Re: Cure for Chronic Pancreatitis to Cheryl from Shirley

December 14, 2001

In a message dated 12/14/01 3:39:34 PM Eastern Standard Time,

mmorga3@... writes:

>

> Shirley,

> Thank you very much for this letter. I have heard so many horror

> stories of different surgeries for chronic pancreatitis, but they

> never seem to work.

> The surgery you had seems to be the only one that works. My question

> is do they wait till you get to the position you were in or do they

> do the surgery before you get to that point.

> I have told my family that I will not have any major surgeries for

> this. Not unless it is this one.

> I am a far cry from the position you were in but it appears that it

> is in my future.

> I would greatly appriciate your help.

>

> Thanks ,

> Cheryl

>

Dear Cheryl, if you have chronic pancreatitis you are a candidate for the

pancreatectomy and islet cell transplant. The sooner the better so you will

have a lot more islet to transplant. The more islets the doctors can harvest

and then inject into your portal vein of your liver the better the outcome.

More islets means more of a chance of not being a diabetic. Every day

someone waits to have the surgery is one more day that their islets are

destroyed.

Cheryl, I hope that you don't get to the point that I was in but it doesn't

take much to destroy islets so be very cautious and careful about losing your

islets. They are so important. I am more than happy to help you anytime

that I can. I hope you copied Dr. Sutherland's web site and his secretary's

e-mail address. Also Sue Rebello will help you also. She is wonderful and

always helping others who suffer from cp. I only had four pancreatitis

attacks before I had my pancreas removed but I had pain for a long time. I

don't know if the four attacks are what destroyed my islets and only left me

with two hundred and seventeen thousand which is not a lot of islets. So

with only four attacks with a rise in my amalaze and lipase I wonder why my

islets were so destroyed. Someday when I remember while visiting a doctor I

will ask him that question because I would really like to know the answer.

Your friend, Shirley

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