PAI Position Statement on Pancreatitis & Diabetes

[Guest guest]

,

You wrote, " Since they took the tail, have you spoken to any one

about the risks of diabetes? Did they give you immunizations, like

the pneumonia shot, before your surgery? "

I wanted to share that the PAI position statement on Pancreatitis and

Diabetes is that anyone that has been diagnosed with pancreatitis

should be checking their blood sugar with a personal glucometer

randomly, twice a week, AM & PM. This is because of the direct

relationship, cause and effect, and high risk of developing diabetes

once there is noted damage to the pancreas.

This position statement has been concurred by several Diabetologists.

Dr. Pete Hayden is an expert and researcher on diabetes, and has

often consulted PAI members concerned about the possibility of

diabetes, and the concern about avoiding or minimizing diabetic

complications. His website is: http://www.amyloiddiabetes.com/

The reason why (probably) asked so emphatic about diabetes

in regard to the Distal Pancreatectomy is due to the fact that the

higher percentage of islet cells (that produce insulin) reside int he

tail of the pancreas. Additionally, a larger portion of the pancreas

is removed with a Distal Pancreatectomy Vs a Whipple, therefore

increasing the probability of developing postoperative diabetes. I

was immediately referred to an Endocrinologist (a doctor who manages

diabetes), following surgery. This was done even though I did not

have diabetes. The surgeon and GI knew the probability and knew the

risks of a patient developing diabetic ketoacidosis (a complication

of uncontrolled diabetes), if there was not a diabetic specialist on

guard for such a complication.

Fortunately, as I said in a previous email, follow up care is the

best indicator of a good outcome, and when I was seeing my surgeon on

a post op visit, he sent me directly to the lab, did not pass go,

spent the $200, and was diagnosed with diabetes that day. Even as a

nurse, I failed to recognize the very obvious signs of diabetes:

Frequent urination

Excessive thirst

Extreme hunger

Increased fatigue

Irritability

Blurry vision

I was fortunate that I had someone bring this to my attention. No one

ever told me to be checking my blood sugar at home. Today, the issue

of a condition called " pre-diabetes " is considered serious and

Medicare and most insurance companies now acknowledge the need to

have it treated. That is why the PAI position statement was developed

to support this standard of practice. Pre-diabetes is the state that

occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal

but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. Doctors sometimes

refer to this state of elevated blood glucose levels as Impaired

Glucose Tolerance or Impaired Fasting Glucose (IGT/IFG), depending on

which test was used to detect it. Pre-diabetes is a clearer way of

explaining what it means to have higher than normal blood glucose

levels. It means you are likely to develop diabetes and may already

be experiencing the adverse health effects of this serious condition.

Too many healthcare providers wait until the patient has diabetes, by

then substantial damage can have taken place. There are no symptoms

of pre-diabetes, only the lab tests.

The American Diabetes Association

http://www.diabetes.org

Karyn E. , RN

Executive Director, PAI

http://www.pancassociation.org

Pancreatitis Association International