1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Disorders

What's your Pancreatitis / Pancreas pain like?

Posted , 10 users are following.

John-1
John-1

For those of you that have Chronic Pancreatitis (or a strong suspicion that you do) , did/do you notice that your symptoms were any better or worse when:

  • You first woke up in the morning?
  • Directly after you ate (if so, how long did it take for the pain to start, on first bite or after awhile)?
  • Position that you were sitting (straight up vs reclining)?
  • Sitting vs laying down?
  • Driving?
  • Laying on your left side?
  • Movement or exercise - did it make it better or worse? When you are moving around, do you notice the pain less?

I'm suspicious I may have early/mild chronic pancreatitis. I have persistent upper left quadrant pain (3/10), and pain in the back almost at the same position as the front. I have a history of slightly elevated lipase, but no doctors want to diagnose anything with the pancreas because ultrasounds & CT scans have been clear. Any answers to the above questions you could give would help me out a lot.

Here are my answers:

  • You first woke up in the morning?

    It's always better for me in the morning. It takes 10-30 minutes to really kick in.

  • Directly after you ate (if so, how long did it take for the pain to start, on first bite or after awhile)?

    For me, it seems to get worse pretty fast after I start eating, and escalating slightly after that.

  • Position that you were sitting (straight up vs reclining)?

    I generally feel much better reclining, and much worse (the worst) sitting straight up or standing straight up.

  • Sitting vs laying down?

    Laying/lying down is better for me.

  • Driving?

    Driving tends to aggravate my pain in the left upper quadrant / abdominal area.

  • Laying on your left side?

    Laying on the left side at night seems to be tender, feels like there is pressure and mild pain all over that side.

  • Movement or exercise - did it make it better or worse? When you are moving around, do you notice the pain less?

    I usually feel pretty good when I am moving or exercising, not sure if that's because my mind is off the pain or because of the movement itself.

Thanks in advance for your help.... Wishing you all the best as you try to find answers and heal!

0 likes, 45 replies

45 Replies

Next
  • Dreckshage
    Dreckshage John-1

    Posted

    YOU SOUND JUST LIKE ME! I just posted post right before you. It is DESPERATELY SEEKING DEVICE. Read it. To answer your questions:

    I feel better in the morning.

    Pain begins as I start to feel full.

    Feel better reclining.

    Feel better laying down.

    After I have been up and about it begins to hurt.

    Do you have any bowel issues, belching or gas?

    • John-1
      John-1 Dreckshage

      Posted

      I have some some belching and gas. The pain sometimes feels like there's a bunch of gas stuck in my upper intestine or stomach - it's never bad in the lower part of my belly. My stool is filled with bubbles, sometimes to the point where it floats and then sinks.

      How do you feel if you walk or exercise, does that make it worse for you?

  • Dreckshage
    Dreckshage John-1

    Posted

    Also the last 3 questions you posted I have the same answers.

  • Dreckshage
    Dreckshage John-1

    Posted

    Also the last 3 questions you posted I have the same answers. I am concerned about PC.

    • John-1
      John-1 Dreckshage

      Posted

      Do you have loss of appetite? Have you lost any weight? Would you say before this started you lived a stressful life?

      Are you located in the US or UK?Is it possible for you to try and go to another doctor to get an EUS?

    • John-1
      John-1 Dreckshage

      Posted

      Also, does it ever feel like gas is just trapped in your upper GI (Stomach or small intestine)?

    • John-1
      John-1 Dreckshage

      Posted

      From what I know, MRCP is a very good test. Seems unlikely that an EUS would find anything?

      Also, to maybe provide you some re-assurance that it very well might not be PC, check out this that I read:

      Unlike pancreas pain from acute pancreatitis, pancreas pain from pancreatic cancer does not fluctuate with meals.

      Also,

      Upper abdominal discomfort experienced on waking could be due to gases such as CO2 and nitrogen trapped in the upper small bowel, a process that may also account for symptoms that occur after meals when motility is increased by eating and, if abnormal, causing gas trapping.

    • Dreckshage
      Dreckshage John-1

      Posted

      I have an appetite but I am afraid to eat because it makes my pain worse and almost everything goes right through me.

      I am extremely stressed, have been for almost 2 years. A lot of the stress is caused by this. I am in the US. I have requested a EUS butt they won't due it because the MRCP is normal. I have an appointment with gastro dr's physicians assistant Monday. Dr. has written me off already. If she doesn't help me I have no where else to go.

    • christina69014
      christina69014 Dreckshage

      Posted

      i have the exact same symptoms and the urgent care doctor just brought up pancreatitis. what is EUS test?? how are you feeling now? I feel so sick to my stomach nauseous all the time and I I've only been like this way for 3 days and I'm so afraid to eat also and it also goes right through me to. any advice or anything that I can eat thats ok?

    • frances80162
      frances80162 christina69014

      Posted

      They have finally decided that I do not have pancreatitis. They believe that I have postherpnatic neuropathy caused by internal shingles. This means that I had nerve damage caused by shingles. Some cases last two weeks. Others last for years. I have had this condition for two years and take the full dose of gabapentin and ibuprofen a day and still have pain at a level of 2 or 3. I am hoping that one day this condition will resolve itself. I hope they finally find out the cause of your illness and treat it properly. Sometimes it is a long road to a diagnosis.

  • NixKiwiWolf
    NixKiwiWolf John-1

    Posted

    Well, thats not strictly true about PC not causing pain on eating, because mine certainly did. However, if you have had these symptoms steadily for a significant amount of time, your tests are clear and you haven't developed jaundice then it's highly unlikely you have PC. You may have some kind of gastric issue almost certainly exacerbated by stress and are trapped in a vicious circle whereby you worry constantly about your symptoms which in turn keeps them active. You said you often don't notice them if you're moving or excercising and that's probably because your mind is occupied with something else. This is probably where your answer to your problem lies - getting your mind off your symptoms. Of course, I'm not a doctor and you may very well have some issue going on but consider that it may be actually in your head rather than your gut (the one affects the other and vice versa).

    • John-1
      John-1 NixKiwiWolf

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply. What were your early symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer?

      It's a true thing about things being in the head. It's just hard to know what is and what isn't sometimes, especially when there are real feelings & no answers. You do see a lot of people on this board that are helped by psych medications when they have issues. Health anxiety can cause feelings of symptoms that are not real. But not everything is health anxiety.

  • NixKiwiWolf
    NixKiwiWolf John-1

    Posted

    True, not everything is health anxiety but the fact you're not aware of your symptoms when your mind is otherwise occupied would point to things not necessarily being all

    physical. But as I am not a doctor and have no knowledge of your medical history, only your doctors can advise you. And I would be inclined to listen to them rather than trawling the internet for answers.

    My symptoms of PC weren't like the ones you describe so not comparable. Believe me, I had pain that was so bad it would leave me breathless, like something was trying to chew it's way put of me. And it was obvious from my tests early on that something was very wrong with my pancreas but it just took a while for the cancer to be found.

    • chrissy51966
      chrissy51966 NixKiwiWolf

      Posted

      Hi nix. I just came across this discussion and find it very helpful as I have had pain on the left side of the abdomen radiating to the back. My health anxiety makes me think it could be PC. Your replies really give me relief as I have had the discomforts for quite a while now and they never get worse. Endoscopy revealed small Hiatus hernia and GERD but because the pain hasn't left me alone, I began to think the doctor must have missed something. If you don't mind, kindly share the symptoms you had and how long it took for PC to be diagnosed.

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.