Pancreatitis

[3kidsanlonely]

Well, my son was very sick & we did not realize it. It all started Saturday June 7. He woke up that morning saying his stomach hurted, so like any other mother you say "well let me make you breakfast & you will feel better." So he ate like normal, went on about his day then that night he told me again that his stomach is still hurting so I checked him for fever, he had none. So I told him to take a shower,eat dinner, brush your teeth so you can lay down and rest. So Sunday he woke up again saying that it hurts, so he didn't have fever, no vomiting, no diarhheia, just a pain that he could not describe. So I made breakfast then I gave him some Collace (laxative) thinking maybe he is constatpanted. That did not work. So that night I gave him so pepto. Monday morning he said that it still hurts so I gave him so Tylenol. Then by Tuesday he was hurting so bad that he went from the bed to the couch and that iw not like him b/c he is ADD/ADHD & constantly has to be doing something. So I called the doctor told her everything that is going on, we ruled out pretty much everything like a virus, appenditits, the flu. She made us an appointment for the next day, she reads the nurses notes b/4 she comes in and see Jacob resting his head on the exam table his eyes look weak his blood pressure is up (due to the pain he was in) So she said I don't like the looks of this I am sending yall straight to the ER. So off we go to the ER, they ran labs & x-rays. The labs revealed pancreatitis. The numbers they check for are Amylase & Lipaylase, those #s were 10,000 higher and 3 times higher than normal that is how they came to the conclusion of pancreatitis. It is very rare in children b/c it is normally in adults who drink alcohol. In kids it is cause by gallstones, truama or viral infection. They admitted him b/c the treatment is bruttal. First they take away all foods/drinks so you are completly NPO (nothing by month) they started an IV (sugar water) On thursday they did an ultra sound to check for gallstones and all the other organs. They were all fine so they ruled that out and truama b/c all the organs were fine except for the pancreas it was enlarged. So they said that he will have to stay there w/no food/drinks until his #s come down to normal then they will introduce liquids 1st and test his #s and if fine the they will give him food. So by Saturday he started showing signs of weakness due to not having any food or drinks. So they started him on TPN (total partiel nutriention) it is normally given to preemies & the elderly but he needed it b/c they were worried that he was going to start getting really sick w/other problems. So by Monday his #s were better they gave him liquids, Tuesday they checked him and his #s stayed normal so they let him eat a low fat diet, no spicey, fried or greasy foods. Wednesday they check his #s again and they were normal. So they let him come home.

So I bet you are wondering how he got it? Well, the doctors can only tell you is that a bacteria settelled on his pancreas and 10 to 14 days later is when he started feeling the infection. It is not contangious. So who know how he got it. The pancreas is an organ that you have to have to live, not like the gallbladder. The pancreas starts to work as soon as you eat, it goes to work b/4 the stomach does, it is a gland it produces an enzyme insulin, to help w/the digestion. So it is an important organ if you want to eat. When you eat w/pancreatitis it makes the pain so bad it is hard to breathe, all the nurses & doctors who worked w/us told us what a trooper he was b/c his #s were so high he was in a great deal of pain. So much pain he was on morphine & demoral.

So we are thankful he recovered w/out catching any other illnesses that were going around the hospital.

Another good thing from his visit was he was told about how to eat a proper diet so help his pancreas heal so he won't have any long term side effects and the one he likes is his face cleared up, no teenage pimples.

[nightowl32779]

Jun. 19, 2009 at 12:39 AM

Aww, I'm sorry he had to go through all that and I'm glad he's doing better!

[ReeAnnM]

Jul. 1, 2009 at 11:38 AM

Hi,

I had pancreatitis as a child, back in 1965.  Only back then they did not check children for the disease.  So after a month in the hospital I was diagnosed with "intestinal disorder of unknown origin."  Pancreatitis is a horrible disease! 

Eventually it lead to chronic pancreatitis before I was even diagnosed with the disease - after my gall bladder was removed and I was still having attacks (in 2000).   

Chronic is so very much worse than having an acute attack.  You  and your son really must work diligently to avoid this happening.  Diet is very important with avoiding the fatty and fried foods.  Once he is older, he must not drink.  This is also very important.  Alcohol is pure poison for the pancreas.  And another thing he must avoid is stress.  Stress does terrible things for our body, especially a sick pancreas. 

One thing I would like to say though, is that you can live with out a pancreas under the right circumstances.  Mine was remove Feb 22, 2008 and I am doing much better than I was better.  I still have a lot of health issues that result from living with pancreatitis all my life, but it is better than living with chronic pancreatitis! 

What happened with the surgery is they broke down my pancreas to the cellular level and transplanted the cells that control blood sugar, the islet cells, into my liver so I would not become a brittle diabetic.  Though I know people who did not have the islet transplant and are doing well with an insulin pump. 

The other necessity is that I take digestive enzymes when I eat or take other oral medications.  Well this is something I been having to do since Thanksgiving 2000 anyway because of the malabsorption from the chronic pancreatitis. 

Before the surgery I was on a feeding tube and completely bed ridden.  The only time I was able to leave the house was for medical appointments.  Now I can live at least a semi normal life.  I know I will never get back to where I was in my pre chronic days, but I sure feel blessed to be where I am at today! 

I hope I am impressing on you the importance on avoiding at all cost your son turning chronic.  If it happens, he will be living with no life, if you can understand what I am saying.  The three things to avoid are Fat, Alcohol and Stress. 

If you ever have any questions about pancreatitis, please let me know.  I have done tons of research and have been through just about every possible test and procedure associated with pancreatitis during the 45 years I have dealt with the disease. 

May God Bless You Both With Good Health

Lots of Gentle Hugs

ReeAnn, Founder

The Pancreatitis Place

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ThePancreatitisPlace/