6 years post op suffering from Pancreatitis.

Good evening,

It has been a long very long time since i came on OH. I am currently 6 years post op, hit my doctors goal of 140, and kept going. I got down to 94 pounds(keep in mind i'm 5' tall) After having my now three year old i hover around 115-120. I had my gall bladder out in Aug 2009 7 months after my RNY. For the last few years I have had Pancreatitis attacks, well the last few months i get them more and more. I know what triggers them fatty foods which i normal stay away from. I currently am having on and its hurts so bad its unreal. I am not sure if there are other's out there that suffer from Pancreatitis or what causes it. If any one have any info please share... This is no fun, sadly my PCM doesn't really "believe" it could be pancreatitis. I can not go to my surgeon that preformed my RNY and gall bladder removal. As he is retired and lives in NC, where we moved to japan, and now in Tx. I just would like some info, i have looked over the internet and not really anything on there.. Just wonder if there are others out there like me. I do tend to do all liquid diet when have a flare up, I just want to know why i get them since i no longer have a gall bladder, I don't drink and I watch how much fatty foods I eat.

Thank you

Marine Princess,

It is caused by inflammation in the body...It is just one symptom. It may not be connected to your WLS at all. You could be having a stone in the bile ducts or liver ducts, would give the same symptoms as well. Do you have diabetes? are you insulin dependent? or have you ever been?

I would urge you to get some tumeric/curcumin and take it...same compound. My daughter (31yo)just had gall bladder removed from many stones and sludge, on test, with severe pain.. finally got where she could not eat. When they did the surgery 6 weeks later, the sludge had passed..

Avoid anything made with GMO...avoid artificial sweeteners..they increase inflammation..I know since you had surgery you are limiting your sugars...so that goes without saying.

I had given her a 1/4 tsp of ginger and tumeric I placed in an empty pill capsule.. I showed her how to do it./ and she took it twice a day...you can make tea out of it,(maybe put it in 2-3 oz of very warm water) but I don't know how it tastes, since I don't care for ginger. I am not trying it in tea...If not diabetic sweeten it with just a little ,1 tsp,honey or stevia.

If you like cayene pepper use it, it is anti-inflammatory.. 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper in one teaspoon honey...(how I take it)You can buy ginger and tumeric capsules from one of the mail order vitamin companies...I use swansons, they are not expensive...also can get them at wally world. hope this helps...let me know in a few days if you decide to try it...

denise, not sure it is wise to recommend medical advice to someone, when yu really can't know if they may be allergic to any of the herbal meds you suggesting.

Are you an ND? naturopath? a doc?

Some OTC herbs can cause as much damage as any medication, if not taken properly or with bad combination, or by a person that may be allergic to that....

OP, please do not take medical advice from anyone except a physician that is overseeing your care.

How do you know it is Pancreatitis and not some other issues?

I suffer from IBS-C and I had a few hernias, and the pain can be or was really, really bad...

If my IBS flares - I am in so much pain that I may be on a floor, in child pose crying from pain... and it may last for a few hours, and then my gut is very tender, swollen, for days.

I would advise you not to take any herbal remedies - unless you are sure they would not do more damage than good..

Hi Marine. If you really do suspect pancreatitis, you can start by having your labs drawn, such as lipase and liver function. Have you ever been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis before? Why does the physician not "believe" it is that, and why do you believe it is? You could always ask to be referred to a GI specialist, and they can go from there. You do not want to diagnose yourself in case it is something completely different. There are so many other things it could be.

You need comprehensive medical care, especially since you mention attacks are becoming more frequent. A gastroenterologist can sort this out -- have you seen one? I doubt your surgeon would have been of much help.

If you truly do have pancreatitis (it is easily identified or ruled out by simple bloodwork), you need to be under a doctor's care! The usual treatment for pancreatitis is to hospitalize you, put you on an IV (with pain meds), and have you take NOTHING by mouth (even pills!) to let the digestive system -- including the pancreas -- completely rest until the pancreas calms down. NOT seeking treatment can result in a dangerous situation.

I have had two bouts of it. The first was labeled idiopathic since ghey were not entirely sure what caused it, although a blow to the abdomen a couple of weeks before might have been to blame. The second time, it was a stone in the pancreatic duct (and once the pancreas calmed down, they took my gallbladder out).

It can be either chronic or acute. According to what I was told, about 20% of acute cases have no known cause, but chronic pancreatitis usually has an identifiable cause.

I suspect that your doctor doesn't think it's pancreatitis because it seems to be related to what you eat. The pain from even chronic pancreatitis doesn't really come and go; it stays pretty constant (but may get worse after eating because the digestive process calls it into action... but isn't more severe based on what you ate). It is usually also accompanied by nausea/vomiting and a very tender upper abdomen (even bending can make it hurt more).

Get to a doctor and find out whether it is pancreatitis for sure. You don't need a surgeon. There is a standard set of enzyme labs to identify it or rule it out, and any doctor can order them and diagnose it.

I hope you feel better soon. I felt like death both times I had it.

Lora