Do I have Pancreatitis?

Have you got a second opinion? If you haven't gone to a good GI doctor find one. Something doesn't sound right. Pancreatitis is excess enzymes getting into your blood. CT and MRI can't measure that. However it can see if you have defects in the pancreas and bile ducts. But even if you have defects doesn't mean you have pancreatitis

Yes GB was removed 6 years ago. Went to see a specialist yesterday. He said I have pancreatitis. Put me on steroids for 2 weeks and wants a repeat MRI. I don't feel like I have pancreatitis. I really don't have symptoms of it, but the EUS showed that I did have it.

Your symptoms sound like pancreatitis (chronic) or bile duct problems. I have pancreatitis and my pain was upper rt. quadrant. Don't have many other signs, but one of my pancreatic enzymes were elevated. I had a CT of abdomen, and MRI of pancreas. Both showed acute pancreatitis. I was not getting better, so they did an EUS which is an endoscopy hooked up to an US machine. He saw the head of pancreas was enlarged..took a biopsy and it came back as no cancer. This test also shows liver, abdomen, duodenum, bile ducts and especially looks for cancer. I would ask your doctor if he can do one of them. Good luck~

Your symptoms sound like pancreatitis (chronic) or bile duct problems. I have pancreatitis and my pain was upper rt. quadrant. Don't have many other signs, but one of my pancreatic enzymes were elevated. I had a CT of abdomen, and MRI of pancreas. Both showed acute pancreatitis. I was not getting better, so they did an EUS which is an endoscopy hooked up to an US machine. He saw the head of pancreas was enlarged..took a biopsy and it came back as no cancer. This test also shows liver, abdomen, duodenum, bile ducts and especially looks for cancer. I would ask your doctor if he can do one of them. Good luck~

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?

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 )

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?

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?