Re: hello to Jayne

[Guest guest]

Dear Jayne,

What kind of tests have been done so far to diagnose your

husband's cyst? Here when a person with chronic pancreatitis

develops a cyst, CT-scans are a standard test that physician's

use to determine whether it is a pseudocyst or a tumor.

I have psueodcysts (two, now) that had almost resolved within a

two year period that have now filled back up as a result of an

acute attack some months ago. Now the doctors are trying to

determine the best procedure to drain the pseudocysts.

Once it has been established whether it is a pseudocyst or

tumor by radiology scans, the physcian's will determine what

steps to take. Pseudocysts that are smaller than 6 cm. are

usually left to resolve on their own. This takes quite a long

period of time, in my case it was nearly two years. There is

always the possiblity of them filling back up, or new ones

occuring. When the pseudocyst is larger than 6 cm. it becomes

more of a life threatening complication with fear of rupture, and

then the physicians usually decide to drain the cyst. There are

several ways to do this, either by fine needle aspiration,

laproscopic procedures to insert drainage tubes, or major

surgery to open the pancreas and insert drains.

Is he seeing a specialist in the U.K? If you can write back with

some more details, maybe we can do a better job answering

your questions.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

Regional Rep.

PAI, Intl.

Note: All comments or advice are personal opinion only, and

should not be substituted for professional medical consultation.

> I am the wife of a sufferer of chronic pancreatits living in the UK

He has just been diagnosed with very large cyst in the Pancreas

He is now taking creon and a morphine based pain killer and

seems to be in constant pain Please tell me what i can do to

help him.