How to gain weight with chronic pancreatitis???

A very well written reply which stated that its different for different individuals. Basically you have to monitor that what you eat before getting a pancreatic attack and try to eliminate it from your diet. I'm dealing with chronic pancreatitis since 10 years and I am 21 now, i have a condition called pancreatic conjunctive anomaly which is caused by the SPINK 1 mutation.

All I can suggest you is to keep your weight above 125-130 lbs and don't take any aggressive actions (i.e. doing overeating to gain weight) as it can cause another pancreatic attack and believe me that each pancreatic attack causes damage to your pancreas. Try to limit the number of pancreatic attacks that you get in a year at 1 or 2 at the most.

The diet which works for me is a sort of vegan diet because I have noticed that most of my pancreatic swelling were caused just a day after i had milk, cottage cheese and chicken; you might have it now and then but in very small portions.

Never eat till you are full always eat 50% of your capacity in one sitting and the other 50% after 2-3 hours and hence have 5-6 meals in a day with enzymes as prescribed by your doctor.

Above everything stay mentally strong, just 2-3 years ago I was in a very bad mental state because the process of putting on weight to look healthy after every pancreatic inflammation seemed too redundant, but have faith in yourself only we can understand our body.

Here is what my diet includes : Wheat flat breads, fruits (2 bananas daily and a portion of papaya as papaya contains natural enzymes), fruit juice 1 glass with 1tsp protein powder (make sure that its vegetable based protein powder instead of milk), vegetables, eggs, yogurt, lentil soups, dry fruits, multigrain biscuits, rice.

If you follow all of this and still get more than 2 pancreatic attacks per year then discuss with your doctor about invasive methods (stint insertion or pancreaticoduodenectomy).

Lastly, as soon as you feel a slight discomfort in your abdomen; get your blood tested for serum Lipase and Amylase count.

Hope this was helpful as I have tried to tell you everything that I have learned and experienced in last 10 years. Looking forward to your responses 😃

Thanks for the information. I'll check it out.

Thank you for your post. I am in constant pain. With chronic it never really heals does it? This is so hard to figure all out.... 😦

I lost about the same amount in a matter of months … I used to struggle with weight loss and now I’m struggling with weight gain.  Are the shakes you drink lactose free? I have a problem with milk products. 

I think I looked into these before... Don't they have a lot of fat in them???

can you give me the number please.

Hi Angela if you get referred to dietician off ur doctor they will give you proper protien drinks on prescription the correct ones for your bmi don't buy online there so expensive x they can be the wrong ones too, you can get them for free due to your condition I have pancreatitus I am on 5 different ones a day x still eat your body looses muscle x you need the drinks to stop the muscle wasting getting any worse ensure Compact x fresubin 2kcal are the best x taste yummy too, good luck

hi please could u tell me name of milkshake my mum was 10 stone she is now 4 stone tryed everything wana give this ago x

hello, thanks for sharing your post. i would be interested in learning the name of this weight gain product from Nestle please.

Thank you

Normally you have to have an acute attack before you become chronic. There's some cases like me where I was diagnosed chronic but it was because I was born with two pancreatic ducts and it caused CP. However, it's not common for a person to have CP unless there's a family history, cystic fibrosis or Pancreas Divsium if you're not elderly. From what my pancreas specialist advised me, one acute attack can lead to chronic but each individual is different. It also takes years upon years to become chronic. I'm still young (I was 37 when diagnosed) and I was stumping the doctors because of my age since it's that uncommon.

I'm very scared as I'm undiagnosed....I have all the symptoms of chronic but was never acute......God help me

Try not to stress because stressing won't help you. It took my doctors over a year to diagnose me and I was born with a pancreas condition. The pancreas is the hardest organ to diagnose due to its location and there's many medical conditions that mimic pancreatic symptoms. Stay away from Dr Google … you need a CT or MRCP to really look at the pancreas. In the meantime, start eating six small meals rather than three big ones (easier for the stomach to digest) follow a low fat/carb lifestyle and start journaling your symptoms (it'll help a GI or pancreas specialist diagnose what's going on with you). I have to have my pancreas removed, you can live without a pancreas nowadays … don't allow the internet to consume your life/fears. Stay away from alcohol and if you're feeling pain, rest your pancreas. You do that by not eating solid foods for a couple days, stick to broth and tons of water. After a couple days start introducing bland foods and if there's still debilitating pain after eating, keep resting your pancreas. I will state, if it is your pancreas, the pain is so severe it'll send you to the emergency room. It's not something (if acute) the body is used to and normally needs medication only a hospital can give you. Even with chronic I still make trips to the ER because I can't control the pain at home. I eat oranges (not the juice, there's too much sugar) to help with inflammation and take Tylenol but no Motrin is allowed in my case. We are all unique and will feel symptoms differently but only a specialist can diagnose you.

Thanks Shortie....

I'm losing lots of weight as I'm not eating much as it makes my stomach gurgle and twitch on the left hand side even though I'm eating low fat food.....I have back pain behind pancreas with a slight discomfort under front ribs......I never had acute....that's what worries me....

I'm constantly thinking I'm not going to be here much longer.......I'm always in pain.....my wife says she doesn't know who iam anymore because I have changed......I'm in agony......I'm afraid of what the doctor will tell me......I wont be able to go on after that......I pray a lot for God to heal me......God Bless us all......

You won't get better unless you go to the doctors. Furthermore, just because you feel pain in one area doesn't mean it's your pancreas, it can be your gallbladder or liver. You might have a stone blocking a bile duct … it's an easy fix. I wouldn't think the worse … what good does that do? We weren't designed to worry/stress, we were designed to live. There's life without a pancreas nowadays. Mine will be removed since I have undergone about 10 surgeries/procedures but it didn't help my narrow ducts and they kept clogging causing attacks. It's out of my control but what I can control is my sanity. I try and distract my mind with whatever makes me happy and keep a positive outlook. I have multiple medical conditions to deal with but I know things could always be worse. I look for the positive in everything. I hope you go to the doctors and get answers.

I got my problem diagnosed by Dr. Nageshwar Reddy who is the best Pancreas specialist in Asia. He practices in AIG Hospital, Hyderabad , India look it up in Google as I would strongly suggest you to visit it which will in turn be a cheaper yet better option than many.

i am with you 100%! i am so scared to get the official diagnosis and all that comes with it i feel worse every day and just feel,like there is no way out for me. i cant eat cant sleep. i have had 2 ct scans in the ER in the past 6 months that show nothing. i finally researched out a pancreas specialist and have a video appt with him tomorrow. i think the shame of bringing this disease on myself by drinking too often is just unbearable. how are all of you dealing with that? i know this hideous disease is mostly caused by alcohol. i just feel like the only relief i get is when i am sleeping and that is only with the help of sleeping pillls.