Possible pancreatitis?? Really need some advice...
Posted , 9 users are following.
Hi everyone,
About 3 months ago I had a burning/gnawing pain in my upper abdomen that was building up slowly in intensity. About 15 minutes into it i had severe diarrhea and vomiting and shortly after i felt fine and went to bed. About a week after that i experienced a similar situation....abdominal pain/slow burn followed by diarrhea and vomiting...about an hr later, i was fine. I called the dr after this second instance and he thought it was a bug. Fast forward another week and i had a similar situation (I had 2 beers this Friday night). This time i went to the ER as i knew something was up. bloodwork had my lipase levels at a little under double the upper limit. Also did an ultrasound, but couldn't see the pancreas due to gas. Ive had 2 other attacks since then...diarrhea, vomiting and then feel fine after about an hour or two.
Since my hospital visit, I've had a CT, MRCP, HIDA scan, and blood drawn 4 times all have come back normal, however the MRCP did show possible wall thickening of the small bowel.
since my hospital visit (3rd supposed attack) I've cleaned up my diet (chicken, fish, farro, overnight oats, fruits and vegs). As far as drinking goes, I'm a social drinker that goes out friday for 3 or 4 beers, however I haven't had a drop since the ER, but still had 2 episodes.
A couple of other things:
- these "attacks" have happened either at 11 (ish) pm or 6 am.
- I've had bloating and dull pain that moves around in my upper abdomen and has traveled to my back on a couple of instances.
- I've noticed that my stools have been floating occasionally with air bubbles coming out. Also noticed mucus on my stool as well this week. color and consistency seem ok.
My Dr seems to think it is not pancreatitis while my gastro hasn't been able to say for sure.Going for a 2nd opinion in 2 weeks.
Does pancreatitis pain only last for a couple of hours during a flare up?
Can other gastro issues slightly raise lipase levels? My Dr says absolutely...?
Completely terrified and would love to hear from all of you that have first hand experience with this beast.
Thank you in advance!
TR
0 likes, 17 replies
corinne82278 tony96724
Posted
in my own experience with acute pancreatitis (4 so far including a bad one triggered by ERCP) and reading yr message and lipases number it looks to me it is a pancreatic issue . You could have had a MILD pancreatitis but nevertheless a pancreatitis.
Once I was able to avoid ER and managed pain at home , I had a blood work after one week and sure enough my lipases were high (900). I lived on non fat broth and crackers then was fine for a few years. The pain , stools etc indicate pancreas so pursue it and stay on yr strict diet and not even beer or caffeine. Hope things get better as it could be just one attack in yr life and never comes back .
tony96724 corinne82278
Posted
Corinne,
Thanks for the reply! The reason I'm not convinced it's not my pancreas is because of the lack of pain and the lack of elevated levels except for the 1 instance I went to the ER. Everything I'm being told and I've read says that the pain is unbearable and can last for days. For me, it's literally 1 hour of burning/tummy ache sensation accompanied with 1 round of vomiting and a couple of bouts of diarrhea during that time. After that I'm fine and have no symptoms except for the following day when I experience some bloating and gas build up. Very bizarre.
I've also read and been told by multiple dr's that lipase can rise due to other gastro issues outside of the pancreas. I've asked for an EUS just to be sure there is no damage, but we'll see if it'll get approved since my MRCP and CT came back normal.
Also, I've been eating clean, but I do eat a ton of nuts, olive oil, cheeses and it doesn't affect me at all outside of being occasionally constipated (too much fiber intake).
I don't know what to think or who to believe, but I am relieved my scans have come back normal as I was terrified it could be something more sinister.
For those that have confirmed pancreatitis (lipase AND positive scan), has anyone experienced a pain/tummy ache that typically disappears after 1 or 2 hours?
thanks for the guidance!