Recovery From Pancreatic Surgery

[Guest guest]

Donna,

You wrote, " I am still having some flare-ups a year after having

the Whipple. Is this normal? "

I had a Distal Pancreatectomy September 12, 1999 and never had a day of

relief. In my situation, the surgeon said I really needed a Total

Pancreatectomy,

but that wasn't an option (at that time and that place). He had hoped to buy me

some time and provide some temporary relief. Either way, he told me that the

recovery time for any pancreatic surgery is no less than a year.

He reminded me that the pancreas lies posterior to the abdomen, therefore to

access this 'hidden' organ, a surgeon has to maneuver through all the rest,

first. No small task. Since the abdominal muscles are cut, until they heal

fully, they cannot provide the kind of abdominal support they usually do. They

play

a major role in keeping the rest of the body functioning to its optimum,

otherwise those other organs have no suspension.

He also reminded me that chronic pancreatitis is a progressive,

deteriorating, debilitating, & disabling disease. Keyword: " progressive " . Though

the GI,

Endoscopist, or Pancreatologist, may determine the particular cause of the

pancreatitis, it is difficult to ascertain why the problem started in the first

place. Generally, even though, the surgeon may remove the diseased portion of

the

pancreas, repair any stenosed duct, remove any obstructing debris (stones,

sludge), the biochemical makeup to the individual that predisposed him/her to

the disease is generally not remedied. Therefore, pancreatic surgery is not

considered curative, but an aggressive palliative intervention.

That is not to say that there have not been a successful partial

pancreatectomy, successful progressive stenting, or successful sphincterotomy

done. There

may be some people that claim their lives were returned to normal after their

particular procedure. Possibly, they may feel that they were not well, per se,

but they felt that the progression of their disease had been halted. Tull and

I discuss this quite often. The fact is I have only been diagnosed since

August 4, 1999. The only people I know with pancreatitis are ones I have met

through the PAI or at the symposium. We do not know the relationship of this

sector

to the pancreatitis population as a whole.

This takes me back to the surgeon's comments regarding, " chronic

pancreatitis " , this time, keyword being: " chronic " . It isn't uncommon for

someone with

acute pancreatitis to undergo a partial pancreatectomy. Following this, and

because of the different pathophysiology of acute vs chronic pancreatitis, the

individual can recover never to suffer any residual pancreatic problems again.

Now that I have shared all I know, I encourage you to dismiss any concerns

that your disease is progressing, and simply focus on activities that promote

healing and recovery for an 'insulted' pancreas. [i always thought it was funny

that an organ is considered insulted after sustaining an injury or undergoing

surgery, like, " How dare them? " ].

As a side note: Any knowledge I obtain regarding disease and illness is not

stored in the databank that I use for everyday living, as they are not choices.

They are either stored in a catalogue to learn from, and generally, they

undergo conversion to become an affirmation of wellness vs a destiny of disease.

Everything is either half full or half empty. You said, " I am still having

some flare-ups a year after having the Whipple. " Or did you say, " I am only

having a few flare-ups since I had a Whipple a year ago. "

I think that wellness and illness is a continuum and the way we live our

lives defines our placement. Our thoughts, do, in fact, create reality. I am a

firm believer in the string theory. I believe that the quark, the smallest known

particle, less than a hadron or an atom, is driven towards balance and harmony

-- homeostasis. I do what I can to nurture that.

Karyn E. , RN

Executive Director, PAI

http://www.pancassociation.org

Pancreatitis Association International