Life after removal of pancreas, gall bladder, spleen? Anyone out there please?

i was diagnosed with renalcell cancer in sep.1996. they removed the left kidney , then on Jan .2004 they went back and removed the spleen, gall bladder and the tale of the pancreas, and ind feb. 2012 they removed the rest of my pancreas.
i am a diabetic which i became in 2002. i take about 200 unit of insulin a day . i am very tired and stay sick every time i eat anything. i don,t know how long you can live. with out a pancreas. but i take each day as it come.
i don' to take the insulin every day i am so tired of the shots. i take a lot of med for pain which i stay in all the time.
i had one dr. that had my med to where i was not in so much pain . but now that i am at the cancer center here, they say because my cancer in taken out and i can't get kemo for it to keep it from coming back i can't get the med for the pain

have a dear friend in wuhan, china (a grand master in qigong, or chi kung) she had her pancreas removed in january in china . i wonder how serious this is and what the prognosis could be? ivan.

My husband has been in the hospital since Christamas day, 2012.  He had a severe, acute case of pancreatitis.  This caused his kidneys to shut down for 2.5 months and his heart would race from time to time.  He's also had several transfusions and has had fluid drained around his left lung at least 5 times. He was in ICU for 2 weeks and was then moved to a long-term care facility.  His pancreas has completely died and has been absorbed into his system.  As a result, he had a 10 INCH pseudocyst develop in his abdomen.  He had surgery to remove his gallbladder and to put in a couple of external drains and one internal drain to deflate the cyst (they won't take it out for some reason...?).  He went from 215 pounds to 148 pounds.  He was on strict TPN for the first 5.5 months.  He can now eat solid (hospital) food, and is taking creon to aid with digestion.  His sugars are all over the place to he is getting 3-4 shots of insulin a day.

At this point, he keeps taking 2 steps forward and one step back. He is only 48 years old and we have 2 young girls (10 and 9).  His case is a little different than most of yours in that his pancreas literally exploded and in the process, caused quite a mess on the left side of his body.  I know he will be insulin-dependent and on enzymes the rest of his life.  I am more worried about his frame of mind as he has now been in the hospital for 6.5 months.  He does his daily walking (most days...when he feels well enough) but doesn't want to do a lot of what the PT's say (sitting up in a chair, physically getting up to go to the bathroom, etc.).  They are ready to give up on him.  Any advice??

Hi,
My heart goes out to you guys. Your story makes me feel very fortunate and appreciative of my situation. Is there any way that he could go on a quick trip out of the hospital to maybe a restaurant, church, shop, park? It might help with his mood. The other thing I do is go to a cancer support group at the hospital. Sometimes they also have diabetes support groups. Any kind of group could be very helpful.

 

My daughter has had a complete Pancreatectomy also spleen gall bladder 1 third of stomach removed some bile duct and some intestines they did the islet cell removal and injected her islet cells into her liver but they did not take she is 100% insulin dependent on an insulin pump we had the surgery done in Ohio at the University of Cincinnati she is a lot healthier after the surgery, she is 3 years post op as of this month she will be on medicine for life but, she does have a life now as to before she was only given 2 years at most! There is a program called Living Proof at that hospital and I highly recommend that you look into it. I hope I have helped you some what.

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I think they can really help and also try to find someone in your area or close to your area because we travel from Mississippi to Ohio for my daughter!!! Take care and I wish you luck I'll be praying for you and I hope I helped you out some.

Hello, i had the pancreas and spleen removed. Also had the Islet cell transplant.They took the cells from my pancreas and put them in the liver. My surgery wasa sucsess. I'm insulin free and doing great,

I am like you I have to have spleen and pancreas remove. What is this islet cell transplant thing? and dose it work. I am a 53 year old women and scared to death. How is you lefe Now?

In 2006 I was undergoing chemo for breast cancer. I kept getting very odd reactions the next couple of days after treatment. Everyone kept looking for heart issue. My blood pressure would go up and down like crazy and hands get real shaky. Finally had reaction during a treatment and doctors could not get my blood pressure down. I was taken to the emergency room at hospital. While waiting for a room for overnight observation, I went into a
Hypertensive crises emergency and was kept in a drug induced coma for 3 weeks.
• Heart failure
• Lung failure
• Kidney failure
• Stroke

Diagnosis Pheochromoctoma Left Adrenal Gland (6 ½ cm )
Surgery March 9th
Tumor was encapsulated, non-malignant and wrapped around:
• Spleen (removed)
• Adrenal gland (removed)
• Pancreas (1/3 removed)
• Artery to left kidney (re-sectioned)- resection did not take, lost left kidney function .

This was nearly 7 years ago. I'm now 71 and basically doing very good. I had a very bad secondary infection (no spleen) 2 years ago after taking Cipro for reoccurring UTI infections and was in the hospital 11 days.. I am diabetic but just over the borderline. I have a weight issue and trouble loosing weight, but have been told that's common after BC and it's a family issue. I have a great group of doctors with several specialist that coordinate my care. So just take care of yourself, THINK POSITIVE, and be thankful that you are still here.

i can only say i have had my pancreas removed along with whipple surgery, I can suggest that you put time in researching the after effects, I have been sick in another way and am looking for others like me to get feed back. Not very successful yet. And I live so far from any good doctors that I am having to get more hands on my own health like i have never done before. I pray you get better soon.

that is a lot to bear. i will pray for you and the ones that are caring for you.

I've had my stomach and gall bladder removed but refuse to let them touch my pancreas. I've chronicled my path in two books I've written: By God's Authority by Kathryn in two separate volumes. My pancreas is hard and I must take enzymes but unless it becomes a problem I can't live with (the loss of insulin) it will remain in my body. I must watch what I eat and how much as I have a stomach made out of gut. The diet and after effects that you will have will take into consideration what you can and can't eat. If you haven't already, I would get a couple of different opinions.
I have had a truly remarkable life since I was given a new stomach at the age of twelve. You simply learn to live with what you've been dealt.

I don't understand? My daughter just had surgery for a cyst on her pancreas and they also removed her gallbladder. But I was told you cannot live without your pancreas. She had been in the hospital for over two weeks and now their talking about removing her spleen because the cyst invaded that as well. The doctors act like it's nothing because they do it everyday. She is only 26 years old and I'm am so worried about the quality of her life.

Kitts

I am about to go thru surgery to remove my pancreas. I have a small mass at the tail,stag 1 & a larger one inside the pancreas, stag 3. I am 78 yrs but have always been action e & in good health. Any advise for me & could you tell me where in the pancreas they found your cancer?

Thank you for your positive attitude and inspiration in a difficult but manageable situation. I had my spleen and half my pancreas removed because of cancer 2 years ago and will shortly go in to remove the rest of my pancreas. Brian

I need some info.My Brother in law had his pancreas removed last June. He had a gal stone that blocked and in turn his pancreas died. Since then he has had several complications, in and out of hospitals and nursing homes. He was sent home last Friday, and began throwing up ,was rushed back to hospital. He has lost mega weight,is very weak and may never work again. We are desperate to find answers. Is this how it's going to be forever? He is only 54. My sister is exhausted, and the only one working. We feel the Dr.isn't doing everything possible .Why is he always having internal infections and bile forming. He lives in NYstate, and the Dr is in PA.Any information or Drs name would be helpful.We need to find someone who knows what they are doing.Thank you !