People live with chronic pancreatitis for a wide variety of years before it is diagnosed which makes the 8-10 year guess relating to Pancreatic Calcification seem questionable, at best. Nonetheless, information is information... and I'm looking for it.
My understanding is that if my pancreas becomes calcified it will no longer work. Therefore, I will read all I can about it and discern the information the best I can in hopes of prolonging the health of my pancreas.
The link above has a lot of basic and useful information about pancreatitis and how the pancreas functions. I hope you find this information helpful.
Best to you and yours!
Thank you for making this blog. My boyfriend was hospitalized for several days last year and the doctors diagnosed him with pancreatitis, caused most likely by many years of constant hard drinking. He has had several flare-ups since then. This is devastating to watch, since he is only in his mid thirties, and has been unable to stop drinking. He believes that if he only has a "few" drinks, and takes a break when he starts to feel pain, that it won't be a big deal. It makes me really sad. I love him but I cannot make him change if he does not want to. I only hope he will try to get help with his alcoholism before it is too late.
ReplyDeleteThanks also for this blog! I've lived with chronic pancreatitis since '96 and have recently been diagnosed with some pancreas calcification. My doctor told me that calcification = stones (not unlike kidney or gall bladder) and booked me for an ERCP. Unfortunately, ERCP was aborted due to a bad reaction to the sedation, so currently awaiting another booking, this time with an general anesthetic. I too believed calcification was the general 'petrifying' of the organ, but doctor led me to believe it was just stones, which could be removed easily. Now I'm just confused (and I've had some issues with this doctor in the past so don't know what to think)! Please update if you find more info! Lost 35 lbs in 4 mths and don't want to lose more...bright side is at least I've been pancreatitis attack free for about 10 years (but we'll see if the ERCP changes that). Again, thank you!
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