When Does Calcification of the Pancreas Occur?

According to the attached article calcification of the pancreas occurs 8-10 years after clinical diagnosis. Article: Pancreas Function

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!

What causes Pancreatic Calcification?

One of my biggest concerns regarding chronic pancreatitis is the calcification of the pancreas. The way I understand it, the calcification is perhaps parallel to petrified wood. It doesn't seem as though there is a way of fixing it once the pancreas becomes calcified.

I did a good search and come up with the following article, Spectrum of Causes of Pancreatic Calcification. I thought I'd share it with you.

My goal is to live as long as possible. The idea behind this research is to learn more about what causes the calcification of the pancreas in hopes of avoiding it altogether or perhaps, at least, slowing down the process.

Chronic alcoholic pancreatitis is the most common cause of pancreatic calcification. I no longer drink so hopefully my pancreas will benefit from the lack of alcohol in my system.

Can Orange Juice Cause Pancreatitis?

Someone reached this site by asking if orange juice can cause pancreatitis.

While this is not a question that ever occurred to me before, it could be an important question especially considering my background.

I have always been an avid drinker of orange juice. So much so that I've actually been warned not to drink so much and told that drinking so much orange juice could rip away my stomach lining.

I never listened to any of this and wrote it off as nonsense.

Nonetheless, it is important to note that there is someone out there who is wondering if orange juice could cause pancreatitis and that I have always drunk an awful lot of orange juice. Well, not anymore. My pancreas cannot handle it anymore. In case it is noteworthy, I preferred Minute Maid with Calcium.

I've read that over time the pancreas - in pancreatic patients - becomes calcified. If orange juice has anything to do with pancreatitis would calcium fortified orange juice be even harder on the pancreas?

Another interjection is that I'm hypoglycemic.

Okay, that's all I got. Did anyone else who suffers from pancreatitis drink an overabundance of orange juice.

Seems like a silly train of thought but it's not. At this point, most everything important about pancreatitis, what causes it and how to live with it is unknown. Therefore, similarities in pancreatitic patients should be noted... even if it is something as simple as an orange juice addition.

One of the big problems is that people with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer don't seem to live long enough for the medical profession to learn enough about our disease to make much headway with it. Therefore, any patterns or similarities should be noted. We don't have to have all the answered. We just want to log our findings, questions, progress and what we experience and see as similar patterns so that hopefully this information can be used to help us and others!

Note: If you have pancreatitis, this does not mean it is okay to drink alcohol. It is not. If you have pancreatitis you cannot drink alcohol anymore. EVER!

Chronic Pancreatitis & Calcium Tablets

The other day I read that the pancreas becomes calcified... and that's a huge issue.

I used to take calcium tablet hoping to fight off osteoporosis. But I realized that each time I took the tablets my pancreas would hurt more. So, eventually, I stopped taking them.

Now that I know the pancreas eventually becomes calcified as a direct result from chronic pancreatitis I have an even better understanding as to why the calcium hurt my pancreas.

Maybe I should stay away from calcium rich foods (like broccoli) as well.

It's not like I'm planning on living long enough to enjoy the troubles caused by osteoporosis. I mean really! I should be so lucky!

It is my pancreas I must protect. Long live the pancreas!

Pancreatitis: Calcification & Rhubarb

A few days ago, I read a depressing study (all chronic pancreatitis studies are depressing) about the calcification of the pancreas which inevitably leads to the demise of the person due to the pancreas inability to continue to function at the point.

I had never heard of calcification. What did it mean? I envision it to be similar to the petrification of wood. Yikes! That doesn't sound good.

So immediately I wanted to know how I could prevent the calcification of my pancreas. The study seemed to indicate that over time calcification was inevitable in chronic pancreatic patients (I believe the study came out of a Scandinavian country - Norway?). The hope is to live longer (obviously). So, the idea is to find out if there is a way to slow down or stop the calcification of my sweet, little overused pancreas.

Today, while finding a pancreas diagram to add to my Hot Flashes: Chronic Pancreatitis or Menopause post I came across GrannyHerb's website which stated that Rubaherb (Rhubarb Root/Rhizome) could help with the effects of pancreatitis. I don't know about you but I'm fairly cynical about hokey herbal websites and don't believe everything I read. That being said, I am always willing to check into things a little further if it is related to my pancreas and the potential longevity of it... and therefore the longevity of me!

I found a couple more sites that talked about the benefits of rhubarb. The Zhion website states, "Researchers found that a rhubarb extract prevented calcium phosphate precipitation in a in vitro study. Thus, they suggested that supplementation of rhubarb extract may have benefit of preventing calculus formation." [Source: Hidaka S, et al, Effects of a rhubarb (Rhei rhizoma) solution and its fractions on the formation of calcium phosphate precipitates.J Periodontal Res. 1996 Aug;31(6):408-13)]

Oh wow! I just Googled 'pancreatic calcification treatment' and there are websites addressing this issue! Whoopie! I'm a happy camper with my reading cut out for me!

I love progress. :-)

If anyone has any experience, strength, hope or information to share on this matter please share it! If you have answers, great! If you don't, no problem. I don't have answers either at this point... just looking around for longevity options. :-)

PS. If you're new to this whole 'I've got pancreatitis. What do I do? thing' I'd like to remind you (as your doctor most likely has) that we can't drink anymore... not at all. Not on holidays. Not on special occasions. Not ever. No exceptions. You may never have another drink for the rest of your life. Now go have fun living your life! It's beautiful out there and now you get to be sober enough to enjoy and remember it!

PPS. I just read on the Zhion site, " It is unclear if rhubarb is anti-cancer or carcinogenic. There are reports that it may cause cancer; there are also reports that its ingredients have anti-cancer activities."

PPPS. I found a couple more rhubard/pancreatitis studies on here. One study shows hints of potential value in test tube studies but also states that most test tube studies don't pan out. The other study states that the consumption of rhubarb probably does not impair calcium absorption. The sources for the studies are mentioned in the link above.