Living Life with Chronic Pancreatitis
Patients that have been diagnosed with Chronic Pancreatitis may have a difficult journey ahead of them, but the diagnosis doesn’t mean death. It is important to those with this disease to comply with medical regimens in order to achieve a state of wellbeing.
Chronic pancreatitis is a progressive, destructive disease of the pancreas that has remissions and exacerbations (“flare-ups”). Inflammation and fibrosis of the tissue contribute to pancreatic insufficiency and diminished function of the organ (Ignatavicius 2010). Living with this disease will consist of daily changes, medical regimens and adjustments to life in order to manage the illness over time.
Changes over Time
Patients dealing with Pancreatitis …show more content…
The number one complaint from patients with this chronic illness is usually always pain, a gnawling continuous pain. Opioid analagesics are used for pain but can be a damper on the patient due to dependency that results. Proper nutrition is key, managing the protein intake is critical. A protein diet of 1.0-1.5 g/kg body weight daily is generally sufficient and well tolerated. Usually, if 30%-40% of the calories are given as fat this is well tolerated, especially when the foods are rich in vegetable fats (Rasmussen 2013). Replacing the pancreatic-enzymes is critical in managing Chronic Pancreatitis and can be very time consuming for nurses and patients. These patients take multiple enzymes at specific times throughout the day, with important instructions. With diabetes in play, blood glucose monitoring and insulin will be added to the daily routine. Just the medication regimen takes up a sufficient amount of time from their day, but the illness is being …show more content…
The medical technology also comes in to play with chronic pancreatitis. Advancement in technology is helping tremendously with discovering pancreatitis at an earlier point in time. This disease has been known to be very difficult to pinpoint. CT scans and MRI’s are usually preformed along with endoscopic ultrasounds. The technology can be life saving but the cost of these scans can be life altering for patient’s finances.
Chronic Pancreatitis Affecting Daily Routines
Many consequences result from living with a chronic illness. Such as, not being able to work, medical expenses and changing a lifestyle. In many cases, Chronic Pancreatitis is caused from chronic alcohol abuse. With that being the case, many patients are addicted to drinking and are going to have to quit drinking in order to mange the disease. This can be devastating to a patient who’s lifestyle revolved around alcohol and partying. Withdrawing and depression can result on top of the diabetes and the chronic illness.
The Daily Needs with
Patients that have been diagnosed with Chronic Pancreatitis may have a difficult journey ahead of them, but the diagnosis doesn’t mean death. It is important to those with this disease to comply with medical regimens in order to achieve a state of wellbeing.
Chronic pancreatitis is a progressive, destructive disease of the pancreas that has remissions and exacerbations (“flare-ups”). Inflammation and fibrosis of the tissue contribute to pancreatic insufficiency and diminished function of the organ (Ignatavicius 2010). Living with this disease will consist of daily changes, medical regimens and adjustments to life in order to manage the illness over time.
Changes over Time
Patients dealing with Pancreatitis …show more content…
The number one complaint from patients with this chronic illness is usually always pain, a gnawling continuous pain. Opioid analagesics are used for pain but can be a damper on the patient due to dependency that results. Proper nutrition is key, managing the protein intake is critical. A protein diet of 1.0-1.5 g/kg body weight daily is generally sufficient and well tolerated. Usually, if 30%-40% of the calories are given as fat this is well tolerated, especially when the foods are rich in vegetable fats (Rasmussen 2013). Replacing the pancreatic-enzymes is critical in managing Chronic Pancreatitis and can be very time consuming for nurses and patients. These patients take multiple enzymes at specific times throughout the day, with important instructions. With diabetes in play, blood glucose monitoring and insulin will be added to the daily routine. Just the medication regimen takes up a sufficient amount of time from their day, but the illness is being …show more content…
The medical technology also comes in to play with chronic pancreatitis. Advancement in technology is helping tremendously with discovering pancreatitis at an earlier point in time. This disease has been known to be very difficult to pinpoint. CT scans and MRI’s are usually preformed along with endoscopic ultrasounds. The technology can be life saving but the cost of these scans can be life altering for patient’s finances.
Chronic Pancreatitis Affecting Daily Routines
Many consequences result from living with a chronic illness. Such as, not being able to work, medical expenses and changing a lifestyle. In many cases, Chronic Pancreatitis is caused from chronic alcohol abuse. With that being the case, many patients are addicted to drinking and are going to have to quit drinking in order to mange the disease. This can be devastating to a patient who’s lifestyle revolved around alcohol and partying. Withdrawing and depression can result on top of the diabetes and the chronic illness.
The Daily Needs with