pancreatitis

Ive been sick since 2004,at first the doctors were saying it was chronic pancreatitis,then they were saying it wasnt,what do you think it could be...ive had all the test you could possibly think of,ive been in the hospital over 50 times,ive had my gallbladder removed because they thought that was the reason for my pancreatitis,ive had stints placed in my pancreas,ive had so many iv's that i dont have any veins left in my hands,arms,or feet so they gave my a port which got infected so they had to remove it  so now when i have to go to the hospital they put them in my neck or i have to have a central line...everyday i have nausea and vomiting,diarrhea along with fainting spells when i eat it makes me hurt worst...can you please tell me what this sounds like to you cause its taking a toll on my body and i need some help...thank you

[wisern]

You probably do have pancreatitis. So little is actually known about this disease. The doctors probably say it is not pancreatitis because your pancreatic enzymes are not elevated. What noone seems to realize is they may not be elevated even during a pancreatitis attack. The enzymes elevate in the bloodstream when the ducts are blocked and the enzymes cannot reach the first part of the small intestine (duodenum). My theory is that partially occluded ducts will cause severe pain and subacute symptoms without causing elevated levels in the bloodstream because the enzymes are not totally blocked. If you have ever had an acute attack of pancreatitis, there may be some residual pancreatic damage that is causing your symptoms. Another possibility is sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. In this condition, the sphincter of Oddi spasms and causes severe pain. It can result in blockage in the pancreatic and/or common bile ducts.