Tucked deep in your abdomen is your pancreas, a long, flat organ.
This pear shaped organ may be small, weighing around 3 ounces but it is mighty when it comes
to keeping you healthy.
Located in the upper abdomen, It produces enzymes that are secreted into the small intestine,
digesting protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
The pancreas also produces insulin to help regulate blood sugar or glucose, the body's
main source of energy.
No wonder so much can go wrong when your pancreas isn’t working the way it should.
While pancreas issues can be difficult to catch, there are a handful of warning signs.
And in today’s video, we will tell you what these signs are.
From aching insides, nausea, vomiting, jaundice to blood clots, we are talking all that and
more.
Unusual Thirst: Unusual thirst is a symptom of diabetes, which comes in two types.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when your immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas
that make insulin.
Type 2 diabetes, which is much more common, develops when not enough insulin is being
made in the pancreas, and when your body isn’t able to use the insulin it makes.
No matter what type of diabetes it is, unusual thirst may signal pancreatic trouble.
How much water do you drink everyday?
Let us know in the comments section below!
Your poop looks funny: If you notice your stool is light colored and floating, that’s
a sign of poor nutrient absorption.
The enzymes your pancreas produces help you digest fats in your diet.
Along with breaking down fats, your pancreas helps your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins
like A, E, and K.
When pancreatic disease messes with your organ’s ability to properly manufacture those enzymes,
your stool looks paler and becomes less dense.
You may also notice your it’s oily or greasy.
The toilet water will have a film that looks like oil.
That’s the dietary fat your body failed to break down.
If you notice your stool looks funky now and then, that’s no reason to freak out.
But if all or most of it has these characteristics, it may be a sign of trouble.
Extreme fatigue: When diabetes reduces the amount of insulin produced by your pancreas,
or stops production entirely, the sugar in your blood isn’t able to enter the cells
where it should get used for energy.
This may cause extreme fatigue and you feeling lethargic throughout the day.
Your insides ache: Abdominal pain is one of the most common symptoms of both pancreatic
cancer and acute pancreatitis, which is a type of deadly inflammation.
But that pain manifests in different ways depending on the underlying condition.
If the pain seems to start in your middle before radiating into your middle or lower
back—and if it lingers for weeks—that may be a sign of pancreatic cancer.
Also, if your doctor has prescribed a type of drug called a proton pump inhibitor, let
them know if your symptoms don’t improve.
It’s common for doctors to mistake pain triggered by pancreatic cancer for reflux
or other GastroIntestinal issues, many of which a proton-pump inhibitor should help
resolve.
On the other hand, pain associated with acute pancreatitis often comes on suddenly, is intense,
and is focused in the middle of your abdomen.
Nausea: When it comes to problems with the pancreas, pancreatitis is the most common
condition to cause nausea.
This type of behavior tends to happen more often with fatty foods because your pancreas
is having trouble producing enzymes that are supposed to help the digestive system break
down fat.
Certain foods are more likely to make you feel nauseated.
Hamburgers are often nausea triggers, and so are avocados and nuts, which are all high
in fat.
Pizza is another one that’s really tough for patients with a compromised pancreas.
Weight Loss: Weight loss is more common in chronic pancreatitis and it can happen when
the person with this condition is eating normally.
Even though we’d all probably enjoy losing a few pounds here and there without trying,
weight loss without any logical explanation is often a huge red flag.
When weight loss occurs due to pancreatitis it’s because the pancreas is not functioning
properly.
This occurs because your body does not secrete enough pancreatic enzymes to break down food,
so nutrients are not absorbed normally.
Poor digestion leads to loss of fat, protein, and sugar.
Jaundice: Many patients with pancreatic cancer show jaundice – one of the first symptoms
to present itself.
It is identified by a distinct yellowing of the eyes and skin.
It is caused by bilirubin build-up due to a blockage of the common bile duct.
Tumors that form in the pancreas are very close to the common bile duct and press on
it, causing blockage.
Once the cancer has spread outside the pancreas, it often moves quickly to the liver, which
can also cause jaundice.
Before the eyes and skin start to become noticeably yellow, jaundice can sometimes be identified
by noticing dark urine, gray or greasy colored stools, and itchy skin.
Blood Clots: It is not fully understood why certain cancers, including pancreatic, are
prone to causing blood clots.
But it is believed that they damage tissue cause inflammatory responses and emit chemicals,
both of which activate the clotting system in the body.
Pancreatic cancer causes both DVT, which is identified by swelling, warmth and redness
in the large veins of the legs, and PE, which occurs when a clot travels to the lungs and
causes chest pain and difficulty breathing.
Fatty Tissue Abnormalities: When functioning normally, the pancreas releases enzymes that
are used to digest fat.
However, when this process is disrupted due to some problem, the fat is not broken down
and begins to build up in odd places.
Over time, this leads to layers of fatty tissue building up under the skin, giving it an abnormal
and uneven texture.
You Show Signs Of Diabetes: Your pancreas produces hormones that help control your body's
production of insulin, as well as your blood sugar levels.
When the pancreas is imperiled, it's common for sufferers to develop type 2 diabetes.
If your weight is under control and you eat a healthy diet, a new diabetes diagnosis should
lead to a closer examination of your pancreas.
The same holds for diabetes sufferers who suddenly find their disease hard to manage.
Those sudden changes in diabetes status without an obvious explanation are things that can
also be associated with pancreatic cancer.
Vomiting: In addition to nausea, vomiting is another unfortunate symptom of a troubled
pancreas . When it comes to treatment, sometimes a patient cannot control vomiting and needs
to have a tube through the nose to the stomach to remove fluid and air.
In mild cases, the patient may not have food for three or four days but is given fluids
and pain relievers by vein.
Now that you know the symptoms of a weak pancreatic system, here are ways in which you can protect
your pancreas and reduce your risk for pancreatic problems.
1.
Limit alcohol consumption: By drinking less or not at all, you can help protect your pancreas
from the toxic effects of alcohol and reduce your risk for pancreatitis.
2.
Eat a low-fat diet: Gallstones, a leading cause of pancreatic problems , can develop
when too much cholesterol accumulates in your bile, a fluid that helps break down fats.
To reduce your risk for gallstones, eat a low-fat diet that includes whole grains and
a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Avoid fatty or fried foods and full-fat dairy products.
If you have high levels of triglycerides, fat that is carried in your blood — you
can also have an increased risk for acute pancreatitis.
To lower your levels, limit foods that are high in simple sugars, such as sweets and
high-calorie beverages.
3.
Exercise regularly and lose excess weight: People who are overweight are more likely
to develop gallstones, which leads to a greater risk for pancreatic problems.
Losing extra pounds gradually and maintaining a healthy weight by eating a balanced diet
and engaging in regular physical activity can help prevent gallstones from forming.
4.
Skip crash diets: The caveat to losing weight is to do so gradually.
When you go into crash-diet mode, prompting quick weight loss, your liver ramps up cholesterol
production in response, which increases your risk for gallstones.
5.
Don’t smoke: A review of existing studies published found that adults who smoked were
1.5 times more likely to develop acute or chronic pancreatitis than nonsmokers.
In people with pancreatitis, smoking also increases the risk of developing pancreatic
cancer.
Quitting smoking can be beneficial for your body in more ways than you can imagine.
Watch this video titled “This Is What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Smoking” to find
out all the benefits.
6.
Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of fluids per day: Water is the best choice for fluids.
Don’t go overboard on sugary sports drinks and fruit juices.
If you’re managing a pancreatic condition, keep a bottle of water handy at all times
to avoid dehydration.
In hot weather and when you exercise, drink 240 milliliters of water every 20 minutes
to replace the fluids lost due to sweating.
Check your urine to see if you’re dehydrated.
If it’s pale yellow, you’re drinking enough water.
If it’s dark, infrequent, or comes out in small amounts, you may be dehydrated.
Dehydration can overwork the pancreas, and can aggravate or cause pancreatic disorders.
Have you ever faced pancreas trouble?
Was it painful?
Let us know in the comments section below!