Chronic Pancreatitis

Welcome @forrestj. I moved your question about chronic pancreatitis to this discussion of the same name:
- Chronic Pancreatitis: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chronic-pancreatitis/

I did this so you can read the previous posts and connect with other members like @gimess @christopher40 @cehunt57 @harper7745 @ladyaceintx1 @judyashby111 and others.

What pain management have your doctors suggested?

Thank you. I didn't see the chronic pancreatitis group. I'm on pain management for compression fractures of my T11, T12 and L1 vertebrae so I've been on pain meds for quite a while before I realized that I've been experiencing significant pain in my upper back due to pancreatic attacks. He has me on Norco 10mg/325mg acetaminophen and 500mg of Robaxin as well. We switch up the Norco with Percocet every couple of months due to becoming tolerant to them. I've never experienced pain as bad as I have with pancreatitis in my life. Wishing I knew of a way out of it.

It your fracture ok now . I have compression fractured the spinal too . Like you in July 2022 and I took Tylenol 500 mg 3 times a day plus oxycon
My fracture are ok now but I have so much pain in my upper back.

Good luck

My compression fractures aren't healing and I actually have one more since they were first diagnosed last year with the L1 vertebrae now. All due to osteoporosis brought on by malnutrition, vitamin and mineral deficiency from a roux n y gastric bypass 23 years ago.

@forrestj it can be especially difficult when you have more that 1 ailment going on (the pancreatitis and the fractures). Make sure your providers all know your diagnoses, meds and treatments. This way unpleasant interactions &/or contraindications can be avoided. You want to be certain that everyone is on the same page.

Thank you. My pain management doctor just heard about my pancreatitis diagnosis this past month. Now I have two significant pains causing problems in my body. He kept the same prescription going even though I told him that my pain level has doubled over the last couple of months. Maybe a new pain management specialist even though they're few and far between.

Have the doctors mentioned anything about managing the swelling of the pancreas with diet? I don’t have a definitive diagnosis but have had all sorts of pain with my back and under ribs this year. Scan after scan keeps coming back normal, though mrcp showed iron deposition over liver and pancreas. I am currently on nortriptyline for the shooting nerve pain in my back and ribs. Its not helping very much with the aching back pain though. Doing physical therapy also no help so far. The days when I eat the least are my best relatively pain free days, but I cant keep losing weight, that’ll put me in the hospital too!

@missingthebeach welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I’m not aware of particular dietary recommendations in regards to pancreatitis. I think the first priority is to manage the pain associated with it, treat the cause, then work on diet. I could be wrong about that, but that was the process for folks that I’ve known who have had pancreatitis. I’ve wondered about it for myself a couple of times. I’ve had severe abdominal pain that went through to my back and the first thing were tests (scans & lab work) to rule out pancreatitis. It turned out I had other GI diagnoses (gastroparesis and diverticulitis) that required different treatments involving dietary considerations. But don’t you think it is important to get a “definitive diagnosis” first? Once you know what you’re dealing with your Drs can recommend appropriate treatment including pain management and beneficial dietary interventions.

I have seen five gastroenterologists that have no idea whats causing my pain and have had every test done on all my organ functions, hydascan, cts, mrcp, and mri of the back. I am suspecting chronic pancreatis in its early stages but nothing points to that except the area the pain is coming from and the fact that its primarily present when I start eating for the day and gets worse as the day goes on. I have pretty much have give up at this point 🙁