Late onset idiopathic CP: your experience

I'm 54 and was just diagnosed with probable idiopathic or genetic pancreatitis, based on a severely low fecal elastase. No history alcohol abuse. It was part of a work up to evaluate alternating constipation/diarrhea I've had for at least 30 years and was diagnosed as IBS previously. I am awaiting imaging.

Thus far, I've never had pain except for a mild, chronic right upper abdominal one that lasted several months and finally disappeared on its own in 2017. An ultrasound at that time showed normal liver, gallbladder, and pancreas (the part they could see). It was blamed on fatty liver. My upcoming CT will show more, but i understand that you can have this condition even with normal imaging.

I would appreciate hearing from people with a similar CP profile: non-alcoholic, late onset, little or no pain, no diabetes. Did you end up developing pain? Diabetes? Is your quality of life okay? I'm at a point where I'm nearly asymptomatic except for diarrhea but don't know how long we stay that way.

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