Wellness

[MommaNJ629]

I have bad case. I'm 35. I drink maybe once in 2 months. They are calling it "idiopathic" but boy does it hurt. It's really the worst pain I ever felt in middle to left. I'm on day 6 and it's still not done. I can barely eat. I still have pain.

[Kachina624]

Whatever is causing such pain would force me to consider laying off of it 100%.  Hope you feel better soon.

[Nonametoday]

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@MommaNJ629 wrote:
I have bad case. I'm 35. I drink maybe once in 2 months. They are calling it "idiopathic" but boy does it hurt. It's really the worst pain I ever felt in middle to left. I'm on day 6 and it's still not done. I can barely eat. I still have pain.

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I have had pancreatitis since I was 10 years old.  I have pancreas divisum.  If you drink at al, you are shortening your life span.  I have problems eating many, many foods and surely you must know that if certain foods bother a person who has pancreatitis, alcohol can be fatal,  I had a good friend whose son died of alcoholic pancreatitis and a nephew.  The son of friend was 48 and the nephew was 31.  Stop.  Once a month or so is too often if you have pancreatitis.  

[AngelPuppy1]

@MommaNJ629

I am so sorry to hear that you are sick with this.  Does drinking cause pancreatitis?  I did not know that.  I thought they did not know what caused it.  I heard the pain is terrible.  Can they give you something for it to heal it and help with the pain?  I hope you feel better very soon.  Please take good care and let us know how you are doing.  

[abfromtx]

My husband has chronic pancreatitis for about 17 yrs. docs. Last year had him start taking enzymes every time he eats anything. He takes Pancrese but their are others too. If money is an issue ask your doctor for samples. This is not a cheap med but it does keep him comfortable . We noticed when he tries to cut back or skip around ( ugggh! ) that he has an attack so it Definately helps. Ask your doc to try you on some samples. Might help you as it does him. It is designed to help your pancreas to digest food. Relieving the stress off the pancreas. Hope this helps.

[Lorik62]

My husband has had two pancreatitis attacks that were so bad he had to be hospitalized. He doesn't drink and they were unable to pinpoint what caused them each time. 

[MKR14]

@MommaNJ629 I am sorry about your problem with this. The other posters are correct about alcohol and staying away from it. They found I had pancreas division when I had my first ERCP.(Pancreas division is when you are born you have two ducts to your pancreas that are suppose to go into one before being born. When it doesn't neither one will be working properly.) When I was 52 at the time (now 66) and I never had a problem until then. In fact I had never heard of it. The gastroenterologist doctor thought I had gallstones left in the duct from a previous surgery. She sent me to another gastroenterologist that did the ERCP with ultrasound in another hospital as my local hospital didn't do it there. He is excellent and probably saved my life. He did the ERCP with u/s a few days later  to put a stent in one of my ducts as neither was working correctly. I never got a stent but he removed a fatty tumor near the pancreas no one else had seen.  I have been on Creon 24,000 units since then. Creon is a drug that you take whenever you eat a meal or a snack as my body can not break down fats due to the pancreas not working correctly.I  have had several ERCP's with u/s and also had biliary and pancreatic sphincterotomy surgery ( a muscle they cut near the pancreas  that was causing back pain). My back pain was instantly gone and never returned since that surgery. I never drank, I never smoked and always ate healthy but I had this anyways. I have a pretty strick diet staying away from fatty food and acid foods. The pain from pancreatitis is more than one can take sometimes and I am doing my best to avoid the pain coming back. When people offered me something I can't have I just pass on it as I know the kind of pain it can bring on. I am seeing my gastroenterologist today for my regular check-up. He keeps an eye on me and my weight also. I always have blood work before I go to watch the Amylase and Lipase levels. They can be normal and still have a flare-up. Please take this seriously as the pain will not go away without you doing what they tell you. Ask for a diet from your own doctor and follow it faithfully. Did I like to do this? Heck no. I love to eat but after you change it you will be ok. Here is the link that may help.

https://www.pancreasfoundation.org/ercp-endoscopic-retrograde-cholangiopancreatography/

[Moonchilde]

Misleading to lay the blame for pancreatitis solely on alcohol. My elderly mother had it twice, was hospitalized both times, and it certainly wasn't from alcohol. There are other causes - gallstones, smoking, some medications (most medications for type 2 diabetes are suspects), family history, overactive thyroid, to name a few. The Mayo Clinic says alcoholism is the leading cause of pancreatitis, not having a very occasional drink.

Of course the OP will avoid alcohol now that she's had pancreatitis and is at risk in future, but to postulate that her occasional drink is the *cause* of her current pancreatitis is stretching it. I also take the OP at her word that she's a very occasional drinker because so far I have no reason not to take her at her word.

Idiopathic, BTW, means the doctors do not know the cause in her case.

[MKR14]

@Moonchilde There are many causes of diseases and it usually not just one thing.

All I can say is what my problem with getting it is. I don't see how an occasional drink would do this unless it is what set an attack off due to the pancreas already

being inflammed. The Pancreas Foundation has good information but your own doctor will make the correct treatment plan. It is informative on how each came about for others.

[Kardi]

Right

 on, Moonchild!  My son-in-law has had recurrent idiopathic pancreatitis and liver problems.  He experiences great pain and loses 20 pounds in just a couple of weeks, weight he doesn't need to lose, by the way.  There are many causes for these problems and assuming it is a drinking issue is doing the afflicted a disservice.  Reminds me of years gone by when HIV positive people were all assumed to be morally loose homosexuals.