Guest guest Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 Heidi, Thank you so much for your reply. Our family doc has returned from vacation and is now taking over the case. He's ordered a ct scan which Will is having done Thursday. The low energy levels have been the most dramatic symptom this past week(week three in recovery). I haven't seen mention of energy levels at all in any of the pancreatitis websites I've found. Do pancreatitis sufferers generally have problems with low energy? His energy was low enough that it reminded me of when he once had mono. He has improved over the weekend and was quite good today! Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 Beth, One of the most classic symptoms of Pancreatitis is not only the markedly low energy levels, but how inconsistent they are and how dramatic they change. Often times it is difficult to even determine your own cause and effect. There are many factors that cause the low energy levels. One of the most common cause is anemia, a decrease in the amount of oxygen-carrying substance (hemoglobin) found in red blood cells. Symptoms such as weakness, pale skin, and general tiredness (fatigue) result when the amount of hemoglobin drops below the amount that is needed to supply the body with enough oxygen. Anemia is due to an increase in the destruction of red blood cells, or a decrease in the production of red blood cells. This can occur due to direct involvement of the pancreas or as a consequence of pancreatic complications within the spleen. Pancreatitis by nature of the disease causes malnutrition which subsequently results in many vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Another contributing factor of is due to involvement of the spleen, which sits next to the tail of the pancreas. Folate is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells, to make DNA and RNA, the building blocks of cells, and to make normal red blood cells. Folate deficiency can result in the formation of large red blood cells that do not contain adequate hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen to your body's cells. The spleen produces, monitors, stores, and destroys blood cells. White blood cells fight infection. When the spleen is affected, this is why it is common to get infections, such as chronic viral infections. This is why the low energy levels remind you of someone with Mononucleosis, as it is a low grade viral infection. There is also a condition called anemia of chronic disease. My physician orders lab work to monitor for iron-deficiency anemia, folic acid deficiency anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency anemia, hemolytic anemia, and many others. Each type of anemia is treated differently. Folate and folic acid are forms of a water-soluble B vitamin. Folate occurs naturally in food. Folic acid is the synthetic form of this vitamin that is found in supplements and fortified foods. Pete Hayden, MD, recently discovered that Folic Acid has an anti inflammatory effect on the endothelial cells, which could in turn minimize the complications caused by chronic splenic or pancreatic inflammation, such as a low grade underlying infection, and others things discussed above. Well, as usual I have probably veered off the primary focus of your questions, but I do hope that this gives you a better understanding of the fatigue associated with Pancreatitis. Blessings, Karyn E. , RN Exec. Director, PAI Indianapolis, IN The PAI serves as a means of support, information, and advocacy. The PAI cannot offer medical advice or direction nor substitute for your health care provider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 Karyn, Yes, your reply was quite helpful! Will's energy levels were dramatically low, but at times he would completely perk up for about an hour and act completely normal. Now we are seeing a trend where he seems to have most trouble in the morning where he goes right back to bed after breakfast and again after second breakfast. His blood counts were low and dropping throughout his hospital stay. The GI doc we saw on Friday thought he might even need a blood transfusion. But they had elevated enough by Friday that they didn't think that was necessary. He still is on the low side though and that is something I will take up with our family doc once the ct is done. One thing that is different about Will's recovery and perhaps mini flare up is appetite. His is abnormally huge. He can't seem to get enough food in him. He's always been a frequent eater, and eating is one of the things he does best. He has severe retardation and pain tolerance issues and perhaps he is mistaking stomach pain for hunger. Perhaps eating is somehow comforting him, although after he experiences the pain again. This is when we see him lie down curled up on his bed. Again, thanks for the helpful reply. We're trying to make sense of this thing that is so new to us! Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 Beth, I know a lot of us have energy problems due to the malnutrition that comes with this disease. There are days that all I can do is sleep, and other days, though I'm tired, I just can't get to sleep. The constant exhaustion was one of the reasons I had to go on disability. I just couldn't function at work anymore because I was so tired. Kimber -- Kimber Vallejo, CA hominid2@... Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed physician or health care professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 Beth, I know a lot of us have energy problems due to the malnutrition that comes with this disease. There are days that all I can do is sleep, and other days, though I'm tired, I just can't get to sleep. The constant exhaustion was one of the reasons I had to go on disability. I just couldn't function at work anymore because I was so tired. Kimber -- Kimber Vallejo, CA hominid2@... Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed physician or health care professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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