How to cope with Pancreatitis

silverforfun (37)in #health • 7 years ago

This is just a few of the things i do to help me cope with Pancreatitis.
Firstly, What is Pancreatitis, or for that matter what is a Pancreas.
The Pancreas is a gland which sits just behind the Stomach. (the part where the lady in the picture is holding at the front) The Pancreas is a part of the digestive system and has two main functions.
Most people who have heard of a Pancreas assume its main function is to make Insulin, which controls sugar levels in the blood and yes that's one of its jobs.
The other main function, and the most important one to me at the moment is that it produces Enzymes. These Enzymes help to break down food in order for the body to absorb all the goodness from it.

There are a few thing which i thing are really important in the fight to stay healthy when suffering with pancreatitis.
First one is food. A healthy and balanced diet is really healthy , One problem with Pancreatitis sufferers that i have found is, there isn't one fix for all scenario ., there maybe something that i can eat perfectly ok but will be a living nightmare for another.
One thing i need to do when i'm eating every time is taking a PERT (pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy).
There are a number of PERT , but the one I use and the most common is called Creon.
Creon is the extracts from pigs Pancreas' Each time I eat I need to take between 2 and 6 of these tablets, depending on what im eating.
One thing that was always mentioned to people with pancreas issues was to stick to an extremely low fat diet, we are now being told that shouldn't be the case as the Creon should be enough to cope with slightly higher fats.
What are the consequence of not taking Creon, or the correct amount of Creon is , extreme pain, diarrhoea and sickness.

My second way of coping with Pancreatitis is keeping as physically fit as I can.
Since i had to Have life saving Pancreatic surgery keeping fit is difficult to do some times, I had to have pancreatic surgery because of a tumor in the tail of my pancreas.
This was my scan before the surgery, the emoji's are the bits they removed. i.e Pancreas and Spleen.
The fitness that i Do is Jiujitsu (japanese) and cycling , I feel its really important to do as much as you can.
Although I do these activities i cant do them very well as my body isnt what what it used to be.

This is my scar after the Opp. and this why I struggle with some of the fitness I do.

One other thing I do to cope with Pancreatitis is collect Silver and Gold Coins. Why do I do this? Two reasons really, One is because its something I can do from the comfort of my own home, Coins are beautiful to hold and own, and it gives you a drive to collect more. Different series's and collection etc.
the other reason I collect Silver and gold is for my future.
Gold and silver have been collected and spent/sold for thousands of years, and maybe will be for ever. so hopefully when I retire I should have enough to help out with my pension.