Necrotizing Pancreatitis is characterized by pancreatic tissue death with infection during an acute pancreatitis episode. It is one of the worst senarios and basically gangrene of the pancreas.
Necrotizing pancreatitis is something I have been it seems, able to avoid, and something I certainly do not intend to experience if at all avoidable simply because it is one of the major causes of death during an episode of acute pancreatitis.
I personally believe I was very lucky in the beginning because of the number of acute episodes without competent intervention (7 ER visits with nobody able to diagnose the condition), not one of those ER doc's thought of taking any tests other than ONE blood draw so as far as I know I did not have any necrosis.
Now get this, and this is another reason I am so untrusting of doctors, during at least 2 of those ER visits I was jaundiced, with tachycardia, and during ALL of them I had extreme abdominal pain, fever, and was sweating like stuck hog. Yet NO ONE was intelligent enough to recognize a major problem. In fact ...
During ONE of those visits I was given a shot of demerol that did absolutely NOTHING for the pain and those people couldn't pick up the clues.
So if you think I am to harsh on doctors, sit for a moment and think of how you'd react after 7 ER visits, while in total agony, yet those doctors did nothing worthwhile to accomplish a diagnosis.
Then add in the other 6 I had seen via regular appointments, one of which resulted in a notation in my SRB (Service Record Book) that I might have a mental problem while another idiot told me with no tests that I had a spasdic colon.
Thank God I found David Langdon, M.D. because if it were not for that fine man I probably would be dead!
I am lucky I am alive, the GOOD Lord had an angel on my shoulder and obviously, for some reason, he wasn't ready to bring me home.
I guess what I am trying to tell you is that you need to do what ever it takes to AVOID necrotizing pancreatitis.
Leave a comment and let me know you are alive!
I already have necrotising pancreatitis at the head and have had the tail cut off due to muconous cyst adenocarenoma...I haven't much pancreas left. So I really want to do all I can to sve it. Unfortunately you get told so many different things eg don't eat tomatoes...yes you can eat tomatoes. Don't drink coffee..yes you can drink coffee.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to know what information is correct isn't it? The only thing I can say is that what I have found that works for me in regards to stopping pancreatitis pain, nausea and actually healing I have shared and it seems to be working for others as well. I do not know what helps pancreatic cancer. I would suggest you choose what information to follow and what not to follow, carefully.
DeleteMy boyfriend as necrotizing pancreatits and also had the tail of his pancreas cut off. He has been told severl times to go on a low fat high protein diet but he doesn't. He doesn't have any kind of pain though except his back. I thought necrotizing pancreatitis was to supposed to put you in sever pain all the time.
DeleteThey most likely cut the tail of his pancreas off to get rid of the necrosis. If the necrotic tissue was left it would have likely become infected and your boyfriend might very well be dead now. Sometimes surgery is necessary to save life.
DeleteMy husband was just released from a 10 day stay from the hospital with necrotizing Pancreatitis and I'm trying to do any and all the research I can to make sure he survives this! They did not do any kind of surgery to eliminate any of the dead tissue. I worry about infection everyday, and trying to learn as much as I can about this... any and all info would be helpful .
ReplyDeleteIf it were me I'd be very happy I did not have my pancreas sliced and diced. Most I know who have had surgery to remove dead tissue do not seem to do well.
DeleteDiet is important so invest some time on this blog to learn what is safe and NOT safe for him to eat. Learn about the supplements that heal and keep the inflammation at bay. You are going to need to re-learn how to cook for him. THAT is imperative. FAT and ALCOHOL are the enemy. You can learn everything you need to know to help him heal on this blog and my other at beatingpancreatitis.com
GREAT site. Thank YOU.
ReplyDeleteQUOTE: "during at least 2 of those ER visits I was jaundiced,"
What caused this and how was it treated--if at all?
Can the pancreas itself become so swollen during an attack that it compresses the bile duct and gallbladder to the point that jaundice develops, or does jaundice always indicate a blockage; e.g, stones or SOD?
Thanks.
Hey you are welcome. The jaundice may have been my imagination but my eye ball whites looked yellow and my wife (I was married then) said I looked yellow. It was never treated in the ER. Hell I wasn't treated to speak of for anything. They drew blood and said I was fine - whooptie do! I got a shot of demerol for pain once - it didn't do anything.
DeleteFrom what I have read and understand jaundice usually indicates gallbladder infection, stones or both, SOD or liver disease or damage of some sort.
What caused it? Maybe if I had gallstones that would have been a cause but even when I found the doctor who finally diagnosed me, he never said I had gallstones or SOD. Maybe I had some liver involvement but who knows?
Thanks for the reply, HG. If your sites were books I would have worn out the bindings several times over since coming across them after my first bout of AP (~3 days of OMG pain waves--check, more tike tides).
ReplyDeleteRe. jaundice, I found the same causes you listed and also found this: "Obstructive jaundice in patients with pancreatitis without associated biliary tract disease." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1343827/
When jaundice develops only during an AP attack, without the other symptoms of stones, etc., and then goes away after a week or two (?) I'm thinking it MAY be caused by restriction of the bile/common duct due to the edema alone of an attack, and goes away as the pressure on said ducts is relieved and bile/bilirubin again drains as it should. I wonder how many others have experienced this.
FWIW, 8 months of STRICT adherence to your panc diet (a godsend) and major lifestyle changes without so much as a hint of recurrence. I felt better all-around than I had in years. Bliss. (Hint: did you catch the past-tense form of "feel?")
And then I got STUPID: started adding a little cheese (IT'S FAT! DOH!) and deli turkey ("IF YOU DON'T PREPARE IT FROM SCRATCH, YOU DON'T EAT IT") to my salads, binging on graham crackers and pretzels (hidden fats/oils/sugars). I got away with that for two whole weeks. Then, OUCH.
You are so right when you say "INGREDIENTS DON'T LIE; READ THE LABELS." I will add AND DO THE MATH.
Again, truly appreciate the information and, more so, the insight you provide on your excellent site.
Very best TY & God Bless.
Thanks for the kind words and I am glad the info has helped. Unfortunately you found out the hard way that "cheating" isn't a good thing. And ...
DeleteYou may very well be right about your theory regarding jaudice during AP with no signs of stones etc. In fact that article pretty much says it may happen and technically should happen in certain circumstances more than it seems to. Interesting article thanks for the link!
Stay well :-)