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How alcohol affects the pancreas

Photo: by ex_magician
I'll tell you how alcohol affects the pancreas for Jane. Rarely for Jane her alcoholic binging causes pancreatitis. The rarity level is perhaps, at a guesstimate, about one time in 25 binges. However it is a very serious, life threatening condition. This is not chronic pancreatitis. For Jane it is acute pancreatitis brought on by a particular binge lasting about 7 days.

She will have have pain in her stomach area, which is a sign of pancreatitis. Of course this may be muddied up by pain in her stomach due to inflammation of the stomach by the neat Vodka.

She will have to go to hospital after some long binges. An ambulance is called and she is wheeled out of the home (literally).

The hospital visit will last about a week and recovery at home afterward will be about 10 days. The way the doctors cure acute pancreatitis is to have her stop eating and drinking as I recall. It would seem to be nil by mouth for a few days. The pancreas heals itself.

I am talking about a long binge that causes real health issues. Shorter binges of about 3 days can be dealt with using Valium and anti-sickness pills in combination after she has stopped.

Another serious illness caused by a long binge (one bottle of Vodka per day for 7 days), is liver disease. Jane has on occasion looked jaundiced - yellow eyes. This is a sign of liver malfunction brought on by the alcohol.

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  1. Last 100 Days as an Alcoholic2 November 2011 at 00:39

    Your cold, realist description shows how tiring and exhausting it is to live with an alcoholic.
    There is no color of life, just the grind of drinking.
    It is mournful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous2 November 2011 at 07:09

    Thanks for that. I hadn't recognised it. But you are right, I am sure. Sad. But it is true. After a while emotion goes out of it. You become used to it. You normalise it.

    ReplyDelete

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I'd like to hear the experiences of both alcoholics and the victims of alcoholics, please.

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