Re: Is it normal for acute pancreatitis to last so long

[Guest guest]

,

I am supposedly not chronic but have recurring acute attacks from a problem with

the sphincter of oddi. The sphincter of oddi is supposed to control the flow of

bile but mine doesn't function properly so I have spasms which are very painful.

Sometimes the bile backs up enough to cause acute pancreatitis. Other times it

just backs up enough to raise my liver enzymes and cause major pain and nausea.

My problem began in Jan 2000 and it took many months for it to really get

better. Things finally got better around the end of 2000 and I had a year with

almost no problems. The pain began again in October 2001. The doctors said it

was an ulcer and had nothing to do with the pancreas. I had an MRCP (MRI where

they look at pancreas and bile ducts) in April and the doc said everything was

fine and I'd probably never have another attack. From May to Jul 18th, I had no

pain or problems at all. On Jul 18th I was hit with an acute attack and have

been in the hospital six times since then. They have put a stent in my bile

duct and I will be having surgery to permanently correct the problem. As far as

they can tell from the MRCP and CT scans there is no permanent damage to my

pancreas so they say it's not chronic panc but recurring acute pancreatitis. My

doctor has told me it will take a minimum of three months for me to recover from

this last series of attacks.

W.