Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive form of cancer. The disease shows no early symptoms and often spreads to other organs long before it is properly diagnosed. Due to such poor prognosis, only around 6% of the pancreatic cancer patients are healthy and alive 5 years after the first diagnosis.

One of the most common surgeries to remove tumours from the pancreas is Pancreaticoduodenectomy, that is commonly called Whipples surgery. The primary aim of the procedure is to cure cancers or disorders that are identified in the pancreas, bile duct or the duodenum. Here, the tumour is removed to prevent it from spreading to other organs, thus improving the life expectancy of the patient. 

Whipple's Procedure

Before the surgery, an intravenous line will be injected to your arm, to provide you with the necessary medication. Medicines may be passed through this line to soothe your nerves. A spinal injection or an epidural catheter may be placed. This helps you to recover painlessly after the surgery.

The surgery can be carried out in different ways  

Open surgery

Here, the surgeon makes a small incision in your abdomen to access the pancreas and other organs. This is the most common method. This is a complicated operation where the tip of the pancreas, the gallbladder, the bile duct and the initial portion of the small intestine are removed. It is performed to treat cancers that are present on the head of the pancreas. 

Laparoscopic surgery

Here several small incisions are made in your abdomen to insert a camera that transmits the live video of the abdomen to a monitor. According to the live feed, the surgeon performs the operation by using surgical tools. It is a common form of minimally invasive surgery.

Robotic operation

This is another type of minimally invasive surgery where the surgical tools are attached to a special robot. Here, the doctor uses a console to control the robot to perform the surgery. This is used because surgical robots can reach and operate in spaces and corners where the human hands may not reach during surgery.

 The Whipples surgery can take 4 to 12 hours depending upon the approach being used and the complexity of the process. During the surgery, you will be given general anaesthesia, so you will be asleep.

In some cases, a part of your stomach or nearby lymph nodes may be removed to treat the cancer growths. After the process, the doctor will reconnect the other organs so that you can digest food normally.

After the procedure, you may face problems while emptying your bowels. The condition improves around 7 to 10 days after the surgery. Most patients are able to return back to their normal life usually around 6 weeks after the procedure.

It is recommended that you follow the doctor s instructions after the surgery and stick to the diet prescribed. Additionally, keep the incision protected from sunlight and remove the bandages only after consulting the doctors. 

 

 

Whipples Surgery & Pancreatic Cancer - Know About Them!

 The most beautiful thing you can wear is your confidence  -Blake Lively

At a certain point in our lives, we are all swept off our feet by the storm of doubt, so much so that we refuse to rest our trust and faith in our very own selves. But that is where being silently confident comes in. Confident people are optimistic, even in the face of adversities and tend to confront their fears head-on, no matter what. Take a leaf out of their book; here are a few tips to lift your esteem to its pinnacle.

You need to keep off all the negativity: In life, you would be surrounded by people who would want to pull you down, taint your morale by unconstructive and unnecessary criticism. Maintain your dignity and distance from them who do not give you good vibes.
Enhance your Image: Remember. body language maketh a man. The things you do and the thoughts you think speak louder than words. So, never forget to carry that wry smile by the side of your lips, whenever you encounter something seemingly insurmountable. Your posture, your firm handshake, your way of looking straight into the eyes of a person while dealing with him/her, can all go a surprisingly long way in upping your confidence.Composure and calmness are the keys to greatness.
Never give-up: Failures are life lessons in your path of success and the true spirit lies not in never falling, but dragging yourself up each time you fall. Hence never accept defeat. Remember, every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.
Be prepared: Put your best foot forward every time you do something; be it that important office presentation of yours, or on the prom night of your university. This could take your confidence higher.
Remind yourself of every single good thing you ve done: Life is full of ups and downs and there may be days when you would feel unsure and weird about yourself. What you can do is make two lists and stick them on all spots easily visible to you, for instance, your wall, your refrigerator door or your bathroom mirror. On the first list, pen down all the amazing things life has blessed you with and of which you are truly grateful. On the second list, put forth all of your accomplishments that you are proud of; major or minor. Next time, whenever you find your self-esteem waning, these lists would remind you of what a worthy life you have had thus far, thus motivating you all over again.

Feeling Uncertain and Unsure! Boost Your Self-confidence With These Tips

Pimples are the most common type of skin issue and almost each one one of us are affected by them. Though these pimples often go away themselves, but when the situation aggravates it is always best to get it check from a doctor. Homeopathic is branch of medicine which offers cure for such type of cases with zero side effects. Homeopathic remedies to get rid of pimples

Psorinum: It is considered to be the best homeopathic drug for acne. Acne indurata, acne simplex and acne pustular are all treatable with Psorinum. In oily skin with over worked sebaceous glands, the skin is left greasy, making it more prone to acne. Psorinum can help reduce secretion of oil and in effect, treat the underlying cause of a pimple outbreak. It is also used in treating acne that gets worse with consuming chocolates, meats, sweets and fat. Itchy winter acne may be treated with this as well.
Calcarea Sulphurica and Hepar Sulph: Calcarea Sulphurica and Hepar Sulph are homeopathic remedies that are very effective for treating pustular acne. Pustular acne means pus filled acne. Often, there is blood staining the pus. Hepar Sulph is effective if the pimples ooze out pus or blood mixed with pus. These pimples may be extremely painful. It is especially useful to treat pimples in teenagers.
Kali Bromatum: Kali Bromatum is a wonder medicine that treats chest, shoulders and facial acne. It is generally marked by a persistent itch. The acne might be indurated, pustular or simplex. The scar forming acne is also generally treated with Kali Bromatum. Purple tinged acne is best treated with Kali Bromatum.
Natrum Mur and Antimonium Crudum: They are very effective in the treatment of facial acne, especially those affecting the cheeks. Cheeks which turn hot due to acne are best treated with Antimonium Crudum. It may be pustular or papular in nature. Another complaint in such cases is a burning sensation. Natrum Mur is a homeopathic medicine that shows maximum efficacy in case of itchy pimples on cheeks. Anemic girls are also benefitted by Natrum Mur.
Sulfur: It is used in extremely itchy acne. People with unhealthy looking and dirty skin are benefitted from the use of this homeopathic wonder drug. The itch generally gets much worse at night or with the application of warmth. For acne that hasn t responded to previously applied topical medicines and ointments, sulfur has shown marked improvement and has even obliterated all signs of acne.
Silicea: Acne affecting the forehead heals fast with the application of silicea. Even pustular acne has shown drastic healing with this homeopathic medicine.

Pimples - 6 Common Homeopathic Remedies!

Cervical cancer is a kind of cancer that develops in the cervix of a woman. Cervix an an area between the uterus and vagina. It is preventable if diagnosed in early stages. Going for regular pap tests and taking a HPV vaccine can significantly lower the risk of cervical cancer. These symptoms include abnormal bleeding between menstrual periods, low back and lower abdominal pain, postcoital bleeding and strange smelling discharge. If not diagnosed in time, it can be life threatening and requires intense treatment.  

    Prevention of cervical cancer: There is usually no certain way of preventing cervical cancer, but by following a number of practices there is a possibility that you can prevent it. There are 3 major ways of prevention of cervical cancer, which include the following:
    Safe sex: Major cases of cervical cancer are caused due to an infection by a virus known as human papillomavirus or HPV. This virus is usually transmitted by sexual means and having unprotected sex might leave you at the risk of getting infected by this virus during the sexual intercourse.  You should practice safe sex using protection such as condoms. This reduces your chances of being infected by the virus. This virus is transmitted via all types of sexual contact, which includes skin contact between the genitals. People who have unprotected sex with multiple sexual partners are at an increased risk of getting cervical cancer due to the HPV virus.
    Cervical screening and vaccination: Having a cervical screening or pap smear test on a regular basis is an efficient way to detect abnormal changes in the cervix cells, at a very early stage. Even if you are being vaccinated for the HPV virus, cervical screening is essential as the vaccines against HPV virus are not always successful in providing protection from cervical cancer. If you had been previously treated for abnormal changes in the cervix cells, you should undertake more frequent screening tests. The regularity of undergoing cervical screening depends on the severity of the cell change. You should report any symptom you experience in spite of having regular cervical screening. Several vaccines are used for protection from HPV infections.  
    Avoid smoking: You can prevent the chances of having cervical cancer by giving up smoking. In case of  smokers, it is more difficult to eliminate the HPV infection from the body, and the chances of cervical cancer get enhanced. You can undertake various measures in order to quit smoking and prescribed medicines can be used to treat withdrawal symptoms.

Cervical cancer causes great strain on the body and it may spread all over the pelvic region. In some cases, distant tissues are also affected by cervical cancer. You should consult a doctor immediately after experiencing any symptom of cervical cancer.

4 Ways You Can Try & Prevent Cervical Cancer

Ageing is inevitable, and as much as we want to escape, there is no way out. All organs, whether obvious or not, undergo gradual degeneration and deterioration. The brain is no exception, and memory being one of its main function also begins to decline with age. There are various factors which determine how quickly this ageing sets in and how rapidly it progresses. These are dictated by a person s lifestyle, activity levels, and overall body changes. Dementia also has a strong family history, and if you know someone who has a family history, there are some early signs that you could watch for. This will help in both empathizing with the person, as well as to help in arresting progression. Read on to know the signs that need to be watched out for.

Mood changes: Sudden changes in mood, especially going into short periods of depression without an obvious reason, is one of the first symptoms of dementia. If it is happening repeatedly, this can help identify dementia.
Personality changes: If a shy person suddenly becomes outgoing or vice versa, this could be an early indicator of dementia. They either develop or shed inhibitions, which is a new change for them.
Memory loss: Sudden short-term memory loss for a person who had a very strong memory is a definite indicator of dementia. They might clearly remember the distant events but forget small things like where to find their medicines, where things are in the kitchen or bathroom, etc. Because of this, you might see them repeating what they just did. This could be like washing a glass again, saying or asking the same thing again, etc.
The difficulty with regular tasks: Short-term memory loss causes difficulty with regular tasks like laying out the dinner table, finding regular medicines, paying utility bills, etc. There is also difficulty in learning new tasks, which further complicates things.
Feeling lost: Due to sudden memory loss and difficulty with regular tasks, they suddenly feel lost, which in turns adds to their depression.
Apathy: This also leads to a general lack of interest in things and people around them. They could have had hobbies, which no longer interest them.
Disoriented: They find it difficult to be aligned to time and space. Directions which they clearly know could seem difficult.
Not able to connect the dots: While the elderly people are generally good at telling stories and anecdotes, with dementia setting in, this becomes difficult.
These are some symptoms which can help identify if a near one is slowly developing dementia. Identifying in the early stages can help in arresting progress and extending support.

Dementia - How To Know If Someone Is Suffering From It?

When it comes to the effects of alcohol, the liver is the most talked about the organ. However, this is not the only part of the body affected by alcohol. Alcohol can also affect your cardiovascular health. This effect is determined largely by the quantity of alcohol being consumed. In restricted amounts, alcohol can in fact be beneficial but in large amounts, it can be the cause of a number of heart health issues. Let s take a look at both sides of the coin.

The Good
For women over the age of 45 years, drinking a small amount of certain types of alcohol such as red wine can be good for the heart. It protects the heart against damage to the arteries by increasing the good cholesterol levels. This prevents the narrowing of arteries by reducing the amount of fat deposited on the arterial walls. Good cholesterol also helps lower the level of bad cholesterol and fights against its ill effects.

Alcohol also reduces the ability of platelets to stick together by increasing the amount of fibrinogen produced by the liver. Thus, it prevents the formation of blood clots an in turn heart attacks caused by them.

The Not so Good
The ill effects of alcohol consumption overshadow its benefits. Drinking heavily over an extended period of time can increase your risk of heart disease. It increases blood pressure that can further trigger a stroke or heart attack. Alcoholism can also lead to weight gain that again causes an increase in blood pressure.

Excessive alcohol consumption also weakens the heart muscles. This condition is known as cardiomyopathy. As the heart muscles grow weaker, they cannot pump blood efficiently and the heart may fail and cause premature death.

Binge drinking can cause a condition known as Holiday Heart Syndrome. It is characterized by severe pain in the center of the chest, increased blood pressure, irregular heartbeats and breathlessness. It may make the person feel as though they were experiencing a heart attack. The term was coined as this condition was seen more commonly during the holiday season when people tend to drink more heavily.

Thus, if you want to enjoy a long, healthy life, avoid alcohol or drink in moderation. For women, this means one drink a day while for men; consumption should be limited to two drinks a day. If you have an existing heart condition or a history of strokes, alcohol should be avoided completely. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Alcohol Intake and Heart Health - Know The Link!

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