Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Mesenteric Panniculitis

In December 2011 after 18/24 months of increasing severe abdominal pain and nausea my wife  (53 years of age) was diagnosed with Mesenteric Panniculitis, this was confirmed via abdominal MRI and then a laparoscopic biopsy.

Since then  (December 26th 2011) she has been on a treatment of high dose  Prednisone (commencing 50mg per day), while initially her symptoms decreased in severity, when the dosage is decreased the symptoms returned and she is now suffering significant and continuous pain and nausea. High dosage of panadine fort to cope with pain, zofram for nausea and several visits to out patients to receive treatment for pain.

The combination of continuous pain and severe nausea plus the side effects of the Prednisone (severe insomnia and facial swelling) are having a very debilitating impact on my wife's quality of life and state of mental health.

While she is seeing a specialist here in Sydney (who is prescribing this treatment), as this disease seems to be quite rare we would very much like to get another opinion on treatment and as a result I am trying to locate a specialist who has experience treating this condition.

Can you help me identify someone with experience in treating this disease?  
11 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
I am a 38 yrs female that recently got sick and couldn't keep anything down. I was told that I have MP. I am very nervous because I am a cancer surviour . I lost my mom to stomach cancer in 2012. Is there any advice anyone can give me.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi AusRon! I have a daughter with SM as well diagnosed at age 14.  She's had multiple bowel obstructions, etc. - ostomy placement now as many have - and on TPN dependency the last 2 years.  We have an ever growing support group with 94 members in it from all over the U.S. and other countries and 2 in Australia even!  :) Would love to have you.  My home email is lisas444 at yahoo and I can pass info on to you if anyone is interested!

Lisa
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
Lisa I am an English lady diagnosed with MR 4 years  ago  after trying lots of treatments nothing seems to work could do with some moral support my email is ***@****  thanks
Lisa I am an English lady diagnosed with MR 4 years  ago  after trying lots of treatments nothing seems to work could do with some moral support my email is ***@****  thanks
Avatar universal
I to have been diagnosed with MP, and have beep prescribed prednisone.  It has such severe side effects that I requested the doctor try something else.  I have been taking hydroxychloroquin.  That medication along with eating foods that fight inflammation have improved my life immensely.   Each morning I make a smoothie consisting of pineapple, blue berries, almond milk, yogurt  and banana to make it smooth.  As long as I stick to this diet most mornings and eat very little red meat, I get along very nicely.

It might not work for every one but works great for me, pain and bloating flare ups are kept to occasionally and if I treat them right they are gone in a couple of days.  

Good luck in finding what works best for you.  By the way I am a male of 75 years old.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have suffered with nausea, indigestion, bloating and feeling generally unwell for almost 5 years.  I repeatedly told my Dr that something was wrong and it felt like the lining of my abdomen was sick.  Back in January 2014, and quite by accident it was discovered that I had MP.  My family Dr sent me to a surgeon.  I went to see the surgeon in May.  He told me he wanted to do a laparascopy.  I agreed to this.  On June 20th I had the laparoscopy.  This was a Friday.  On Saturday, I was feeling terrible.  By Saturday night I was in extreme pain, I couldn't breathe, and my body was swelling.  I was rushed back to the hospital where I underwent emergency surgery.  The outcome has been horrible.  During the laparoscpy, the surgeon hit my bowel and it burst.  On Saturday night, I was sepsis.  They worked very hard to keep me alive in the OR and i spent 4 days in ICU before moving to a regular room in the hospital. I also have a colostomy.  I am happy to report that it is reversible in 3-6 months.  I have not gotten back my biospy results yet, so hopefully that isn't too bad.  I am very worried about all of this, and trying not to be angry.  I will not be healed completely no matter what they do, because I still have MP.   I hope this can be treated.  Very tired of feeling like this..  Thanks for listening.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have had meserteric panniculitis but is was atypical. It not well known to any doctor nor specailist due to its rarety. It normally has a protracted period of pain and involves a growth in the mesentry surrounding the small intestine.

It will sometimes respond to Tamoxifen, cyclophosphamide or thalidomide.

Unfortunately, in my case this disease caused fibrous encasement of the Sigmoid bowel. I wore a colostomy bag for three years as a Brisbane consultant said that surgical removal was not possibly because of excessive blood supply in the tissue. I later found a great Colo-Rectal surgeon in Hobart and he removed the bowel section then reconnected my plumbing.

My bowel has some issues caused by removal of 16cm but life is now generally pretty good.

My original pain onset in 2005 was extreme but very quick in that it developed over just one week.Morphine was required to keep it in check and I left hospital in early 2006 with a colostomy bag.  In hospital various pain killers, such as Endone, Oxycontin etc were trialed with only limited effect.

For what it is worth to others with this condition, and the  pain, I have found a drug that completely eliminates the pain. It can only be hospital supplied and is called Buprenorphine, trade name Temgesic.

If your guts are on fire because of this condition then Buprenorphine may assist you to have a good degree of normality. The only adverse side effect for me is premature fatigue.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I was recently diagnosed with mesenteric panniculitis.  Hopefully I can find a GI doctor to find the cause of this condition and not just to treat it.  There's a lot of serious and not so serious conditions that can cause this.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am a 55 year old male diagnosed with MP in October 2012. I was prescribed Prednisone 40mg a day for two months, 30mg for a month, 20 mg a month and 10 mg a month. Within a week after finishing the 10mg dosage I started suffering serious depression, severe headaches and considerable GI pain. My Primary Care Doctor had me take 5 mg for one week and 5 mg every other day for a week. I am also taking Colcrys -6 mg every day.
Since the weaning of the steroids many of the original symptoms of MP have started reoccurring including weight loss and severe GI pain. How common is the reoccurrence of MP after this treatment regiment? I am unable to get back into my GI doctor until the end of March.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi, thanks for taking the time to share your experience and thoughts. Will talk about some of this with her specialist next week.

all the best.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Appreciate your comments.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm sorry to hear your wife has been having such troubles.  I, too, have battled with messenteric panniculitis, so I can definitely relate to the pain and misery she's going through.

Most definitely have her see a GI doc if she's not already doing so.  And also getting a rheumatologist involved might be a good idea.  I say that, because when I was diagnosed, my GI doc told me that MP typically is found in either a certain type of cancer or in lupus.  So if she hasn't already been tested for lupus, I'd suggest requeesting that she be tested.

Unfortunately, the "typical" treatment of steroids, pain meds and anti-nausea meds do quite often end up causing some more problems than helping sometimes.  Mostly due to the steroids - as your wife is experiencing, they can and do have some pretty severe side effects.  Sometimes, as mentioned by mammo, a combination of other immunosupprssents, such as Imuran, Methotrexate, etc., along with the steroids will permit her dose of the prednisone to be able to be lowered, thus lowering the side effects.

It may also help (it did for me) for her to stay on a liquid diet for a while to give her insides a chance to settle down some, as well as it may help reduce the nausea.  There's been a couple of times even that I've had to be hospitalized due to my MP and have had to be put on TPN - I don't remember the exact name of it, but it's nutritional feeding through an IV (not a naso gastric tube)

If your wife is having an especially hard time, you may want to ask her doctor if they could possible put her in the hospital for a few days - for IV hydration, better pain control, etc. and if necessary, the TPN feedings.  It's easier, of course, to stay off food or on a liquid diet if you're in the hospital receiving an IV - at least that way she is still receiving fluids to avoid dehydration while at the same time resting her stomach and other internal organs - as well as they are quite often better able to control pain and nausea through IV meds as opposed to oral meds.

I hope you find some answers soon and that she starts to feel better real soon.  I know it's not much help, but let her know I truly DO know how she feels and what she's going through - it's NO FUN AT ALL!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I can't give you any doctors' names but a Gastroenterologist is the most qualified for treating your wife's condition.  If she is already seeing one...a second opinion is very much needed.  There are varying degrees and types of Mesenteric Panniculitis so knowing exactly what type she has allows the doctor to properly treat her. Treatment may include steroids, immune suppressants, such as cyclophosphamide or azathioprine, hormonal treatments, such as progesterone or tamoxifen, or antibiotics. I would definitely get a second opinion on this, I learned the hard way how important this is.  I wish you and your wife all the best and I hope you find another doctor who is more knowledgeable.  Take care.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Gastroenterology Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Learn which OTC medications can help relieve your digestive troubles.
Is a gluten-free diet right for you?
Discover common causes of and remedies for heartburn.
This common yet mysterious bowel condition plagues millions of Americans
Don't get burned again. Banish nighttime heartburn with these quick tips
Get answers to your top questions about this pervasive digestive problem