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5 Foods To Avoid After Pancreatitis

“There is no such thing as an ‘incurable’ disease.” -Dan Brule

Pancreatitis is the swollen and inflamed state of the pancreas where the organ cannot function properly, and certainly, it can be cured. As we know pancreas is one of the crucial organs in our body, which balances the blood sugar level and helps in digestion. So any medical condition regarding pancreas should be diagnosed and treated thoroughly, and in severe cases, a pancreatic surgery is needed too.

Read more about the common disorders of pancreas: Know the most common disorders of the pancreas

If you’re suffering from pancreatitis for a long time, your doctor might recommend you to get a pancreatic surgery to get a cure for it, but after the surgery, you need to follow a diet and avoid some foods to achieve full recovery.

Here, we list 5 foods that you should avoid after pancreatitis.

Refined carbs:

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Avoid refined carbs at any cost. These do not have any healthy nutrients in it like whole wheat has. It will only complicate your digestive system and worsen your situation. Go for whole wheat as much as you can.

High-fat foods:

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Don’t go for fried foods. No matter how much you salivate over, french fries and burgers, avoid them like plague. Your pancreas is recovering, you must give it the time it requires to digest fat. Stick to skim milk instead of whole.

Red meat:

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It’s delicious, but not for your health because it contains saturated fat and has a high cholesterol level. It’s better to get used to chicken, which is lean meat and will not harm your health. You can add fish to your diet too.

Alcohol:

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Alcohol creates damage than any other things. Avoid it at any cost, because pancreas enzymes will not digest it properly, thus the problems might come back. Alcohol not only will affect your pancreas, but will do severe damage.

Sugary treats:

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Refrain from eating foods with high sugar. The pancreas is recovering and might not adjust to the new level of sugar in the blood. Stay away from sugary treats if offered by anyone, and try consuming less sugar while you recover.

Follow your diet and avoid the above-mentioned foods to recover quickly.

 

 

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Pancreatic Surgery

A Brief Introduction To The Functions Of Pancreas

The pancreas is an organ located in the abdomen. It plays an essential role in converting the food we eat into fuel for the body’s cells. This is one of the main organs of our body that helps in digestion. If any problem in pancreas occurs, it’s wise to get a pancreas operation.

The location of the pancreas is behind the stomach in the upper left abdomen. It is surrounded by other organs including the small intestine, liver, and spleen. It is spongy, about six to ten inches long, and is shaped like a flat pear or a fish extended horizontally across the abdomen.

Several major blood vessels surround the pancreas, the superior mesenteric artery, the superior mesenteric vein, the portal vein and the celiac axis, supplying blood to the pancreas and other abdominal organs.

A healthy pancreas produces the correct enzymes in the proper quantities, at the right times, to digest the foods we eat. The pancreas has two main functions, an exocrine function that helps in digestion and an endocrine function that regulates blood sugar.

Exocrine Function

These exocrine glands produce enzymes that are important for digestion. These enzymes include trypsin and chymotrypsin to digest proteins; amylase for the digestion of carbohydrates and lipase to break down fats. When food enters the stomach, these pancreatic juices are released into a system of ducts that culminate in the main pancreatic duct. The pancreatic duct joins the common bile duct to form the ampulla of Vater which is located in the first portion of the small intestine, called the duodenum.

Endocrine Function

The component of endocrine in the pancreas consists of islet cells that create and release important hormones directly into the bloodstream. Two of the main pancreatic hormones are insulin, which acts to lower blood sugar, and glucagon, which acts to raise blood sugar. Maintaining proper blood sugar levels is crucial to the functioning of key organs including the brain, liver, and kidneys.

There are so many diseases that can show up in the pancreas. Before it becomes something major, get a pancreas operation and keep staying healthy.

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Pancreatic Surgery

Pancreatic Surgery Post-Op Care

Like all major operations, recovering from pancreatic surgery takes time too. Full recovery requires an average of two months for open surgery and about 2 weeks for laparoscopic surgery. Your recovery can be divided into different stages, each of which carries a different set of expectations. However, it is important to remember that every patient’s recovery is different, even if patients undergo the exact same procedure.

Let’s have a look at it in details-

Hospital Recovery After Pancreatic Surgery

Patients spend an average of 1-3 days in the hospital after pancreas surgery. While you are in the hospital, the members of your healthcare team will be checking in on you daily. Your in-house team consists of residents, medical students, nurses, and your surgeon. Your team will closely monitor your progress throughout your stay. You will be seen by residents and nurses several times each day and by your surgeon at least once each day.

It is normal to experience pain after pancreas surgery. While in the hospital, you will be able to manage your pain with intravenous pain medication. Once you are at home, you will manage your pain with oral medications prescribed by your healthcare team.

After your operation, you will have staples and special dressings where incisions were made during your procedure. Health care team will check your dressings regularly to ensure they are healing well and monitor any tubes to ensure proper drainage if any. It is normal to be discharged home with the surgical drainage tubes still in place, so do not be worried about your recovery if this happens to you. You will be given specific instructions on how to care for both the drainage tubes and your surgical dressing before you are discharged from the hospital.

Many people are eager to be discharged from the hospital after surgery, and your health care team will do everything they can to return you to your home life. Before they discharge you, there are certain requirements you must meet. You should:

  • Have a stable temperature and not show signs of fever
  • Have no unresolved medical or surgical issues
  • Be able to tolerate food and liquid
  • Be able to walk unassisted
  • After Discharge

You will be able to leave the hospital after a day or two. A full recovery from pancreas surgery can take two months or longer if it is an open surgery technique and about 2 weeks for laparoscopic surgery. During the recovery, your doctor will ask you to come into the hospital for postoperative evaluations. At your first postoperative visit, you will meet with your surgeon or a nurse practitioner who will review your pathology and surgical reports. Your incisions will be examined and staples and tubes will be removed. At this, and at subsequent postoperative evaluations, your team will also talk to you about your diet, bowel functions, and pain control to ensure you are recovering well.

Post-Operative Dietary Guidelines

After pancreatic surgery, it is normal to have minute difficulty eating or to experience nausea, vomiting or heartburn. These symptoms are caused by a condition known as “gastric ileus,”. It may take your digestive system anywhere between a week or two to return to normal.

In general, when recovering from a pancreatic operation, the goal should be to eat small, frequent meals or snacks every three hours. Eat a protein containing food first each meal to minimise the amount of muscle mass you may lose. It is important to remember to drink fluids between meals to stay hydrated.

In a nutshell, the post-operative care is much easier and convenient if it is a laparoscopic surgery instead of an open surgery.