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@gman007

Hi@fyoung. I have chronic pancreatitis and have had a distal pancreatectomy, so I have experienced EPI since about 2006, but more severely since 2014. I have taken Creon for about ten years and I do believe they aid in my digestion of food and I have had some weight loss with a more restrictive diet in the last few weeks. I am trying to exist on a gastroparesis diet, but it is no fun. Of course being bloated, in pain, and nauseous 24/7 is even less fun. I also use Boost drinks and eat a good bit of fat-free yogurt. I also make smoothies with protein powder as I now consume very little meat. Adding powdered milk to smoothies will also add calories. Because of diabetes, I still have to be cognizant of my carb intake, but it has really been difficult to onboard enough some days and I have had to reduce my long-acting insulin by about 20%. I don't know if any of this is helpful. I guess the goal should be to simply take in as many calories as possible to stabilize his weight and then try to continue that in hopes of some weight gain. How tall is your husband? Does he have anything other than the frequent bowel movements that create obstacles to eating?
Best wishes,
Gary

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Replies to "Hi@fyoung. I have chronic pancreatitis and have had a distal pancreatectomy, so I have experienced EPI..."

Gary; thank you for your response and yes it is somewhat helpful, but because we are still unsure of what is happening I am also still very confused.
My husband is very, very healthy and can pretty much eat anything he wants. He has no allergies and there is no food that causes him bloating or pain. He has never had any bouts of pain from his pancreas. His only issues are the loose, pale stools, and very frequent bowel movements with occasional gas and occasional oily stools. He is not on any special kind of diet right now mainly because we are not sure if he should be avoiding fat, protein, or carbs. We are just trying to avoid sugar as he does get spikes of high blood glucose levels, but only spikes up to 140-150. We have been trying a high calorie daily intake of 3000 calories at least per day. He seems to lose 1-2 lbs every 3 months, but has not gained any weight for the past 8 years. He is 5'8". I am getting concerned with his weight, but doctors don't seem to be and I don't really understand why. Just like being overweight can be unhealthy isn't being underweight just as bad too? Your information was helpful and I realize everyone has a different set of circumstances, so for us it is really hard to figure this out

@fyoung, that has to be confusing and concerning. I do believe you are correct about weight loss being as much a reason for, let's say investigation, as weight gain. There may be very benign reasons for it, but I would want to explore the possibilities. I have read a couple of recent studies that suggest carrying a little extra weight (not obese) increases mortality: http://healthland.time.com/2013/01/02/being-overweight-is-linked-to-lower-risk-of-mortality/ . This is one of the ones that included a significant number of participants. I don't know how old your husband is, so this may not be as relevant, but I know as age decreases one's activity, food consumption often goes down, and then it is very difficult to do what he is doing now for calorie intake. I would appreciate his problem for about a month, but I have had a great deal of difficulty eating in the past two months and have dropped about 14 pounds and 24 this year, so I probably should not wish for that. I would like to know what happens with the increase in caloric intake, please? I am not sure who besides his PCP should do some frontline tests, but that individual should be able to point him in the right direction if he is not going to investigate. May I ask how old your husband is? You mentioned a CT scan; would it give the study reader a look at his pancreas? Many people who have p[roblems with their P are asymptomatic, i.e. Steve Jobs. I am not suggesting that anything that dangerous is at play here, but some of the symptoms sound very familiar to someone with lots of P issues.

I might also add that he may be far less concerned than you. I was once one of those males who did not concern myself with doctors and did not talk about things that were going on with my health because I was bulletproof and big boys don't whine. If you learn anything or have other questions, I would really like to hear about your findings.
Blessings,
Gary