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Pancreatic Transplant Stops Diabetes Symptoms

wdlove

wdlove

macrumors P6
Original poster
Oct 20, 2002
16,568
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Surgery Provides Hope To Sickest Patients

BOSTON -- Sherri Szmanski had never known what it was like not to be diabetic -- until now.

NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported that for the first time in 33 years, the Billerica, Mass., woman can eat what she wants, without constant testing or insulin injections.

It's the result of a transplant surgery that is beginning to provide hope to the sickest patients.


http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/3400030/detail.html?treets=bos&tml=bos_health&ts=T&tmi=bos_health_1_12150006102004
 
thats great news, hopefully it can be used more successfully in more patients. diabetes runs in my family so i have to watch my intake.

still i think you should always be aware of what your eating and eat in moderation just so even if you have a risk of it you reduce it materializing
 
It would be wonderful

If this proceedure were as common as Lyposuction it would be great
but that is not where the priority is as it is more lucerative for skill
surgeons to suck fat out of the bodies of the wealthy rather than do
this proceedure for diabetics. :(
 
I hope that stem cell research further contributes in this area, given a chance. I think the eventual cloning of replacement organs - or at least new tissue for current organs - is inevitable. The timing, however, is uncertain.

Until then, I am happy to see another transplantable organ. When someone dies, it is good to be able to turn some of that tragedy into hope for others.
 
It is important for us to watch our diet. There is now a higher incidence of diabetes in adults because of being overweight.

Sherri has a better prognosis because of the of the dual transplant. By the time that rejection of the pancreas show up it's usually too late. The kidney is much easer to detect rejection early. Such as a decrease in urine output.

The problem the limited number of donor organs. There are a lot of research being done on a real cure for diabetes.

I pray that Sherri will have many years of success.
 
That's interesting. A diabetic friend of mine has had constant pancreatic trouble as well. Is the function of the pancreas related to diabetes somehow?
 
rueyeet said:
That's interesting. A diabetic friend of mine has had constant pancreatic trouble as well. Is the function of the pancreas related to diabetes somehow?
Click to expand...

Pancreas produces insulin. Diabetes is insulin issues of various flavors.

Type I: (Juvenile) is where the pancreas doesn't produce any insulin. This is thought to be caused by an autoimmune disease. This must be treated with insulin

Type II: (Adult Onset) is where the tissues stop responding to insulin or under respond to it. The pancreas continues to increase production of insulin during the early stages. Later stages the pancreas burns out and stops producing insulin. This is often caused by obesity and a lack of exercise. It is treated in initial stages with diet and exercise followed drugs to lower the blood sugar through other means(encouraging uptake of glucose by the liver, etc.) finally by insulin. If it is caught early enough it is reversible. Once the production of insulin by the pancreas starts to decline damage is usually permanent.

Both type of diabetes have a large number of side effects stemming from the toxicity of glucose to the body. The glucose limits blood flow to various parts of the body, wounds are slow to heal, nerve endings die off from lack of oxygen, the retina deteriorates.
 
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