Sorry !

[Guest guest]

Sorry, I sent off the message before I'd actually finished! I was

called away to the phone and forgot one part of what I'd intended to

say.

As to the actual difference between acute and chronic pancreatitis,

again, I'm not sure and I honestly think, judging by what my docs

have said to me about my experience, as well as things I've read,

that there might not always be agreement on this one. Permanent

irreversible damage to the pancreas is clearly implied in chronic

pancreatitis whereas acute attacks may well result in total

recovery. However, that damage is not necessarily so easy to detect.

Again, what is an " acute " attack? I thinks the sort of " acute "

attacks I get might more properly be called " flare-ups " by some

docs. I think true acute pancreatitis would be measured against a

number of of criteria such as raised enzyme levels, dehydration etc.

However, once CP is established, it is possible to have " acute "

attacks or " flare-ups " without those raised levels. But my own GP

has used the word " acute " of my attacks even when they have not

resulted in hospitalisation for immediate urgent treatment.

My current gastro has referred to my childhood attacks as " acute "

even though I somehow lived through them at home and was never

hospitalised.

So waht about a diagnosis? I can only put forward tentative ideas. I

THINK it is possible that a pancreatic specialist might recognise CP

before actual damage was visible in tests such as CT scans and be

willing to give a diagnosis as such. This did not happen with me, as

I said in the first part of my post. The diagnosis only came once

definite signs of damage to the organ became visible in a CT scan

last year. In fact, my " acute " attacks or " flare-ups " were so awful

in the 1980's that I'm surprised it was not recognised as CP. The

gastro I had at that time DID immediately suspect CP, particularly

since my mother had the disease, but rejected that diagnosis when he

detected no visible damage to the pancreas. He went on to give other

partial or incorrect explanations for my symptoms. Possibly another

doc (especially perhaps one who specialised in diseases of the

pancreas) might have felt more confident in recognising CP from the

description of symptoms alone. I can't be sure of that, of course.

I may be out of date in what I'm saying as I'm basing it largely on

my own experience, some of which goes back a good way......well, 53

years to be exact!!.......but it is certainly confirmed by things

I've read recently as well.

Hope that's a little helpful. Someone else will probably give more

specific info, especially on criteria for acute pancreatitis.

With good wishes again,

Fliss (UK)