I am a 65 y/o female, recently diagnosed with Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). I have fought upper abdominal pain, bloating, gas, very loose stools to diarrhea, fecal incontinence, etc for a few years, gradually getting worse. It all started after I had a bad case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). I was on oral Doxyclicine for a couple of weeks before being hospitalized and given a stronger dose through IV in order to save my life.
My tummy problems started after recovery, and at first, I thought it was a meat allergy, then tried the FODMAP diet, fiber shakes, etc, trying to resolve my issues. Hubby has had some health issues, as have my 92 yr old mom who we moved into our home about a year ago, I had to have a hysterectomy, we owned a business (which we recently sold, yay), we slip some travel into our busy lives. . . so I just had SO much on my plate that it was easy to put my symptoms on the back burner and just deal with them. This last Winter I started having occasional episodes of halitosis, not related to oral hygiene, and my other symptoms were getting worse, so this Summer, hubby encouraged me to take the time to focus on my own health and get treatment.
I didn't believe the original diagnosis, since my Elastine test came back at 192, but then I retested two months later and it was down to 90, so yeah, something's going on. My GI guy said he would expect to see more like 500 on a morning specimen, so he is confident. I have had CTIs with and without contrast, ultrasound, fecal and blood tests for pretty much every possible related disease, infection, bacterial contamination, other than I have not had my colonoscopy, where I believe he will check for microscopic colitis? So far, I have had negatives on every thing they looked for, other than the EPI diagnosis, which resulted in him putting me on Zenpep, two 40,000 units per meal, one per snack. I have NO clue what constitutes a "snack" vs "meal" and have a lot to learn.
My symptoms seem so erratic, and certainly not as severe as most with Pacreatitis, that I hardly know where to start on what I should or should not eat, how much Zenpep I appropriate, etc. I still have a hard time remembering to take it every single time I eat, as we still have a bit of a hectic life, and now I read that I can't even leave it in the glove compartment in the car in the Summer so that I have it handy! arrrgh. I was told to take a multi-vitamin with K in it, but honestly, I haven't lost a pound or an inch, and I exercise fairly often, so don't feel like I deal with exhaustion. OTOH, I have had sleep issues more recently, where I wake up anywhere from 2 to 3 a.m. and am laying there wide awake watching the clock.
I guess I'm just here looking to learn. I find it difficult to accept that I would have this, as I have pretty much led a healthy life, with no chronic health issues...I'm the caretaker, not the one needed care, ha ha. I remember thinking, back a few years ago when it appeared that I was actually in good danger of dying from the RMSF, "This is a bunch of crap! I have taken care of my body, exercised, ate well, watched my weight, I lived economically, never once bought a Coach Purse, saved money for retirement, drove used cars, if I had a CLUE I was going to die early, from a tiny little bug bite, I would have eaten a LOT MORE CAKE!!!!!" We both thought I would easily outlive my husband, him being a little older and having diabetes and a bit of cholesterol, so it was a real shocker for us then, and again now. Yeah, I'm a tad bit irritated, ha ha.