To Jen

[Guest guest]

Hello Jen,

I'm sorry you're feeling so unwell. I have no medical qualifications

and can only share my experience. I certainly couldn't say whether

or not you have CP. However, I know from what I've read many times

and from my own personal experience that diagnosing CP is not easy.

Certain types of damage to the pancreas does not always show up in

tests. Sometimes there is no obvious physical damage such as

calcifications etc. for a long time. I am 58 and have hereditary

pancreatitis. I had my first severe attack at the age of 5 and

actually underwent tests in 1988, including ercp and CT scan, for

pancreatitis. I was desperately ill at the time but the tests showed

nothing obvious. It was only last year, 15 years later, that I

finally had my definitive diagnosis of CP and that's because by

2003, 53 years after my first attack, I had extensive calcifications

throughout the pancreas and these DO show up on a CT scan.

I'm definitely NOT SAYING you have CP. Pancreas divisum is very

common and mostly does not cause problems so, hopefully, your

symptoms don't mean CP. I am only saying that this is not an easy

illness to diagnose.

Have you had any other tests, eg. for malabsorption, which could

indicate CP? Have you been prescribed enzymes and, if co, have they

helped with the symptoms of malabsorption such as gas, diarrhoea etc?

With very good wishes,

Fliss