Re: could this be pancreatitis?

[Guest guest]

mcgowanc@e...> wrote: recurring bouts of upper abdominal

pain for the last 3 years.... diagnosed me as having an ulcer in

my duodenum despite being unable to see one in an upper gi

and testing negative for h. pylori.

a few days before it starts, my stomach seems to stop wanting to

process food...... tenderness in my upper left quadrant and i can

feel something swollen there.... entire abdomen becomes

tender and it is uncomfortable to sit or bend over. then, the pain

starts..... constant burning gnawing pain that spans my

abdomen from the center to the left..... only be relieved with

vomiting or hours of diarrhea.

i have not been tested for pancreatitis, because my doctor

seems convinced that it is a combination of irritable bowel and

an ulcer.

the pain is soooooo bad. the last time, i think i even went into

shock. i got really cold and couldn't stop shaking. i sort of felt

like i was removed from my body, except, of course, that i was in

a lot of pain.

any opinions?

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear of your problems. To be truthful, many of our

members that have now been diagnosed with chronic

pancreatitis were initially diagnosed with IBS and spent months

to years without relief until they demanded further tests to

determine the true cause of their pain. Hopefully you are

presently seeing a gastroenterology specialist, as most GP's are

not experienced enough in pancreatic medicine to make the

distinction between IBS and pancreatic problems. See if your

doctor will order some testing to check your pancreas, or find

another one who will.

I have gone into shock with my pancreatitis, this was exactly as

you described it and it happened to me during my second acute

pancreatic attack. All the other symptoms you mentioned are

common occurances for most of us that suffer from chronic

pancreatitis.

I urge you to read through some of our many messages, or

search for particular information through our archives to learn all

you can so you can make some informed decisions. Or go to

the pancreatitis library at:

http://www.top5plus5.com

This site is also full of excellent information that you may find very

helpful. My opinion is that you may want a second opinion from a

specialist who will take all your symptoms seriously, and treat

you accordingly. Please post again if you have any more

questions.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

Southeastern Representative

Pancreatitis Association, Intl.

[Guest guest]

mcgowanc@e...> wrote: recurring bouts of upper abdominal

pain for the last 3 years.... diagnosed me as having an ulcer in

my duodenum despite being unable to see one in an upper gi

and testing negative for h. pylori.

a few days before it starts, my stomach seems to stop wanting to

process food...... tenderness in my upper left quadrant and i can

feel something swollen there.... entire abdomen becomes

tender and it is uncomfortable to sit or bend over. then, the pain

starts..... constant burning gnawing pain that spans my

abdomen from the center to the left..... only be relieved with

vomiting or hours of diarrhea.

i have not been tested for pancreatitis, because my doctor

seems convinced that it is a combination of irritable bowel and

an ulcer.

the pain is soooooo bad. the last time, i think i even went into

shock. i got really cold and couldn't stop shaking. i sort of felt

like i was removed from my body, except, of course, that i was in

a lot of pain.

any opinions?

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear of your problems. To be truthful, many of our

members that have now been diagnosed with chronic

pancreatitis were initially diagnosed with IBS and spent months

to years without relief until they demanded further tests to

determine the true cause of their pain. Hopefully you are

presently seeing a gastroenterology specialist, as most GP's are

not experienced enough in pancreatic medicine to make the

distinction between IBS and pancreatic problems. See if your

doctor will order some testing to check your pancreas, or find

another one who will.

I have gone into shock with my pancreatitis, this was exactly as

you described it and it happened to me during my second acute

pancreatic attack. All the other symptoms you mentioned are

common occurances for most of us that suffer from chronic

pancreatitis.

I urge you to read through some of our many messages, or

search for particular information through our archives to learn all

you can so you can make some informed decisions. Or go to

the pancreatitis library at:

http://www.top5plus5.com

This site is also full of excellent information that you may find very

helpful. My opinion is that you may want a second opinion from a

specialist who will take all your symptoms seriously, and treat

you accordingly. Please post again if you have any more

questions.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

Southeastern Representative

Pancreatitis Association, Intl.

[Guest guest]

mcgowanc@e...> wrote: recurring bouts of upper abdominal

pain for the last 3 years.... diagnosed me as having an ulcer in

my duodenum despite being unable to see one in an upper gi

and testing negative for h. pylori.

a few days before it starts, my stomach seems to stop wanting to

process food...... tenderness in my upper left quadrant and i can

feel something swollen there.... entire abdomen becomes

tender and it is uncomfortable to sit or bend over. then, the pain

starts..... constant burning gnawing pain that spans my

abdomen from the center to the left..... only be relieved with

vomiting or hours of diarrhea.

i have not been tested for pancreatitis, because my doctor

seems convinced that it is a combination of irritable bowel and

an ulcer.

the pain is soooooo bad. the last time, i think i even went into

shock. i got really cold and couldn't stop shaking. i sort of felt

like i was removed from my body, except, of course, that i was in

a lot of pain.

any opinions?

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear of your problems. To be truthful, many of our

members that have now been diagnosed with chronic

pancreatitis were initially diagnosed with IBS and spent months

to years without relief until they demanded further tests to

determine the true cause of their pain. Hopefully you are

presently seeing a gastroenterology specialist, as most GP's are

not experienced enough in pancreatic medicine to make the

distinction between IBS and pancreatic problems. See if your

doctor will order some testing to check your pancreas, or find

another one who will.

I have gone into shock with my pancreatitis, this was exactly as

you described it and it happened to me during my second acute

pancreatic attack. All the other symptoms you mentioned are

common occurances for most of us that suffer from chronic

pancreatitis.

I urge you to read through some of our many messages, or

search for particular information through our archives to learn all

you can so you can make some informed decisions. Or go to

the pancreatitis library at:

http://www.top5plus5.com

This site is also full of excellent information that you may find very

helpful. My opinion is that you may want a second opinion from a

specialist who will take all your symptoms seriously, and treat

you accordingly. Please post again if you have any more

questions.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

Southeastern Representative

Pancreatitis Association, Intl.

[Guest guest]

so, if i get tested, will pancreatitis show up even if i'm not having

an episode? or do i have to be having an episode for the levels to

be high enough to be diagnosed?

carrie

> i've had recurring bouts of upper abdominal pain for the last 3

> years. i went in to the doctor to investigate and they diagnosed

me

> as having an ulcer in my duodenum despite being unable to see one

in

> an upper gi and testing negative for h. pylori. i've been taking

> pantoprazole for the last 8 months and that seems to help a

little.

> but every time i come off of it the pain comes back. so, it is

like

> this, a few days before it starts, my stomach seems to stop wanting

> to process food. then i get a tenderness in my upper left quadrant

> and i can feel something swollen there. after, my entire abdomen

> becomes tender and it is uncomfortable to sit or bend over. then,

> the pain starts. it is a constant burning gnawing pain that spans

my

> abdomen from the center to the left. it seems to only be relieved

> with vomiting or hours of diarrhea. but it will continue to bother

> me more and more severely as time passes, until i am treated with a

> profound antacid.

>

> i have not been tested for pancreatitis, because my doctor seems

> convinced that it is a combination of irritable bowel and an

ulcer.

> however, the pain is soooooo bad. the last time, i think i even

went

> into shock. i got really cold and couldn't stop shaking. i sort

of

> felt like i was removed from my body, except, of course, that i was

> in a lot of pain. i think i might be gluten intolerant, and i have

> polycystic ovarian disease, and my med student friend suggested

those

> two things could cause conditions favorable to pancreatits. i

don't

> know. any opinions?

[Guest guest]

so, if i get tested, will pancreatitis show up even if i'm not having

an episode? or do i have to be having an episode for the levels to

be high enough to be diagnosed?

carrie

> i've had recurring bouts of upper abdominal pain for the last 3

> years. i went in to the doctor to investigate and they diagnosed

me

> as having an ulcer in my duodenum despite being unable to see one

in

> an upper gi and testing negative for h. pylori. i've been taking

> pantoprazole for the last 8 months and that seems to help a

little.

> but every time i come off of it the pain comes back. so, it is

like

> this, a few days before it starts, my stomach seems to stop wanting

> to process food. then i get a tenderness in my upper left quadrant

> and i can feel something swollen there. after, my entire abdomen

> becomes tender and it is uncomfortable to sit or bend over. then,

> the pain starts. it is a constant burning gnawing pain that spans

my

> abdomen from the center to the left. it seems to only be relieved

> with vomiting or hours of diarrhea. but it will continue to bother

> me more and more severely as time passes, until i am treated with a

> profound antacid.

>

> i have not been tested for pancreatitis, because my doctor seems

> convinced that it is a combination of irritable bowel and an

ulcer.

> however, the pain is soooooo bad. the last time, i think i even

went

> into shock. i got really cold and couldn't stop shaking. i sort

of

> felt like i was removed from my body, except, of course, that i was

> in a lot of pain. i think i might be gluten intolerant, and i have

> polycystic ovarian disease, and my med student friend suggested

those

> two things could cause conditions favorable to pancreatits. i

don't

> know. any opinions?

[Guest guest]

so, if i get tested, will pancreatitis show up even if i'm not having

an episode? or do i have to be having an episode for the levels to

be high enough to be diagnosed?

carrie

> i've had recurring bouts of upper abdominal pain for the last 3

> years. i went in to the doctor to investigate and they diagnosed

me

> as having an ulcer in my duodenum despite being unable to see one

in

> an upper gi and testing negative for h. pylori. i've been taking

> pantoprazole for the last 8 months and that seems to help a

little.

> but every time i come off of it the pain comes back. so, it is

like

> this, a few days before it starts, my stomach seems to stop wanting

> to process food. then i get a tenderness in my upper left quadrant

> and i can feel something swollen there. after, my entire abdomen

> becomes tender and it is uncomfortable to sit or bend over. then,

> the pain starts. it is a constant burning gnawing pain that spans

my

> abdomen from the center to the left. it seems to only be relieved

> with vomiting or hours of diarrhea. but it will continue to bother

> me more and more severely as time passes, until i am treated with a

> profound antacid.

>

> i have not been tested for pancreatitis, because my doctor seems

> convinced that it is a combination of irritable bowel and an

ulcer.

> however, the pain is soooooo bad. the last time, i think i even

went

> into shock. i got really cold and couldn't stop shaking. i sort

of

> felt like i was removed from my body, except, of course, that i was

> in a lot of pain. i think i might be gluten intolerant, and i have

> polycystic ovarian disease, and my med student friend suggested

those

> two things could cause conditions favorable to pancreatits. i

don't

> know. any opinions?

[Guest guest]

,

that depends upon a lot of different factors. People who

have chronic pancreatitis can frequently have normal or

below normal enzyme levels. And there have been some people

who have very high amylase levels all the time. I think it

probably varies based upon the amount of damage done to the

pancreas. Some others have had a mix, sometimes they are

hight and sometimes they are normal, even though the pain is

the same. This is why the Hopkin's GI website says that

the amylase and lipase levels are not a good diagnostic tool

for testing for pancreatitis, even though most hospitals use

it as the main diagnostic tool. If it were me and I had

normal levels (which I've had), I'd request additional tests

such as CT scan, Ultrasound or Xray to see if the pancreas

is swollen. I've been lucky enough that I have such a long

history of pancreatitis that they admit me even if I have

normal enzyme levels now. Hope this is of some help.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Southwest and California Representative

Pancreatitis Association, International

[Guest guest]

I am in the process of trying to get the VA to recognize that my

lipids were three times normal (the trigs...chol was close to normal)

while on active duty and that my pancreatitis is a direct result of

that.

I asked a friend who is a Nurse Practitioner if she had any good

literature resources I could use showing that not all panc comes from

alcohol and gallbladder disease.

She gave me the name of the medical book called " on's

Principles of Internal Medicine " and told me there was a whole

section on the pancreas and a reference to the lipids. She also said

I could find it at any medical library. It just so happens that the

VA Hospital where I work has a medical library so I went there and

found the books (it's a large two volume set.)

The part about the pancreas is 12-15 pages long and goes into allll

diseases of the panc...but I was particularly interested to note the

lipid reference three times AND the variability of the enzymes, even

when having an attack....

I made a copy of it to send in with my VA claim if I should need

further proof that they are related....

If you guys have a VA or University nearby you could go into the

library and get a copy of the section that talks about the

unreliability of the amylase and lipase tests.

nice chatting with you ...thanks for the welcome everybody...

Jeannine

> ,

> that depends upon a lot of different factors. People who

> have chronic pancreatitis can frequently have normal or

> below normal enzyme levels. And there have been some people

> who have very high amylase levels all the time. I think it

> probably varies based upon the amount of damage done to the

> pancreas. Some others have had a mix, sometimes they are

> hight and sometimes they are normal, even though the pain is

> the same. This is why the Hopkin's GI website says that

> the amylase and lipase levels are not a good diagnostic tool

> for testing for pancreatitis, even though most hospitals use

> it as the main diagnostic tool. If it were me and I had

> normal levels (which I've had), I'd request additional tests

> such as CT scan, Ultrasound or Xray to see if the pancreas

> is swollen. I've been lucky enough that I have such a long

> history of pancreatitis that they admit me even if I have

> normal enzyme levels now. Hope this is of some help.

> Kimber

>

> --

> Kimber

> Vallejo, CA

> hominid2@c...

> Southwest and California Representative

> Pancreatitis Association, International