Sep 30, 2016 Reporting from Niles, MI
Living a Full Life with Pancreatitis - Michael Walsh
https://www.spectrumhealthlakeland.org/how-we-compare/our-patients/Detail/Living-a-Full-Life-with-Pancreatitis/41be5cad-c230-6723-add8-ff0000ca780f/
Sep 30, 2016
Sep 30, 2016
SpectrumHealth Lakeland
Michael Walsh, 72, of Portage, enjoyed a long and fulfilling career as a police officer. He joined the force in 1967 and started the K-9 Corps in 1968. After that, he spent time solving cases as a private investigator. But in spite of his public serv
Living a Full Life with Pancreatitis - Michael Walsh
SpectrumHealth Lakeland
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Living a Full Life with Pancreatitis - Michael Walsh
Sep, 2016
Physicians: John Stafford, MD; Ather Bukhari, MD
Michael Walsh, 72, of Portage, enjoyed a long and fulfilling career as a police officer. He joined the force in 1967 and started the K-9 Corps in 1968. After that, he spent time solving cases as a private investigator. But in spite of his public service, Michael has also spent much of his time struggling through a much less visible battle with chronic pancreatitis.
Around 27 years ago, Michael began to experience severe abdominal pain. He went to the emergency room and was soon diagnosed with pancreatic divisum. This meant that instead of being born with a single pancreatic duct, Michael had been born with two unfused ducts. The abnormality in his pancreas led to difficulties in drainage of enzymes and caused regular inflammation.
The road to finding the treatment he needed was a long and painful one. His doctors tried a variety of treatment options that provided little relief. Stents that were placed and one after the other they failed. At one point, Michael spent nearly a year in the hospital and was even put on the organ transplant list for a new pancreas. Eventually, he became one of only five people who underwent a modified Puestow procedure which joined the pancreatic duct to the jejunem of the small intestine with the help of a metal stent. Although Michael's recovery was long and difficult, the frequency of his hospitalizations has decreased from ten to fifteen times a year, to only three or four.
Another reason Michael’s hospitalizations have decreased is due to the care he has received from gastroenterologist, Ather Bukhari, MD. Dr. Bukhari worked with Michael to establish a pain and symptom management system that has greatly improved his quality of life allowing him to be able to manage many of his symptoms from home.
“Dr. Bukhari has provided me with the best care and treatment I’ve ever had for my condition,” said Michael. “Every time I have an appointment the staff welcome me by my first name, everything is ready to go, and it runs like clockwork.”
Michael also manages his health closely with the help of his primary care doctor, John Stafford, MD.
“Dr. Stafford has been wonderful and everyone I’ve encountered has been extremely caring and compassionate,” he said. “I live in Portage, but I travel to Lakeland regularly to receive care – that’s how highly I value my care team.”
Michael advised those suffering from any condition, including chronic pancreatitis, not to ignore their symptoms.
“Pain is a sign that something is wrong. I’m always listening to my body and what it tells me,” said Michael.
“It’s also so important to communicate with your doctors, and to speak up about what treatments work best for you and your situation.”
Now that his chronic pancreatitis is more controlled, Michael spends his time fishing and gardening, although he's downsized a bit from the three-acre farm he once cared for in Stevensville.
"It used to keep me busy from morning to night, now I've got to go to the gym to stay in shape," he laughed.