Pancreatitis

[David658]

My wife is spending night #2 at the No Sleep Suites, more commonly known as the hospital, with what has turned out to be a bout of pancreatitis. Out of the blue...

Anybody here had experience with this? They say we will have to change diet, anybody dealt with that? This is a new one on me, well, her.

Thanks in advance!

David
NM

 

[Ben Lamb]

Yep. 2019, 5 days in the hospital.

It sucks. I gave up alcohol & all tobacco cold turkey & haven't missed it due to the pain.

Lean proteins & no processed foods. Get a good GP & work with them to ensure that you don't end up with scarring. I got lucky, but it can come back from time to time after eating fatty foods.

Do the research, listen to your docs & make a good plan. Do the follow up CT scans and be sure to ask a lot of questions.

Stick with it even when a bag of Doritos & a 1/2 a yard of summer sausage sound good. Tobacco use post pancreatic episode increases the risk of pancreatic cancer significantly. Alcohol really can exacerbate it (mine was alcohol induced).

 

[nrpate05]

Sorry to hear. I haven't dealt with it but my brother has had a few flare ups over the last year probably and is actually in the hospital now (looking better probably going home tomorrow) dealing with it. Not sure what sparked it although I know he is not the healthiest guy in the world. Pretty poor diet, smokes, drinks moderately I believe, doesn't really exercise. He is also a new dad so he's stressed. Sounds pretty rough. He also had some digestive issues as a young kid and my mom thinks that may play a role. Not sure on that though. Wishing your wife a speedy recovery!

 

[Nutrioso]

I have suffered with bouts of pancreatitis for many years. Honestly can’t imagine more severe pain. Ben’s advice is spot on and worked for me. Zero alcohol and a low fat diet keep it controlled. While that can be a dramatic lifestyle change, the memory of the pain is a very strong motivator. I wish your wife a speedy recovery.

 

[elkduds]

One of my dogs had it, nearly killed him. He had a self inflicted very bad diet.

 

[longbow51]

The Best (and Worst) Foods for Pancreatitis Pain

The right diet to ease abdominal discomfort

health.clevelandclinic.org

 

[marshman]

Damn, last couple of days this is looking like a medical forum for the old and broken.

 

[mdcrossbow]

Something else to watch for. So far I've only delt with the diverticulitis,

Duodenal diverticulum and associated pancreatitis: case report with brief review of literature​

Mian Muhammad Rizwan, Harpeet Singh, [...], and Veera Singh

Additional article information

Abstract​

Pancreatitis in the elderly is a problem of increasing occurrence and is associated with severe complications. Periampullary diverticula (PAD) are extraluminal outpouchings of the duodenum rarely associated with pancreatitis. The presence of PAD should be excluded before diagnosing idiopathic pancreatitis, particularly in the elderly. However, when a duodenal diverticulum is found in the absence of any additional pathology, only then should the symptoms be attributed to the diverticulum. We describe a case of duodenal diverticulum presenting with pancreatitis to emphasize the importance of this commonly neglected etiology.

 

[mevertsen]

I've had it.

It sucks.

I would get sick atthe smell of food until it cleared up.

Spent several days in the hospital over that mess.

I'm not sure what I changed, but it hasn't come back.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I have suffered with bouts of pancreatitis for many years. Honestly can’t imagine more severe pain. Ben’s advice is spot on and worked for me. Zero alcohol and a low fat diet keep it controlled. While that can be a dramatic lifestyle change, the memory of the pain is a very strong motivator. I wish your wife a speedy recovery.

1000% this. Just thinking of what that felt like is enough to make sure I'll never have a camel light or a cocktail again. It's like someone taking a serrated knife along you upper belly and just sawing at it, with some intermittent stabbing & twisting.