The Shadow
Sandra Clemmons of Dolly Ann will embark Sunday on a journey to Minnesota to receive a surgical procedure to alleviate a seven-year battle with chronic, debilitating abdominal pain.
Suffering from chronic pancreatitis (CP), Clemmons hopes the procedure will end her struggle with chronic pain, nausea, vomiting, frequent lengthy hospital stays and the need to take medications that only partially control the symptoms.
“It’s been a long, hard battle,” Clemmons said and added that her CP has resulted in over 1,000 days in the hospital.
The initial treatment for CP involves a surgeon using an endoscope and enlarging the pancreatic duct that drains the pancreas into the intestine.
When that fails, the next step is surgical removal of the pancreas. Clemmons will have her pancreas and spleen removed in the surgical procedure.
However, when the pancreas is removed, the person will become a diabetic.
Specialized cells in the pancreas called islet cells produce insulin needed for the body to process blood glucose (blood sugar). Without the cells, the body cannot process the glucose that is needed for energy and sustainance of the body systems.
The Schulze Diabetes Institute at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis offers a procedure where after the pancreas is removed, the cells are isolated from the pancreas and transplanted in the body, either eliminating or reducing the need for insulin injections.
The procedure, an islet auto-transplant, was pioneered by Dr. David Sutherland in 1977, and the hospital has performed more islet cell transplants than any facility in the world. To date, over 300 transplants have been performed. There are only 20 centers that perform the transplant worldwide.
Sutherland will perform Clemmons’ surgery.
Once the pancreas is removed, technicians will isolate the islet cells in a process similar to the way blood banks separate red blood cells from white blood cells for blood transfusions.
Once isolated, the cells are injected into the liver where they begin producing insulin.
“I’m anxious about this but I hope to see an end to this,” Clemmons said.
Clemmons and her husband of 30 years, Curtis Clemmons, will fly to Minnesota Monday where she will undergo per-surgical testing, diabetes education, and then undergo the surgery Friday.
While insurance will cover the expense related to the surgery, insurance will not pay for follow-up office visits, hotel expenses and transportation. The couple will stay in Minnesota for a minimum of four weeks.
“For seven years it’s been a hard financial strain on us,” she said.
Parrish Court United Methodist Church is spearheading a drive to defray the medical expenses.
Donations can be sent to Parrish Court United Methodist Church, 2343 S. Carpenter Drive, Covington, Va. 24426.
Clemmons says she wants to raise public awareness of CP, its symptoms, and its treatment.
The couple has three children, two grandchildren, two sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law.
“I really thank the community for everything they have done for me and I ask them to continue to pray for me because I need all I can get,” she said.
Clemmons’ journey will be chronicled on Curtis Clemmons’ Facebook page.
