Mild Pancreatitis

[Sev2009]

I was diagnosed with mild pancreatitis over 4 years ago it is on going.  I currently still am experiencing slight pain on my right side.  I have been seen by a GI doctor and a CT Scan, Ultra sound, MRCP have been performed.  No issues have been found, I asked if it could be cancer and was told no tumors or cist we found wehn reviewing the xrays. We then tried to stop my BP meds thinking they could be the cause, but I could not stay off of them long enough to make a determination.  I did have a drinking problem a few years back but I seem to have that under control.  To the point I only have 1 to 2 drinks a month.  I do have diabettes and I am Metformin to control it.

What else could be the cause?

[CalGal]

Kspur, I'd be glad the discuss autoimmune pancreatitis, however since your husband just had his GB removed in Feb., and autoimmune pancreatits is typically diagnosed after on-going problems with repetitive bouts of pancreatitis, it may be a bit premature to think that that might be the issue. A more typical problem is that some stones or sludge might escape into the common bile duct during surgery and cause problems. Or in some cases the common bile duct can spasm and that can result in a backup of bile and pancreatic fluids and that is result in pancreatitis.

I know your both probably worried about money, but at the very least he should get his liver and pancreatic enzyme levels checked. If the pancreatic enyme levels are high, he may have to consider seeing a doc. I hate to say that, but believe me you do not want his pancreas impacted in any adverse manner. If you think it's mild pancratitis, he should follow the same diet he did when he had pancreatitus in the past, and then slowly add back also using digestive enzymes to give his system some help.

In autoimmune pancreatitis, once diagnosed the treatment is basically steroids/corticosteroids which can help.

And since he's just had his GB out, he shoudl be following a low fat diet. In many individuals, they can have problems digesting fats due to a lack of bile release 'regulation.' It can cause a variety of symptoms. It can take awhile for a person's system to adjust and following a low fat diet can help in some cases.

[kspur]

Please tell me about autoimmune pancreatitus. I've never heard of it. My husband had acute pancreatitus in Feb. He has not had any alcohol since 1976, but he had a lot of gallstones, so they took out his gallbladder. He had similar symptoms this past week, but not nearly as bad as Feb. He refused to go to the doctor, because he has no job and we have huge medical bills, mostly for me. He insists that it was something he ate, but he was more sick than he ever has been when he just ate something that disagreed with him. His symptoms were so much like the pancreatitus, just not as severe. Do you have any words of wisdom for me? Thank you.

[CalGal]

Make sure you're checked for autoimmune pancreatitis. In addition, since you have diabetes, rule out the possibility of celiac disease. Research has suggested that there could be a tie-in between diabetes and celiac disease in some cases.