test

will show lower than normal enzyme levels. There is usually a

remarkable decrease in the chronic pain, and patients can eat

whatever they want without the symptomatic pain from high fats and

proteins that was present during their chronic pancreatitis.

Last March I suffered diabetic ketoacidosis, which destroyed all my

beta cells and resulted in brittle, insulin dependent diabetes, with

full pancreas burnout. Unfortunately, at that time, I had active

pseudocysts in my pancreas which absorbed the excess insulin and

enzyme debris caused by the DKA. For several months the pain was

gone, until the psuedocysts enlarged again. As long as I have the

pseudocysts, the pain continues.

Doctors sometimes talk about the burnout process as being something

that will bring a decrease in the pain levels, but this, of course,

is conditional, and it doesn't always happen.

I hope this information helps. I have a more technical description

of burnout in a file on my other computer. If you would like to read

that, let me know and I'll dig it out.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI, Intl.

Note: All comments and advice are personal opinion only, and never

should be substituted for a professional medical consultation.

wrote:

> Someone on here said their dr. had told them that their pancreas

would " burn out " soon, can anyone explain exactly what this is?

[Guest guest]

there is some controversy regarding this subject. Some doctors say that

when the pancreas burns out, the pain goes away, and others, like mty

doctor says that burn out has nothing to do with the amount of pain you

do or don't have, but that it's when the pancreas is so damaged that it

can no longer produce enough amylase and lipase enzymes to have elevated

or even normal levels of them when you are having an acute atttack.

Usually this means that you have less than 10% of your pancreas

functioning anymore. My doctor has said I've reached this stage

(end-stage) and that it will not cause the pain to go away. In fact, my

pain has only increased as time goes by. I think the kind of burn out

that gets rid of the pain is very rare, if it actually exists at all.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.