Aa
cronic or acute pancreatitias
my son is 15 and has had 23 hospitalizations for reoccurring pancreatitas with no known reason, can anyone else comment on this. there is surely something causing this but what
My daughter is 5 and has had two boughts with pancreatitis in the past 4 1/2 months. She has been checked for gall stones/bladder issues, cystic fibrosis, trauma, high cholesterol, pseudocysts, liver enzyme levels and all have come back negative. The doctors are just saying it's caused by a viral infection, but to happen twice? We're not sure. We're pursuing genetic testing, but no one in our family has had it. She did have a flu shot one month before the first attack and her MMR and ChickenPox immunizations one month before the second attack - possible cause? We don't know. Any suggestions? She is currenlty on a low fat diet and taking Pepcid twice a day. Her amylase and lipase have returned to normal (after they were 1,500 and 20,000 respectively in the hospital).
thank you so much, as i have an adult gi doc for ron now and he has a few more test and if those test come back neg, then we will be going to see a top notch doc and the university or irvine ca.. thank you all again..
Although it's relatively new, there have been many successful islet cell transplants. I'm appending an article about one case that worked out well. I've written the author to find out how Ms. Snapp is doing now.
Area woman undergoes OSU's first auto-islet cell transplant
By Kelly Mori
Staff Writer
Monday, December 01, 2008
South Vienna, Ohio
A South Vienna woman is the first person to undergo an auto-islet cell transplant at the Ohio State University Medical Center. Erin Snapp, 30, returned home from the hospital, Tuesday, Nov. 25, eight days after the complicated surgery that involved removing her pancreas and harvesting the attached islet cells necessary for the body to produce insulin. The harvested islet cells were infused into Snapp's liver where they will graft and mimic the function of the removed pancreas.
There are only two medical centers in Ohio, Columbus and Cincinnati that can process the removed pancreas on site, said Dr. Amer Rajab who conducted the transplant surgery. "The procedure utilizes patients' own islet cells, which eliminates any threat of rejection and substantially reduces the risk of the patient developing diabetes," Rajab said. "The patient has potential for a much better quality of life."
Quality of life has been an issue for Snapp for as long as she can remember, suffering with debilitating pain and vomiting that caused her to miss long stretches of school as a child and days of work as an adult. She was finally diagnosed with pancreatitis in 2000. The diagnosis brought her both relief and shame. "Pancreatitis is usually associated with alcoholics, but I don't drink," she said. "A lot of times I was treated poorly in the emergency room because they thought I was an alcoholic that I did this to myself."
Genetic testing at the Cleveland Clinic concluded a dormant cystic fibrosis and a mutant gene caused a defect at birth. Snapp's sister has surgery induced diabetes due to having her pancreas taken out without the benefit of the islet transplant.
Snapp's prognosis is good but recovery will be slow as she is weaned off of years of high doses of pain medication, Rajab said.
"It's a very painful disease," he said, "It's amazing the amount of pain!” very severe, continuous pain." Snapp said it's hard to imagine what her life will be like without pain, but was already getting a taste of it. "I feel better than I've felt in years," she said. "I'm anxious to get back to work. I'm an STNA (State Tested Nursing Assistant) and I'd like to go back to school in the medical field."
The timing of her surgery could not have been more perfect, she said. "It's going to be New Years'. I'm ready to begin my new life."
Area woman undergoes OSU's first auto-islet cell transplant
By Kelly Mori
Staff Writer
Monday, December 01, 2008
South Vienna, Ohio
A South Vienna woman is the first person to undergo an auto-islet cell transplant at the Ohio State University Medical Center. Erin Snapp, 30, returned home from the hospital, Tuesday, Nov. 25, eight days after the complicated surgery that involved removing her pancreas and harvesting the attached islet cells necessary for the body to produce insulin. The harvested islet cells were infused into Snapp's liver where they will graft and mimic the function of the removed pancreas.
There are only two medical centers in Ohio, Columbus and Cincinnati that can process the removed pancreas on site, said Dr. Amer Rajab who conducted the transplant surgery. "The procedure utilizes patients' own islet cells, which eliminates any threat of rejection and substantially reduces the risk of the patient developing diabetes," Rajab said. "The patient has potential for a much better quality of life."
Quality of life has been an issue for Snapp for as long as she can remember, suffering with debilitating pain and vomiting that caused her to miss long stretches of school as a child and days of work as an adult. She was finally diagnosed with pancreatitis in 2000. The diagnosis brought her both relief and shame. "Pancreatitis is usually associated with alcoholics, but I don't drink," she said. "A lot of times I was treated poorly in the emergency room because they thought I was an alcoholic that I did this to myself."
Genetic testing at the Cleveland Clinic concluded a dormant cystic fibrosis and a mutant gene caused a defect at birth. Snapp's sister has surgery induced diabetes due to having her pancreas taken out without the benefit of the islet transplant.
Snapp's prognosis is good but recovery will be slow as she is weaned off of years of high doses of pain medication, Rajab said.
"It's a very painful disease," he said, "It's amazing the amount of pain!” very severe, continuous pain." Snapp said it's hard to imagine what her life will be like without pain, but was already getting a taste of it. "I feel better than I've felt in years," she said. "I'm anxious to get back to work. I'm an STNA (State Tested Nursing Assistant) and I'd like to go back to school in the medical field."
The timing of her surgery could not have been more perfect, she said. "It's going to be New Years'. I'm ready to begin my new life."
well,the only real time your boing to have pancreas problems due to the gullbladder is when stones are present,and they block the duct work to the pancreas,then theres issues.
if he has no stones,has he had a function test,i dont remember if you mentioned that,,,a funtion test of the gullbladder,,if the function is good,and he has no stones,,,its not the gullbladder causing it.
it is quite possible he just has a disfunctional pancreas..period.
just like some people have a defective heart,defective gullbladder,he could have a defective pancreas.
either way,,i will tell you this.
1...in his condition,with chronic pancreatitis,the diseas is progressive,and the damage is irreversable...so it doesnt matter whats causing it,its how to remedt what he already has.
2...he needs a realy top notch pancreas specialest,(you might have to travel)
that can figure a way around his condition,they have had successfull transplants believe it or not,and they have had people live long lives after having theres COMPLETELY removed,,,but you have to have that 1 certain doc that can do it!!!,,not many know there way around the pancreas.
they have to transfer healthy cells to a section of his LIVER over a period of time,and when they all take hold,and that section starts to mimic pancreas function,they can remove the damaged pancreas all together.
he would be a immediate diabetec and would need insulin for the rest of his life,but it beats the alternative.
i realy hope you guys the best,and hope to hear from you again whenver possible,but please dont give up hope,and please look into the things ive mentioned,even if your doc doesnt know of it being done,IT IS POSSIBLE,AND I HAVE SEEN IT IN MEDICAL JOURNALS AND ON THE WEB,,SUCCESSFULL REMOVALS AND TRANSPLANTS.
if he has no stones,has he had a function test,i dont remember if you mentioned that,,,a funtion test of the gullbladder,,if the function is good,and he has no stones,,,its not the gullbladder causing it.
it is quite possible he just has a disfunctional pancreas..period.
just like some people have a defective heart,defective gullbladder,he could have a defective pancreas.
either way,,i will tell you this.
1...in his condition,with chronic pancreatitis,the diseas is progressive,and the damage is irreversable...so it doesnt matter whats causing it,its how to remedt what he already has.
2...he needs a realy top notch pancreas specialest,(you might have to travel)
that can figure a way around his condition,they have had successfull transplants believe it or not,and they have had people live long lives after having theres COMPLETELY removed,,,but you have to have that 1 certain doc that can do it!!!,,not many know there way around the pancreas.
they have to transfer healthy cells to a section of his LIVER over a period of time,and when they all take hold,and that section starts to mimic pancreas function,they can remove the damaged pancreas all together.
he would be a immediate diabetec and would need insulin for the rest of his life,but it beats the alternative.
i realy hope you guys the best,and hope to hear from you again whenver possible,but please dont give up hope,and please look into the things ive mentioned,even if your doc doesnt know of it being done,IT IS POSSIBLE,AND I HAVE SEEN IT IN MEDICAL JOURNALS AND ON THE WEB,,SUCCESSFULL REMOVALS AND TRANSPLANTS.
medications,
exposure to certain chemicals,
injury (trauma), as might happen in a car accident or bad fall leading to abdominal trauma,
hereditary disease,
surgery and certain medical procedures,
infections such as mumps (not common),
abnormalities of the pancreas or intestine, or
high fat levels in the blood. RON HAS HAD THIS SINCE THE AGE OF 3 NOW HE IS 15 WITH NO PROBLEMS WITH THE ITEMS LISTED ABOVE. THIS IS WHY I THINK SOMETHING ELSE IS CAUSING THE PANCREATITIAS. EVEN THOUGH GALLSTONES HAVE NEVER BEEN SEE I BELIEVE THIS IS WHAT IS CAUSING HIS PROBLEMS BUT HOW DO I CONVINCE A DOCTOR TO REMOVE HIS GALLBLADDER TO SEE IF IT SOLVES THE PROBLEM? LIKE I TELL THE DOCTORS HE CAN LIVE WITHOUT HIS GALLBLADER BUT HIS PANCREASE HE NEEDS TO SURVIVE.....
exposure to certain chemicals,
injury (trauma), as might happen in a car accident or bad fall leading to abdominal trauma,
hereditary disease,
surgery and certain medical procedures,
infections such as mumps (not common),
abnormalities of the pancreas or intestine, or
high fat levels in the blood. RON HAS HAD THIS SINCE THE AGE OF 3 NOW HE IS 15 WITH NO PROBLEMS WITH THE ITEMS LISTED ABOVE. THIS IS WHY I THINK SOMETHING ELSE IS CAUSING THE PANCREATITIAS. EVEN THOUGH GALLSTONES HAVE NEVER BEEN SEE I BELIEVE THIS IS WHAT IS CAUSING HIS PROBLEMS BUT HOW DO I CONVINCE A DOCTOR TO REMOVE HIS GALLBLADDER TO SEE IF IT SOLVES THE PROBLEM? LIKE I TELL THE DOCTORS HE CAN LIVE WITHOUT HIS GALLBLADER BUT HIS PANCREASE HE NEEDS TO SURVIVE.....
normally when pancreatitias occures, does the liver and gallbladder have inflamation. basically does the organs that are related to the pancrease shut down?
Here's a great pamphlet about chronic pancreatitis and how things work:
http://www.creoninfo.co.uk/pdf/Booklet1.pdf
All the best,
Sam
http://www.creoninfo.co.uk/pdf/Booklet1.pdf
All the best,
Sam
Here is another excellent article for you:
http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=digestiv/5269
All the best,
Sam
http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=digestiv/5269
All the best,
Sam
Hi again:
According to the NDDIC, "Chronic pancreatitis also can lead to calcification of the pancreas, which means the pancreatic tissue hardens from deposits of insoluble calcium salts. Surgery may be necessary to remove part of the pancreas." See link at:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/pancreatitis/
It is interesting to note that, in the same article, a cause of chronic pancreatitis is hypercalcemia or high levels of calcium in the blood.
Hope that helps!
Good luck and Godspeed,
Sam
According to the NDDIC, "Chronic pancreatitis also can lead to calcification of the pancreas, which means the pancreatic tissue hardens from deposits of insoluble calcium salts. Surgery may be necessary to remove part of the pancreas." See link at:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/pancreatitis/
It is interesting to note that, in the same article, a cause of chronic pancreatitis is hypercalcemia or high levels of calcium in the blood.
Hope that helps!
Good luck and Godspeed,
Sam
so what causes the calcification??? could it be the hyperparthyrody gland located in the throat, the same glad that generates calcium?
why it would show calcification???
that would show if the area of the pancreas is dead,and basicly has turned hard.
this area should be removed,
problem is when the pancreatitis turns to necrotizing pancreatitis,this is the end result.
he has lived with this for some time,and please keep in mind this is a progressive disease.
i cannot stress enough in this case he hes to be very carefull with the foods he eats,and he needs the enzymes to help digest the foods he does eat,,,,they will allow his pancreas to rest.
the have a procedure where they transplant healthy cells from the pancreas to the bad area,,,to help regenerate healthy cells in that area.
they also have a newer procedure where they take healthy cells and transplant them to the liver,after a few of these procedures,they can completely remove the pancreas,,and the new cells in the liver pick up the slack,,,i dont know exactly how it works,but it does for many.
he would become a diabetic,but he would still be around !!!
i know its hard to deal with,but dont give up hope,,,look around,and get him to a specialist,and if this involves "exparimental" procedures,please keep your mind open to ideas....
that would show if the area of the pancreas is dead,and basicly has turned hard.
this area should be removed,
problem is when the pancreatitis turns to necrotizing pancreatitis,this is the end result.
he has lived with this for some time,and please keep in mind this is a progressive disease.
i cannot stress enough in this case he hes to be very carefull with the foods he eats,and he needs the enzymes to help digest the foods he does eat,,,,they will allow his pancreas to rest.
the have a procedure where they transplant healthy cells from the pancreas to the bad area,,,to help regenerate healthy cells in that area.
they also have a newer procedure where they take healthy cells and transplant them to the liver,after a few of these procedures,they can completely remove the pancreas,,and the new cells in the liver pick up the slack,,,i dont know exactly how it works,but it does for many.
he would become a diabetic,but he would still be around !!!
i know its hard to deal with,but dont give up hope,,,look around,and get him to a specialist,and if this involves "exparimental" procedures,please keep your mind open to ideas....
ron stopped taking the enzymes because he had took them for many years.. and didnt see any improvement. and as far as his sympthoms of panceatitias he only has a stomach ache with elevated amalase and lipase. no diarrhea no bowel movements at all. inflamation of the pancreas, liver and gallbladder. we have a new doctor now that is looking into other causes of the pancreatitas. such as something going on with the bowel or intestine. if these are normal then he will do another ercp in which i asked to be done to check for bile crystals that would come from the gallbladder. all of ron's test are normal on his gallbladder so removal they will not do until they find this is absolutly what is causing it. after these next 2 tests are done. maybe as a parent i can step in and demand the gallbladder to be removed. as i keep telling these doctors you can live without your gallbladder but not your pancrease...and not every human body is the same...i have explained to many doctors as ron has seen 3 pediatric doctors and now is seeing an adult GI he doesnt have the normal symptoms of pancreatitias just the inflamation which i think is being caused by something else, possibly a food allergy who knows, but ron is always glad when i tell him i found something new that i want the doctors to check for. i think he will be happy too not to be in pain every 6 months with a hospial visit for a week...does any one know why it would show calcification of the pancrease on the ct?
As far as I can remember, (it happened May of 2000) the pain was in his chest and would radiate around to his back. The day that he couldn't take it anymore, (Mother's Day) he said he felt as if his insides were about to bust. The bile that was overflowing had caused his pancreas to swell. He did have fever, in fact the fever almost caused them to not operate, but I am so glad they got it under control and were able to operate (2 days later). He was in such horrible pain. The day after they removed his gallbladder he was able to go home. I don't remember him having diarrhea, but his urine was brown and the whites of his eyes were yellow.
If you have any more questions let me know.
Cheryl
If you have any more questions let me know.
Cheryl
Hi Cheryl:
I'm so glad your son is okay! Thank you so much for posting. Did your son have lower back pain, fever, fatigue and/or diarrhea?
Thank you so much! Good luck and Godspeed,
Sam
I'm so glad your son is okay! Thank you so much for posting. Did your son have lower back pain, fever, fatigue and/or diarrhea?
Thank you so much! Good luck and Godspeed,
Sam
My son had just turned 18, but had been having pain off and on since he was 12. The pain would always go away, but in his senior year of high school he woke me up one morning around 4 am and told me he was in severe pain, I took him to the emergency room, they diagnosed him with pleurisy and told him to take ibuprofin, this was in October. He continued to have pain in the mornings and by 2nd or 3rd hour in school the pain would subside. He continued to take ibuprofin for the pain.
It was on Mother's day, we were on our way to a family reunion and he told me his urine was brown, I just blew it off, because he had been drinking a lot of protein drinks, stupid me. Later that day his pain got so bad he couldn't stand it, I again took him to the emergency room, they thought he had hepatitis. His eyes were yellow and he was throwing up brown stuff. We admitted him to the hospital and two days later they diagnosed him with pancreatitis and removed his gallbladder. The doctor said he had the most elongated gallbladder he had ever seen with the largest cystic duct he had ever seen and he had performed over 1500 gallbladder surgeries. Everything turned out ok. Unfortunately there was another young man about 4 years older than my son that had the same thing but before they figured out what he had it was too late and he passed away. The doctors said that had my son been a girl they would have been more likely to check his gallbladder sooner.
I'm sure your doctor has thought about checking your son's gallbladder but just in case he hasn't I am suggesting that. My son did not have any gallstones, just a diseased gallbladder, but he possibly had passed a huge stone and that is what caused the humongous duct.
I hope this helps.
Cheryl
It was on Mother's day, we were on our way to a family reunion and he told me his urine was brown, I just blew it off, because he had been drinking a lot of protein drinks, stupid me. Later that day his pain got so bad he couldn't stand it, I again took him to the emergency room, they thought he had hepatitis. His eyes were yellow and he was throwing up brown stuff. We admitted him to the hospital and two days later they diagnosed him with pancreatitis and removed his gallbladder. The doctor said he had the most elongated gallbladder he had ever seen with the largest cystic duct he had ever seen and he had performed over 1500 gallbladder surgeries. Everything turned out ok. Unfortunately there was another young man about 4 years older than my son that had the same thing but before they figured out what he had it was too late and he passed away. The doctors said that had my son been a girl they would have been more likely to check his gallbladder sooner.
I'm sure your doctor has thought about checking your son's gallbladder but just in case he hasn't I am suggesting that. My son did not have any gallstones, just a diseased gallbladder, but he possibly had passed a huge stone and that is what caused the humongous duct.
I hope this helps.
Cheryl
Hi Laura:
I'm thrilled that Ron is in such good hands! Good for you for taking an active role in his health care. He's very fortunate to have a diagnosis this early.
I'm glad he is taking enzymes because anything you can do now to prevent or reduce further damage is extremely important. Please give some thought to joining the Yahoo! group. Most of those there have or have had pancreatitis so they may be able to give you practical suggestions. Also, it's a great thing to have support.
It really is helpful for him to keep a journal of everything he eats, medications, bowel habits along with how he feels. It helps identify patterns you wouldn't catch otherwise; as long as he's honest about it.
This is such a serious and incredibly painful disease and I really wish him the very best! I've had the esophagogastroduodenoscopy [EDG aka upper endoscopy] before so tell him it's a piece of cake compared to the ERCP. I've had a sphincterotomy, too, and it didn't help me at all, either. That was a very tough procedure to endure.
Take care of yourselves and each other! Good luck and Godspeed,
Sam
I'm thrilled that Ron is in such good hands! Good for you for taking an active role in his health care. He's very fortunate to have a diagnosis this early.
I'm glad he is taking enzymes because anything you can do now to prevent or reduce further damage is extremely important. Please give some thought to joining the Yahoo! group. Most of those there have or have had pancreatitis so they may be able to give you practical suggestions. Also, it's a great thing to have support.
It really is helpful for him to keep a journal of everything he eats, medications, bowel habits along with how he feels. It helps identify patterns you wouldn't catch otherwise; as long as he's honest about it.
This is such a serious and incredibly painful disease and I really wish him the very best! I've had the esophagogastroduodenoscopy [EDG aka upper endoscopy] before so tell him it's a piece of cake compared to the ERCP. I've had a sphincterotomy, too, and it didn't help me at all, either. That was a very tough procedure to endure.
Take care of yourselves and each other! Good luck and Godspeed,
Sam
thank you all for your comments... just recently went with an adult gastro doc. very good and hope to find answer. from my son having so many episodes and peditrician doctors telling me he will grow out of it this doctor was amazed and agreed to take on ron's case. He was on enzymes for a very long time. he has also had a spinterotomy which didnt help him. never had any signs of gallstones. had a nucelear medicine test which showed no blockage and all ducts flowed freely. He just had a ct which showed calcification on the pancreas which doesnt sound good meaning the damage is why he keeps having attacks. He is now going to have an edg to check his intestine, stomach and a biopsy of his bowel. Then he will have a test done to check for bile crystals, which this was thought many years ago and never checked by his pediatric gi. thanks you all... very frustrating knowing he has been checked for all the things mentioned in your responces.... thank you again laura.
As grim as it seems, I agree with crambone. I have been researching it a lot lately b/c of my own illnesses, bad gallbladder and enlarged pancreas, on my way to pancreatitis, but before it was diagnosed the dr. said pancreatitis and I began my research.
I immediately went on the diet, although since it is my gallbladder it didn't do that much good.
High carbs, low protein and very low fat. I know how difficult it is for a 15 year old, but it may really help him. It is also extremely boring and I am going to mention this only because it did not dawn on me when I did this diet. I lived on pasta, potatoes, bread and rice, but I was using butter on all of it, that has a lot of fat, so keep that in mind. Also, low protein, if he eats mean make sure it is lean. Also, there are many foods that we don't think of as protein, eggs, nuts, beans...all that has to be watched. NOTHING FRIED, that is the biggie! that means chips, fries, chicken fingers, wings, everything teenagers live on.
As for the enzymes, I have not researched them extensively, but I have read in many spots that they are harmless, so maybe ask your dr about them & if that is true why not give them a try.
Your son really needs to recognize how serious this condition is. My friend had his first attack and was on life support for 16 days and hospitalized for 2 months. I have heard so many stories like that. It is not something you can ignore or sneak around and indulge in the no-no's.
My stepson was a little older than your son when he was diagnosed with severs cirrosis of the liver. He almost died twice. He is on the transplant list but is very much improved. The problem was he was on a strict diet with sodium restriction. Well, he never ate bad around me but he was 18 and out on his own often...when he kept getting sick I paid more attention and found McDonald bags and other fast food wrappers. He was sneaking around thinking he was pulling a fast one on me, when he was killing himself. Your son like mine has to realize that he must do it for him, and I truly would consider councelling. I wish I had pushed him to see someone, it is difficult for anyone to live with restrictions and have an illness looming over them for the rest of their life, but to be so young and see all your friends being healthy can make you sprial into a depression. I really believe the process is much like the grieving process, you have anger, denial, bargaining and finally acceptance.
I wish you both much luck, I know how difficult it is for you as well, this isn't supposed to happen to our children. There is so much information out there, dive in and maybe print some of the really good stuff for your son, not to force him to research, but maybe some stories, not medical scripts, so he sees there are other people in the world with this problem and here is how they deal with it. He is going to have to get active in his illness and a good way to start is with personal stories, they tend to hold their interest...also there are many chat rooms out there where he may meet others going thru this as well and he can talk to them in a different way than with people who do not have this problem.
Once again, I wish you luck in your journey, find a GOOD Dr., check out a few of them. I will keep you in my prayers.
Jessie
I immediately went on the diet, although since it is my gallbladder it didn't do that much good.
High carbs, low protein and very low fat. I know how difficult it is for a 15 year old, but it may really help him. It is also extremely boring and I am going to mention this only because it did not dawn on me when I did this diet. I lived on pasta, potatoes, bread and rice, but I was using butter on all of it, that has a lot of fat, so keep that in mind. Also, low protein, if he eats mean make sure it is lean. Also, there are many foods that we don't think of as protein, eggs, nuts, beans...all that has to be watched. NOTHING FRIED, that is the biggie! that means chips, fries, chicken fingers, wings, everything teenagers live on.
As for the enzymes, I have not researched them extensively, but I have read in many spots that they are harmless, so maybe ask your dr about them & if that is true why not give them a try.
Your son really needs to recognize how serious this condition is. My friend had his first attack and was on life support for 16 days and hospitalized for 2 months. I have heard so many stories like that. It is not something you can ignore or sneak around and indulge in the no-no's.
My stepson was a little older than your son when he was diagnosed with severs cirrosis of the liver. He almost died twice. He is on the transplant list but is very much improved. The problem was he was on a strict diet with sodium restriction. Well, he never ate bad around me but he was 18 and out on his own often...when he kept getting sick I paid more attention and found McDonald bags and other fast food wrappers. He was sneaking around thinking he was pulling a fast one on me, when he was killing himself. Your son like mine has to realize that he must do it for him, and I truly would consider councelling. I wish I had pushed him to see someone, it is difficult for anyone to live with restrictions and have an illness looming over them for the rest of their life, but to be so young and see all your friends being healthy can make you sprial into a depression. I really believe the process is much like the grieving process, you have anger, denial, bargaining and finally acceptance.
I wish you both much luck, I know how difficult it is for you as well, this isn't supposed to happen to our children. There is so much information out there, dive in and maybe print some of the really good stuff for your son, not to force him to research, but maybe some stories, not medical scripts, so he sees there are other people in the world with this problem and here is how they deal with it. He is going to have to get active in his illness and a good way to start is with personal stories, they tend to hold their interest...also there are many chat rooms out there where he may meet others going thru this as well and he can talk to them in a different way than with people who do not have this problem.
Once again, I wish you luck in your journey, find a GOOD Dr., check out a few of them. I will keep you in my prayers.
Jessie
sounds like he needs to do the following...
1...needs to get on a high carb,low fat diet.
2...possibly needs enzyme capsules to help aid in digestion,and let his pancreas relax some.
3...find out if his pancreas is now damaged,,,if hes advanced to necrotizing pancreatitis,and if so,,there are steps that need to be taken.
..if it is necrotizing,he should have the dead/calcified area removed/and have healthy cells transplanted to the "getting bad" areas.
theres no reason why he should be in the hospital that much unless hes not following a strict diet and meds regament.
chronic pancreatits is a progressive disease,and unless he is made fully aware of the severaity of his condition,,he should know the prognosis is not good ,,only about 5 years after diagnosis of chronic.
they say you cannot live without a pancreas,and theres no such thing as a transplant,and from my studies,there more less correct.
to have it completely removed means he will be a diabetec right then.
the live expectency after removel is not very long,even with enzymes theropy and insulin.
......and the transpant is nearly 100% failor rate.
im osrry if i seem blunt about this,but i know you want to know the truth,and it is crutial he understands this condition is as serious as a condition as he may ever face.
1...needs to get on a high carb,low fat diet.
2...possibly needs enzyme capsules to help aid in digestion,and let his pancreas relax some.
3...find out if his pancreas is now damaged,,,if hes advanced to necrotizing pancreatitis,and if so,,there are steps that need to be taken.
..if it is necrotizing,he should have the dead/calcified area removed/and have healthy cells transplanted to the "getting bad" areas.
theres no reason why he should be in the hospital that much unless hes not following a strict diet and meds regament.
chronic pancreatits is a progressive disease,and unless he is made fully aware of the severaity of his condition,,he should know the prognosis is not good ,,only about 5 years after diagnosis of chronic.
they say you cannot live without a pancreas,and theres no such thing as a transplant,and from my studies,there more less correct.
to have it completely removed means he will be a diabetec right then.
the live expectency after removel is not very long,even with enzymes theropy and insulin.
......and the transpant is nearly 100% failor rate.
im osrry if i seem blunt about this,but i know you want to know the truth,and it is crutial he understands this condition is as serious as a condition as he may ever face.
Hi there:
I'm so sorry to hear that your son is suffering from pancreatitis. The best thing that you can do for him is educate yourself about this condition. I'm not a doctor and I know next to nothing about this stuff but I'm learning through my own illness. I apologize in advance for the length of this post but it is important and I sincerely hope you'll get something out of it. :)
To answer your question, according to emedicinehealth, pancreatitis can be caused by, alcohol abuse, gallstones, exposure to certain chemicals, injury (trauma), heredity; surgery and certain medical procedures, infections such as mumps, abnormalities of the pancreas or intestine, or high fat levels in the blood. "In about 15% of cases of acute pancreatitis and 40% of cases of chronic pancreatitis, the cause is never known." Source: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/pancreatitis/page2_em.htm
Doing your own research can only help. Check out the "First Principles of Gastroenterology", http://gastroresource.com/GITextbook/en/Default.htm. I would take special note of the biliary system, Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction and pancreatitis.
If he's been hospitalized, he must have undergone a number of tests. There are a few less invasive tests such as the Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) and MRCP-S (Secretin) which can image the whole area including pancreas and ductal system. An ERCP is much more invasive and cannot provide him with a diagnosis unless they use manometry to measure pressure levels.
Is your son taking Metamucil or a similar daily fibre product? This is a great help for MANY people with digestive and/or bowel problems. It does not make you go, it makes you regular by adding fibre to the watery stools, making them firm.
Many people have great success with digestive enzymes and pancreatic enzymes. This is something you can talk to your Doc about. I'm told that they won't do any harm so really - unless you have side effects - there's not a downside to trying them. Your Doc might even have samples. This is something you can do now and it will help minimize damage to his pancreas.
It helps to keep a journal or a blog and your welcome to read mine if you want but I write a lot (can you tell). :) It's a great way to review your situation objectively and identify patterns in your foods, symptoms, medications, bowel habits and pain level. Hindsight is 20/20 and keeping a log might help you look at things more objectively over the longer term. Also, when you do go into Emergency, you can say, this has been the pattern...
You are not alone! Try to stay positive and reach out for support when you need it. Talk to your Doctor, family, friends, co-workers, church or social service volunteers or anyone you feel safe with.
I belong to a support group [SODP] that is wonderful. SODP is short for Sphincter of Oddi, Pancreatitis... To find it, search the web for Yahoo! groups. Once you have the page where you can search the Yahoo! groups, search or "sphincter". There are about five of them. Only two of them are really worth joining. Michele's [Sphincterofoddi_pancreatitis] is by far the best as she is a registered nurse and an uncommonly kind, empathetic and supportive woman. Maddi's [sphincterofoddi-pancreatitis1] is wonderful, too. Just put in a request to join and within a day or two, they'll let you know that you've been accepted. Hopefully, if you join, you'll say "Hi" to me there?
When you do find answers, it would be wonderful if you could let us know the root cause(s) and how you got rid of your pain. It gives people on this site hope to hear success stories.
Take care of yourself. Good luck and Godspeed. All the best,
Sam
P.S. I have numerous reference links about pancreas which I'm happy to share with you. Let me know?
I'm so sorry to hear that your son is suffering from pancreatitis. The best thing that you can do for him is educate yourself about this condition. I'm not a doctor and I know next to nothing about this stuff but I'm learning through my own illness. I apologize in advance for the length of this post but it is important and I sincerely hope you'll get something out of it. :)
To answer your question, according to emedicinehealth, pancreatitis can be caused by, alcohol abuse, gallstones, exposure to certain chemicals, injury (trauma), heredity; surgery and certain medical procedures, infections such as mumps, abnormalities of the pancreas or intestine, or high fat levels in the blood. "In about 15% of cases of acute pancreatitis and 40% of cases of chronic pancreatitis, the cause is never known." Source: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/pancreatitis/page2_em.htm
Doing your own research can only help. Check out the "First Principles of Gastroenterology", http://gastroresource.com/GITextbook/en/Default.htm. I would take special note of the biliary system, Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction and pancreatitis.
If he's been hospitalized, he must have undergone a number of tests. There are a few less invasive tests such as the Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) and MRCP-S (Secretin) which can image the whole area including pancreas and ductal system. An ERCP is much more invasive and cannot provide him with a diagnosis unless they use manometry to measure pressure levels.
Is your son taking Metamucil or a similar daily fibre product? This is a great help for MANY people with digestive and/or bowel problems. It does not make you go, it makes you regular by adding fibre to the watery stools, making them firm.
Many people have great success with digestive enzymes and pancreatic enzymes. This is something you can talk to your Doc about. I'm told that they won't do any harm so really - unless you have side effects - there's not a downside to trying them. Your Doc might even have samples. This is something you can do now and it will help minimize damage to his pancreas.
It helps to keep a journal or a blog and your welcome to read mine if you want but I write a lot (can you tell). :) It's a great way to review your situation objectively and identify patterns in your foods, symptoms, medications, bowel habits and pain level. Hindsight is 20/20 and keeping a log might help you look at things more objectively over the longer term. Also, when you do go into Emergency, you can say, this has been the pattern...
You are not alone! Try to stay positive and reach out for support when you need it. Talk to your Doctor, family, friends, co-workers, church or social service volunteers or anyone you feel safe with.
I belong to a support group [SODP] that is wonderful. SODP is short for Sphincter of Oddi, Pancreatitis... To find it, search the web for Yahoo! groups. Once you have the page where you can search the Yahoo! groups, search or "sphincter". There are about five of them. Only two of them are really worth joining. Michele's [Sphincterofoddi_pancreatitis] is by far the best as she is a registered nurse and an uncommonly kind, empathetic and supportive woman. Maddi's [sphincterofoddi-pancreatitis1] is wonderful, too. Just put in a request to join and within a day or two, they'll let you know that you've been accepted. Hopefully, if you join, you'll say "Hi" to me there?
When you do find answers, it would be wonderful if you could let us know the root cause(s) and how you got rid of your pain. It gives people on this site hope to hear success stories.
Take care of yourself. Good luck and Godspeed. All the best,
Sam
P.S. I have numerous reference links about pancreas which I'm happy to share with you. Let me know?
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Gastroenterology Community
Learn which OTC medications can help relieve your digestive troubles.
Is a gluten-free diet right for you?
Discover common causes of and remedies for heartburn.
This common yet mysterious bowel condition plagues millions of Americans
Don't get burned again. Banish nighttime heartburn with these quick tips
Get answers to your top questions about this pervasive digestive problem
