Husband - mild chronic pancreatitis?

Posted by leekm1 @leekm1, 1 day ago

Hello, my husband who is 64 has been having a periodic dull ache and sometimes more intense pain in the left side of his abdomen for a while. It comes and goes and varies in intensity. He also deals with significant constipation. No weight loss. No nausea or vomitting. He feels bloated and gassy quite often. No significant pain after eating. He does not drink or smoke and we eat generally well, he exercises. He just had a CT with contrast a couple days ago and they called with results today -- he has mild chronic pancreatitis but he didn't get the impression they were freaking out about it. Creatine and kidney function tests normal. They mentioned a potentially special diet, and they want to re-image in a year. I'm not sure if there will be more information coming. I don't want to worry him, he took the news pretty well, but I do not feel comfortable sitting here for a year not doing anything and just waiting. Any advice is welcome. Thank you.

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mcharlesfrancis | @mcharlesfrancis | 19 hours ago

If it were me, I would ask for a referral to a gastroenterologist who specializes in pancreatic diseases if he isn't already seeing one. Depending on the CT findings and his symptoms, they may recommend additional testing, such as an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) or an MRI/MRCP, which can provide a more detailed look at the pancreas than a CT scan in some situations.

artistrose | @artistrose | 15 hours ago

I’d recommend he might want to ask doctor for a fecal elastase test. It is a stool test that can see if he has pancreatic insufficiency. I suffered like your husband and finally a dietician recommended this test and sure enough I had pancreatic insufficiency and have been put on prescription enzymes. They have helped a great deal. Also, as someone else suggested an EUS (Endoscopic Ultrasound) could give you more info on pancreas. I have found you have to be very pro-active about the pancreas.