Do I have Pancreatitis?

Thank you. Very informative readings. No unfortunately all his family dr said was to go on a low fat diet. If he wanted to speak with a dietitian he was on his own. No referral. Tbh kinda p o’d with fam dr. Very frustrating. So contacted a dietitian but hubby is not confident in her ability with regards to pancreatitis. She is not specified in pancreatitis.

I have had pancreatitis- acute and more chronic- after gallbladder removal.
I learned the hard way what fats I did not tolerate. Pork, olive oil, butter cream on cakes etc. I also always ask for dressing/sauce on the side.
Amanda’s links are very helpful.
I hope you will find a Nutritionist that you are comfortable with.

Thanks for your reply. Once you have chronic pancreatitis and the inflammation goes away do you know if you can still damage the pancreas?

Hello @jojo19

I can appreciate your concern for your husband's eating given his history of pancreatitis. I went to the National Pancreas Foundation website and they had a wealth of information, including Pancreatic Centers of Excellence where you can find a good doctor to advise you. Under the "Patient Information" tab there is nutritional advice and recipes as well. Here is a quote from that section:

"The amount of fat you should eat varies depending on your weight and height, but for an average person, it is felt that you should not consume more than 50 grams of fat a day. Fat intake could range between 30-50 grams of fat, depending on tolerance. Daily fat consumption should not be concentrated in one meal but spread throughout the day in possibly 4-6 small meals. Eating boneless chicken breasts and most fish helps keep your meals low in fat. Cooking with Pam or any cooking spray instead of oils also helps. You can add fat-free chicken broth when you need moisture."

I would encourage you to look through their website for more information about this disorder. Is your husband seeing a GI specialist who works primarily with pancreas problems?

Thanks for your reply Theresa. At the moment we are looking into finding a specialist. It’s not something easily done. Hopi g once we contact them our questions will get answered. I’ll check out the NPA. Thanks again!

My sig other was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis about a year ago after 3.5 years of being sick. we called the attacks episodes for lack of what the problem was. Had an acute attack which looked like all his other times except his lipase went up. Usually its normal or only slightly elevated. White blood cell counts go up, calcium goes up abs and neuts. go up. The lactate goes above 2 which is supposed to indicate an organ not functioning properly. Hospitalized 3 times last year for dehydration and kidneys. The more dehydrated he gets the sicker he is. Everything seems normal unless he's in a flare. MRI showed a tortuous pancreatic duct and slightly dilated duct. EUS seemed normal. HIDA scan showed a normally functioning gall bladder. He has daily nausea sometimes vomiting but the sweats that come out of nowhere and drench him in seconds are bizzar. Anyone experience this? I haven't found any articles. He did go through about 9 months where he passed out 6 times. Heart tests were all fine. Has had diarrhea since it began light colored, oily. ER docs don't like to listen when you tell them what works for the pain. In the beginning they treated him like a drug addict. The routine is the same every time so we try to skip a few steps and tell them. Anyone have any of these experiences. Feel like we're fighting an uphill battle. Kinda is. I know it wont get better but his quality of life suffers and he tries so hard to keep going. Next step is Enzymes. Need to find a way to get the cost down. He doesn't have insurance yet. They are expensive. Anyone use over the counter? like a quality one on line? Thanks for any help or opinions anyone has.

My lipase was 490 back on March5th after having little alcohol and fatty food a night. It came down to 28 normal level in 30 hours.I did not have any abdominal pain during admission and US was ok.all blood works returned to normal in 30 hours.the doctors said its not pancreatitis and discharged.after 3 weeks I have gastric pains persistent but manageable.any thoughts???

Gastric pains remains since a month now.morning fine and evenings pain and sometimes evening fine and morning pain.

You might want to get an endoscopy and biopsy for h pylori. Also kidney disease can cause high lipase because it’s cleared in the kidneys

Hello Muthaiah. I have had similar, but chronic symptoms as you have described. The intensity can be more episodic. I am interested in what you find out about yours, if you decide to share. I have to wait until July to get into gastroenterology. Have you heard of Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction? It might be a direction to look at. I am hoping for an endoscopy to clarify the source of my symptoms, and maybe resolution or strategies to deal with the pain and nausea, and inability to digest certain food groups. I will be watching for any information here. Thankyou and good luck!!!