Pssshhhttt...who needs a pancreas anyways?

pancreas: everything but number 12

glucagon emergency kit

somatostatin

For this post I decided I would vent about my thoughts concerning the organ that has failed me. First off, I should probably explain what exactly the pancreas is and how it affected me and brought diabetes into my life (I know I explained in earlier posts, but for those who didn't read). It is a "gland organ" and is part of the endocrine system. For those of you unfamiliar with the endocrine system it deals with hormone secretion to regulate your body throughout your blood and other fluids. Anyways, back to the pancreas. It produces hormones such as insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin. Insulin is what helps break down carbohydrates into energy (which is why I have an insulin pump). Glucagon is what helps to bring up your blood sugar naturally when your body senses it is getting too low. I have a glucagon shot (seeing as my pancreas does not work) that can be injected into me if I were to pass out from low blood sugar. Somatostatin is just another hormone that regulates the endocrine system.

What happens when type 1 diabetes occurs is that the beta cells inside the pancreas (the cells that produce insulin and other hormones) are attacked and killed leaving the body unable to produce insulin, glucagon, or somatostatin. This is why my bloodsugar shot up to 717 before I found out I was diabetic. Wow, was that scary. I easily could have been comatose, but someone was looking out for me. I'm am going to throw in my religious views here (even though I probably shouldn't). I am Catholic...but not one of those die-hard follow every belief Catholic. I guess you would say I am more Christian. Either way, I believe in the big man upstairs and he was watching over me that day.

a real pancreas

Now for my frustrations about pancreases. First off, WHY can they randomly just stop working like that? (I know I told you why, but I guess I mean how is it fair?) I mean our bodies don't attack other organs when fighting off illness. Why would my own body want to murder another part of my body, and a vital one! You cannot live without a functioning pancreas or diabetes management (such as shots or a pump). I just don't understand WHY it happens. I know how, but why? And who decided what the pancreas would look like. I mean it sure doesn't look useful. It looks like a big blob to me. Here I go with my God talk again, but it looks like God put all of the other organs in the body and then said "Crap, I forgot the pancreas!" and decided to just squirt some pancreas goo into the body and it just molded around the other organs and hardened. It really has no definite shape. It is just flopped in there. Now I have not done research on this, so I am sure there is SOME reason for its look or shape, but to me it seems ridiculous. When I dissected cats in my high school anatomy class just a year ago, I was so excited to see the pancreas because of my diabetes. I was interested. But when I actually saw it, I was severely disappointed. I believe I am done rambling now about my thoughts on the superficial state of the pancreas.

Goodnight.
-Ash