To Annette

[Guest guest]

Hello Annette,

You don't really know me although I think I posted a message at one

point to .

I am really sorry that things are not going well just now. Obviously

you will have been hoping for a great improvement for . You

must feel downhearted and discouraged at the moment.

I hesitate to say anything here as I have not had a TP and I have

absolutely no medical knowledge. I only know about TPs what I have

read and researched for myself as it may become necessary for me to

have one.

Just a couple of points. It may be a " good " thing that the pain is

so specific in its location and you can almost feel it. That does

seem to an absolute layperson as though it might be something very

particular wrong with a particular organ or at a particular point in

the gut. It's possible that it will be figured out. Do the docs

maybe see it at the moment as still healing? Perhaps as time goes on

they will look for a specific cause.

If it was " phantom " pancreas pain, or related to imprinted patterns

of pain on the brain, which some people believe in (rather akin to

what amputees sometimes experience), I would have expected it to

follow a very similar pattern to the pancreatic pain had

before the operation, whereas this seems to be something very

different. This is just a hunch from a lay person, of course.

If it is the spleen which is causing the problem, then there may

well be something that can be done about it. On the other hand, it

is not universal to remove the spleen with a TP. It is extremely

difficult for a surgeon to leave the spleen intact. At my hospital,

the Royal Liverpool Hospital, the Professor does try to leave the

spleen, wherever possible. This is technically very difficult so not

all surgeons try to do it anyway. If it cannot be done in a

particular case (risk of dangerous bleeding etc.) then it may have

to be removed. This is made clear in his information on the surgery.

The pros and cons of actually removing the spleen seem to be a

matter of opinion among surgeons. Some believe the advantages of

leaving the spleen intact outweigh the disadvantages; others believe

the opposite. (It probably also varies from case to case as well.)

As we know, though, doctors, even the most brilliant and

experienced, have their own individual views! There isn't

necessarily one " correct " view on exactly how the operation should

be performed.

BTW, that same Prof told me that, if I did have the TP, I would have

a very tough year afterwards. I think the recovery period can, in

some cases, be a very long haul.

I'm glad the diabetes is not proving a problem for .

I wish better health and less pain just as soon as possible.

I will be thinking about you all.

With very warm wishes,

Fliss (UK)