Do I have Pancreatitis?

My pancreatitis was acute and “drug induced”, from the mesalamine I had been taking for ulcerative colitis. The symptoms were primarily pain on the left side that radiated upward; stool was lighter in color. When you have UC, you’re more aware of stool than anyone should ever have to be...lol. The pain was constant and became more noticeable after I ate. I contacted my GI doc after almost a week and the only test that confirmed the pancreatitis diagnosis was the bloodwork (lipase and amylase were elevated). Once I discontinued the mesalamine, it resolved within a week. Now I’m scrambling to get the UC back into remission and currently on Uceris (budesonide) which so far is not helping. A few years ago, my husband had pancreatitis from gall stones and that pain was excruciating, left side right through to the back. He couldn’t even stand up. A trip to the ER and an emergency cholecystectomy followed. He has had no issues since. We too have never smoked, do not drink alcohol, walk 5 miles a day and have always been in excellent health. This ulcerative colitis has been a nightmare and I am terrified of the biologics, but living like this sucks. Good luck to you! I’m sure some bloodwork and an ultrasound, CT scan or MRI would render a diagnosis! You’re young, and I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Good luck with the diagnosis and treatment!!

Hi @harper7745,

I'd sincerely encourage you to visit the Gastroenterology & GI Surgery Page on Connect, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/gastroenterology-and-gi-surgery/ – an incredible resource for information, current therapies, clinical trials, etc; you can also browse through newsfeed posts from Mayo Clinic experts. For instance, in this video, Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, Dr. Santhi Swaroop Vege M.D., shares how new treatment protocols for pancreatitis/pancreatic cancer are improving outcomes.
– Road to Early Diagnosis for Pancreatic Cancer https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/gastroenterology-and-gi-surgery/newsfeed-post/better-every-day-new-therapies-for-pancreatic-cancer/

I’m tagging @marvinjsturing @gaylea1 @destructiveforc as they might be able to share their insights and shed more light on your symptoms.

I am 26 years young, male. Not overweight, do not drink, smoke or do drugs. I have problems with digestion for the last few years, mostly with regards to fats. I can get floaty diarhea if I eat nothing but nuts, but if I mix it with protein and carbs, then I have more formed stools.

A week ago, I started getting stomach heaviness, indigestion, bloating, heartburn, a galore of symptoms all over the abdomen: left right, upper, down. It is not much better a week later, where almost any food triggers the symptoms. I feel the best when fasting. My stools are as always not looking good. I have a history of stomach, duodenum ulcers, and h pylori. Also have two gallbladder polyps with no stones.

What were the signs for your pancreas problem? Did you get immediate onset of pain, heartburn, aching, pushing, bloating, stretching feeling after meals? Did you get them randomly without any meals? I would just write this off as stomach ulcers but then I don't digest fat and lipase is what does that, produced by pancreas.

@harper7745 I am not sure how much I can add to this discussion because my 4 attacks of pancreatitis were about 20 years ago. I do know that there was no question about whether or not I had pancreatitis - the pain was excruciating (under the ribs on the right side and all the way through to my back). At that time, doctors did a blood test to check for amalayse levels to verify the diagnosis of pancreatitis. Hope that the specialist can find some answers for you.

Only pain I had was pain in upper rt. quad. and did not radiate. My amylase was fine, but lipase was 104. Also have yellow stools.
How did you manage to not have an attack for 20 years?

Hello @harper7745

While I have not had a diagnosis of pancreatitis, I do have some other problems with the pancreas and have had several digestive tract surgeries for other problems. I can understand the concerns that you speak of in that you do not have a good understanding of why the doctor is suggesting that you have pancreatitis. If that correct?

I am glad to hear that you have an upcoming appointment with a specialist on Aug. 1. If you prepare for this appointment with a list of your questions and concerns this will help you. I am reminded of a post on Connect about how to approach an appointment with a new specialist and I thought that some of the ideas might be helpful to you. Here is the link, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/your-tips-on-how-to-get-off-to-the-best-start-with-a-new-specialist/?pg=1#comment-240765

After you read the post on this link, then start your own list of things to discuss with this new doctor. At the appointment, take each of your questions one at a time and make sure that he or she answers each question so that you understand what is being said. Remember, you are their patient and it is important that the medical team communicate with you so that you understand what is happening.

Many of us on Connect have had difficult and/or hard to diagnose medical problems and we have learned to be our own advocate in our health care. Take time to educate yourself on pancreatitis and have your questions answered by this new doctor.

Will you post again and let me know how you are doing with this process?

I'm a 29 year old female , young mother of 2 , 14yrs & 10 yrs old .
Back in 2011 i was having sever abdominal pain , also couldn't eat anything without severe bloating or pain in my upper right quadrant abdomen . Saw 3 different GI specialists , all had different diagnosis's . Which i thought didn't make much sense to me . There was literally nothing i could do to convince these doctors the severity of my pain and discomfort . I kept telling them that i thought it was my gallbladder , but they told me otherwise , because i was " too young to have gallbladder issues ." Finally just ignored it and decided to just live with whatever it was and just go day by day . One day while driving to the gym , i drank my pre workout drink and was instantly in so much pain in my abdomen , that i ended up having shortness of breath and passing out at the wheel at a stop light , woke up in the hospital to them explaining to me that i need to go into emergency surgery to remove my gallbladder due to so many gallstones that it was overflowing into my abdomen making me very sick . Fast forward to about 6 months , started to have same like symptoms . But didn't see a doctor , thought i could wait and see what would happen . Tried all different kinds of diets . gluten free , vegan , keto etc .. at the time i competed in fitness , so my diet was very bland and every nutritional value , calorie intake , etc was counted and weighed , i ate every 3 hours or so drank 1-2 gallons of water a day for about 5 years .

Now February 2019 i started having same like symptoms , but worse . i weighed in about 162lbs , now remember i train and eat very strict constantly to up keep good health and body image , i'm 5'8" 162lbs 29 yr old female nice trim lean body . by April 2019 i weighed 122lbs , still training not as hard . current symptoms from February 2019 - CURRENT : Severe weight loss , no appetite , Vomiting , diarrhea ( greasy , about 4 times a day ) , sometimes my face skin looks pale / yellowish , severe abdominal bloating , shortness of breath , severe abdominal pain in upper right quadrant , fatigue , constant nausea , feel full after small meal to no meals at all , lingering pain in my right shoulder blade area , exhaustion , insomnia , shaking hands or sometimes my whole body trembles for hours , loss of focus or confusion . I'll go about 3 days without eating or if i do eat its no more then 500 calories a day , thats with 1 small meal or a protein shake or a couple snacks. body image i a lot different . Almost looks like my body was surviving off what body fat i had , also hair / eye lashes were shedding . I have a new GI doctor that i have been seeing for about 2 months . Bloodwork always looks odd , even from the start . Liver enzymes are always very elevated AST high 500's+ ALT high 600's+ . Did a breath test doctor said i tested positive for SIBO , put me on a course of antibiotics for 3 weeks . Scheduled a endoscopy/colonoscopy . When given directions to drink 3 oz of the liquid laxative 4 hours prior to procedure , 3 oz of liquid laxative 2 hours prior to procedure , i was only able to drink 2oz of the liquid laxative 4 hours prior to the procedure before having severe abdominal pain and bloating with shortness of breath . My husband took me to the hospital immediately ( 5am ) . Got to the hospital and they gave me fental IV and fluids . Did xrays and the doctor there told me he thought i may have a bowel obsruction so he ordered a CT Scan . CT scan came back normal . But he did explain that he was worried that since being at the hospital for 8 plus hours and haven't passed any of the laxative . My belly kept expanding and pain was still there , but sent me home once i felt " comfortable " . At about 2 am the next morning is when i started to pass the laxative out of both ends . Followed up with my GI doctor and rescheduled for the endoscopy since i refused colonoscopy due to being terrified to drink the laxative again . Endoscopy came back " normal " . Doctor said he is still concerned about weight loss / appetite loss . Retested the breath test for SIBO to see if the antibiotics cleared up the gut bacteria .

I'm at a loss of what to do , who to see , or what to expect . I've been told by many , talks of a clogged bile duct from removal of gallbladder and a stone has lodged itself . Form of liver disease/cancer . Form of pancreatic issues ..

Any advice or someone with the same issues ? would greatly appreciate any guidance or help . ( sorry for the long story )

You may want to go see a specialist. In my experience a CT scan or MRI cannot diagnose pancreatitis except if you have a pseudocyst caused by extremely high pancreatic enzyme levels for an extended period of time. Lipase levels of 104 are within the normal range. I'd go see a specialist to get clarification. Have you had your gallbladder removed?