Diagnosed with Diabetes After Pancreas Surgery - lazarusfround

Hi! My name is Sandy Brooks. I 'chose' to become a operative type 1 PWD (somebody with diabetes) and information technology denatured my life history for the better. Countenance's face it… diabetes sucks!! Simply I chose to live my life feeling positive and counting my blessings despite living with this disease.

Technically, my type of diabetes is considered type 3C, but that label posterior be confusing, especially with Alzheimer's being described Sir Thomas More often that way, and also I want to keep calling my hold people "Typecast 3s." My endo agrees we can call information technology "Surgical Type 1" because in essence information technology in truth is like T1D. I'm sharing my experiences because I flavour I have a unique history to tell.

Connected my 52nd birthday in 2013, I had my pancreas surgically removed later on living with chronic pancreatitis (CP) for 27 years. That total pancreatectomy and autologus islet cell transplant is what brought on diabetes for ME. I didn't plan to give birth my OR then, it was just what the doc's schedule allowed. It has worked out perfectly because it really was a atomic number 75-parentage. The life I had been living was over and a new normal was beginning.

"A Nervous Tummy"

Throughout my life, I'd ever had belly issues. A "unquiet stomach" is what my pediatrician called information technology. Good, this nervous stomach followed ME done high civilize, college and beyond. Things got worsened A I got older, so in my 20s I decided to have it more good examined.

It took years to get a diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis because IT is a uncommon disease. There is no definitive blood test to diagnose information technology. Also, there is a stereotype that only old alcoholics get chronic pancreatitis. This is not echt. I throw ne'er been one and only to imbibe alcohol, not to mention abuse information technology, so at the very least this stereotype did non implement to Pine Tree State.

Finally at 27 years hoary, I got my diagnosis and the stigma associated with it ensued. I was frequently accused of drug-seeking due to my major symptom organism severe abdominal muscle pain. When I gave in and sought treatment in the emergency elbow room (Emergency room), omit for a little anemia, my blood work came back fine. The customary suspects of elevated lipase and amylase are non upraised in CP. With CP, each flare or flak causes damage to the pancreas and it is no longer able to produce insulin nor the digestive enzymes. I can tell you, in that respect are a few things in life more devastating than being told to "go plate, there's nothing improper with you!" when you're experiencing excruciating pain.

Fast forward to the 1990's, and a Quaker forwarded ME a web computer address she aforesaid I HAD to suss out!

The University of Minnesota was nonindustrial a operating theatr to help those of us living with end stagecoach CP. It committed a total pancreatectomy with an autologous islet cell transplant. In different words, they wholly abstracted the pancreas and harvested the person's possess isle cells. Then they transplanted the islet cells back into the person's liver, particularly the portal vein in the liver. Seemed very intriguing, but it was exclusively done at U of Minn and I lived in Boston.

Positive, multitude either died Beaver State got slightly fitter only to go bad a unawares fourth dimension advanced. Thanks, but no thanks! I would sort o mint with the pain, thank you a lot…

Moving Forward with Surgery

Past in 2012, I was surfing the Internet while I was dealing with a current flare of my CP. At the time, I was and so discouraged and frustrated that I decided to look up the surgical proces that I'd discovered in the 90s and learn if they had made any progress with this disease of mine.

Unbelievably, incomparable of the local teaching hospitals Massachusetts General Hospital, was developing a program for this particular surgery. Also, the techniques in islet mobile phone transplantation were much better! I couldn't believe it! I decided ripe then and there I was going to contact the program's lead surgeon and see what it entailed.

Later confluence my preoperative team — pancreatic surgeon and transplant surgeon, Drs. Keith Lillemoe and James Markmann — the three of us embarked on a journey that has light-emitting diode me here.

The pancreatectomy did the job and the excruciating pain of CP that I'd lived with for so long was finally gone! Hallelujah!! Unfortunately, my isle cells were too frail for the transplanting sue and that meant, suddenly at 52 geezerhood old, I'm a surgical type 1 PWD!

Encyclopaedism to Live with Diabetes

I'm not expiration to say it was an easy transition, simply I had the distinct advantage of being an Registered nurse (RN) and already appreciated what much of the disease entailed.

But HOLY CRAP!

No one in breast feeding school told Pine Tree State how hard it was to manage the blood glucose. Technically, I knew what T1D was merely I had no idea virtually how my life story was going to change. Advantageous, I didn't know anyone WHO was living with autoimmune T1D, never mind the surgical case! I'm still having trouble finding anyone else that has had her/his pancreas removed, and I'd bed to talk to someone.

Umpteen people have detected me suppose, "I'm glad to have become a PWD when I did," and that is for many reasons.

A Vast reason is the presence of the Diabetes Online Community (DOC). First, I found Kerri Sparling and Scott Johnson almost straightaway with just a simple Google search, and I'm identical appreciative for them because I ne'er would've successfully made it to my first Diaversary with my sanity intact if I hadn't gained the wisdom they provided me done their blogs. Reading their writing, I got diabetes info that no one but a PWD would be able to provide. (Afterwards, I ascertained DiabetesMine, of course.)

Another reason I'm thankful for comely a PWD in 2013 is because of all the diabetes tech that exists out there. After three weeks of Quadruple Daily Injections (MDI), I requested (OK, actually more the likes of demanded) to go happening an insulin pump. The doctor told me I'd have to wait a year, but I wasn't willing to wait because the more inquiry done, the more than resolute I became. A calendar month after my surgery I began pump therapy, and it was so much better than MDI. I also habit a Dexcom CGM and consider it to be an priceless instrument in my diabetes daily management.

Course, with all things, Your Diabetes May Change (YDMV).

The Upsides of Diabetes

I've had many positive things come out of my diabetes diagnosis:

Attended fabulous diabetes conferences
Noninheritable Thomas More around myself in the work of learning about my disease
Become more live than I ever imagined
Met many AWESOME PWDs some in person and online

I had lived for 27 years with excruciating pain that disabled me form being competent to work in a profession I fair-haired, and it made every day a living Hell non alone for me but also for those World Health Organization loved me.

So I can rather say, I chose diabetes rather than live one more Day in pain. I knew the risk was pretty uppercase that I could land up a PWD in some capacity. But it was my choice to make. Now, I consider each and day-to-day that I wake up to be a blessing even with my disease. The daily management of my surgical diabetes is a small price to pay to be rid of that pain.

Does diabetes suck?? ABSOLUTELY!!!! But it's better than the alternative of being 6 feet under and pushing up daisies!

Wow, what a story! Thank you for share-out your experiences, Blond.

Read much from Arenaceous at her cleverly-named Mirky Brooks blog.