[at-l] Troll alert

[gregbrown at mindspring.com (Greg Brown)]

While I don't have first time knowledge I thought I have heard about 
this before:

Total pancreatectomy: This operation removes the whole pancreas, part 
of the stomach, part of the small intestine, the common bile duct, the 
gallbladder, the spleen, and nearby lymph nodes.

from another webpage:

The most common reason for removal of the pancreas is pancreatic 
cancer. Another reason for the operation is to treat complications 
related to chronic pancreatitis, a condition that frequently stems from 
long-term alcohol abuse.
The function of the pancreas is twofold: It produces enzymes needed to 
digest foods and hormones (insulin and glucagon) needed to regulate 
blood sugar. As you mention, your mother and other patients who have 
undergone pancreas removal will develop diabetes and will need to take 
insulin. In addition, when the pancreas is no longer available to 
produce digestive enzymes, the patient may fail to properly absorb 
foods (especially fats), resulting in greasy, loose stools and weight 
loss. Consequently, almost all such patients will need to take 
pancreatic enzyme supplements. These prescription preparations, 
available in several forms, are taken with meals to aid with the 
digestion and absorption of nutrients.

My wife, a pharmacist, not a physician, says you can live without a 
pancreas, though you are insulin dependent (as well as having some 
other long-term health issues).

Greg

On Apr 19, 2005, at 9:53 PM, W F Thorneloe wrote:

> Absence of pancreas is inconsistent with life.
>
> However, it may be consistent with incoherent writing. Let this man 
> enjoy his toy without further provocation.
>
> OrangeBug
>
>
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