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DiscussionCould this be chronic pancreatitis?
Digestive Health | Last Active: 5 days ago | Replies (55)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "Hi, I'm new here and from New Zealand. I have Chronic Pancreatitis and have had it,..."
I have chronic pancreatitis, I take creon it does help with flares sometimes, but I still have very smelly poop, I had to change my diet, its a very horrible disease, but my Dr said its not related to pancreatic cancer, she doesn't think it will develop because of it , I'm not in horrible pain over the counter meds and a heating pad help me, I'm sorry about all your going through, Drs sound horrible where you live.
Oh my gosh- I thought the doctors and nurses lacked a shred of empathy here in the states but what you describe is criminal. Basically, no one is helping you and on top of that they are denying you pain control and pronouncing it is just a matter of time until you get cancer. Which by the way is so totally not true. Yes there is an increased risk for pancreatic cancer but it is basically an unquantifiable risk. And like all kinds of cancer , pancreatic cancer risk is also increased by risk factors that are in your control to modify to the positive. Risk factors like smoking, drinking, inflammation level, vitamin deficiencies , oxidative stress , chronic pain, mental stress etc. these types of additive risk factors are modifiable to a great extent with changes to diet and lifestyle changes. Things they should be helping you with. Instead , I imagine every time you see your “care” NOT team you are made to feel even worse. Do you have any other options for care where you live? Like seeing a registered dietitian? Or access to medical cannabis or CBD to control the pain? Any kind of alternative care options? Would it make sense to move back to Australia instead of staying in New Zealand? It sounds like in Australia you had more options for informed care. What you are enduring is completely inexcusable. And perhaps driven by ignorance about the condition. The hold over legacy of the time when people thought only alcoholics got Pancreatitis. So no one bothered to help them . Now it is known that is just not true. However change comes slowly to health care and whomever you are dealing with has not kept up with the times. Yes alcohol will definitely damage the pancreas but many other mechanisms do as well. Like. The gallstones you mention ( the most common cause), genetics, congenital defects, smoking, high triglycerides, infections, damage from medications taken, autoimmune pancreatitis. Both gallstones, and autoimmune are more common in women as well some of the medications that damage the pancreas , like estrogen are more commonly given to women. The medical care you are receiving is evidently completely uniformed about any of this. And if they are uniformed I do not see them ever helping you feel better. You deserve so much better I pray you can find a way forward to remain hopeful and to find someone else to help you manage your condition.
Hi, @kiwigirl63, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It sounds like you've been through a lot of pain and significant disappointments. I'm very sorry to hear about that.
Hoping you can connect with others here in this discussion about chronic pancreatitis such as @palermo1 @cc8 @penelope52 @choosejoy and others who can empathize with your pain and provide some support as you seek answers.
When did you have your last flare? Was there something that brought you some measure of relief when that happened?