Digestive enzyme confusion
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hi guys,
I have chronic pancreas ti tis even though it's not clear why and they don't find anything on blood works or CT Scan.
Well I'm prescribed c r eon 1 0. 0 0 0,
I emailed the company but didn't get any replies.
I was wondering if I have to take the enzymes when I wanna take some protein shakes with no fat, and how to gain weight? Please ) :
Oh BTW, anyone has had any good results with M CT OILS? Thanks
0 likes, 7 replies
kluesy nickyyy
Posted
First, nobody on here is a Dr. and you should get advice from he or she about dosage with meals.
From what I have read, considering you actually do have CP, you should take Creon with every meal and also snacks. The pancreas puts out enzymes for digestion carbs and protein, as well as fat, however it's the fat that makes it work the hardest (lipase). Based on this, you would want to take the enzymes with the shakes, but maybe not as much. Your Dr. should have advised you on this.
MCT oils are the best fat to eat, as they are the easiest for the body to break down and they do not tax the pancreas (needing lipase). I have also found that almond milk and veggie fats go easier on me. I no longer eat beef or any red-meat, as these can cause pain.
I found when I went on a low-fat diet (less than 20-30 grams a day), took enzymes with every meal, and took daily antioxidants, I had minimal to no pain and stayed at a steady weight. However, my Dr. thinks I have early/mild CP (not detectable on CT or MRCP), so this is probably why I can control it somewhat with this approach. There are some new studies that suggest this combination can help with pain management (and maybe even disease progression?).
In any case, I suggest to contact your Dr. and get their opinion.
Doublej29 kluesy
Posted
Great note, Kluesy . I wasn't aware of MCT oils being easier on the pancreas. Thank you for that info. For me, it's always good to hear what may be helping / working for other folks, given many of us don't have a lot of success with the medical community. I definitely try to work hand in hand with my doctor but also appreciate anything I can take away from communities like this. Thanks again for the note, Kleusy.
Good luck to you, Nickyyy.
Thanks,
Jj
nickyyy kluesy
Posted
Hi there,
Thanks for your reply.
Well, the fact is that my doctor tells me that I should be taking just one or two caps for whole day, like she doesn't want me to take enzymes, like seriously I know my body, if I don't take enzymes I get diarrhea and etc. She refused to give me enzymes for months, so I bought them on Amazon but I wanted to try something more medical, so I talked to her again and she prescribed me c r eon ten k. She's so skeptical I can't help it. The fact is that I don't know how many caps I should take for like fifty grams of protein. I feel so disappointed ):
I've tried MCT oil in the past. Didn't feel anything in particular.
I suppressed my inflammation by taking grape seed and grapefruit seed ex tracts. I've no pain. Sometimes I eat pizza and I don't feel so bad tbh. I wish there was a way out. I've always struggled to gain weight so now it's even harder.
After losing my weight she told me that I'd not be able to gain any weights BUT I'VE GAINED 6 KGS of lean muscle. Docs are just CLUELESS.
Hey jj, thanks (:
I wish I had such relationship with my doc.
laci06 kluesy
Posted
How did they diagnose you? Would you mind sharing? I thought that it if is not detectable on CT (or on something else), then they cannot diagnose CP.
kluesy laci06
Posted
they are going on symptoms, my response to a low fat diet and pancreatic enzymes, and the fact they have ruled out everything else- similar to the OP. The average time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis via CT or MRCP is over 50 months, so it usually takes years before damage is bad enough or for there to be anything show up on those scans, such as stones and stricture or dilation/blockage of the main pancreatic duct.
the next step would have been for me to have a EUS to look for mild changes to the small side-branching ducts in the pancreas, but i stopped the tests after 2 years and 15k later with no gallbladder. my family and I were loosing our minds, so i decided to just accept it and adjust my lifestyle in a major way (no/low fat, no alcohol, no caffeine, enzymes, antioxidants). i typically eat a different meal than my family, that way they can still eat "normal" food. i haven't had cheese, anything fried, alcohol, or caffeine in over a year now.
one of the biggest challenges in the medical community is trying to diagnose CP early. although my damage is not bad enough for a CT scan to show, I'm still going to follow my strict diet and hope i can delay progression, as my current approach keeps me mostly pain free. however, i am always one mistake away from failing back into that terrible pain and nausea. sometimes i think i have "healed" and i have a mildly high fat meal only to find the pain and nausea to come roaring back...
Su2 nickyyy
Posted
Hi
have you seen a dietician? I wanted to reduce my blood sugar (prediabetes). The dietician was really helpful and I dropped back into normal range using their guidance, also lost weight. Maybe a dietician could help with information on the creon.
Due to a number of conditions I have raised inflammatory markers all the time, one in particular is most likely the culprit for my gastritis and other digestive track issues. I was advised to drop the 'nightshade' foods plus avoid garlic and onion, much as I like them, they do provoke flares. Food can be friend or foe with inflammation. Likewise supplements.
I'm not a medical person, so I can't offer advice, just some ideas.
If you are struggling to gain weight or improve muscle tissue have you asked if you could be referred to an endocrinologist? Some of my problems have stemmed from metabolic conditions. Hope you can find the right specialist to get you the answers, doctors in general practice don't have the in depth knowledge unless it's something that interests them or it's their specialism. If the test results don't show anything clear but you have symptoms, it's the doctor's job to put you on to someone with the specialist knowledge. I got fed up of being fobbed off because I was a mystery, loads of symptoms, results and tests showing something was wrong but they couldn't work out what it was. I was misdiagnosed for years. One appointment with a very experienced Rheumatologist, I was correctly diagnosed and suddenly my weird medical history made sense.
nickyyy Su2
Posted
Hi there.
Thanks for your reply, tbh I can't afford such visits I've made it clear to my doc that I don't feel like I'm absorbing my food and etc but it's like I'm inventing my symptoms 😞
I totally feel lost, because I do wanna eat more because I'm hungry all the time, when I eat high protein meal I feel full for a good time but it's like I'm not digesting my food well because I've like loose stools not so lose but they attack to the toilet, I hope you get what I mean.