Pancreatitis

[DustyKat]

It would appear that pancreatitis is one of the lesser known extra intestinal manifestations of IBD. I am speaking of pancreatitis outside the realm of a known diagnosis of IBD and medication prescribed that may precipate the condition.

I have been reading up on this for a while now as Sarah was admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of Pancreatitis 10 days prior to her emergency surgery and diagnosis.

Articles that discuss the link between the two point to pancreatitis either being acute or chronic but regardless of it's presentation it was an extra intestinal manifestation that often preceded the clinical manifestations of IBD.

Although this EIM ocurs in only a small proportion of patients it may be something to consider if you are undiagnosed and have persistent upper abdominal pain, particularly if it is epigastric (stomach area). It may also radiate through to the back.

Tests to help diagnose pancreatitis include ultrasound and bloods that test for serum amylase.

Dusty.

 

[missy_moo]

I was diagnosed with acute idiopathic pancreatitis in January.. A week later my Ulcerative Colitis symptoms started and was formally diagnosed with ulcerative proctitis this week. My enzyme levels are showing that my pancreas may still be inflamed. I am yet to speak with my GI about the relationship between the two.

 

[Kev]

Been there, done that.. hurt too much to wear the tee shirt. Pain was unbearable. Felt like an elephant was sitting on my right chest... and that someone had inserted daggers in my back. X-rays didn't show anything... ultrasound did, but couldn't distinguish as to whether I had pancreatic cysts or tumours.. and the need to tell these apart is more than obvious. It was at this stage that the 1st mis-diagnosis regarding pancreatic cancer was made. A very young and eager surgeon wanted to dive, eeer, cut right in. If he had... and the cysts ruptured.. there is a good chance I wouldn't have survived. Then, I had the 1st of many.. almost monthly.. CT Scans. I had so many scans that I should glow in the dark. Now they know that CT scans use more radiation than what is considered safe IF done too often... so.. I still may have some 'fallout' from these scans. (pun, regretably.. intended. Might as well laugh now.. might end up crying later). The doctors 1st 'assumed' the pancreatitis was due to stones.. tho none ever showed up in any diagnostic imaging. I finally had my gallbladder cut out.. after the cysts cleared up. No stones were ever found. That left them (the docs) scratching their collective heads. Then the Crohns diagnosis... and that's when my new (at the time) doc figured it out. I didn't realize it was rare. But then, my whole Crohns disease has been an unusual case.

 

[missy_moo]

I ended up in the emergency department and they thought I had blood clots in my lungs!! Blood tests revealed the pancreatitis. An ultrasound showed no signs of gallstones, inflamed gall bladder or bile duct. They had already booked for surgery as they assumed I had gallstones, so had to cancel that. A CT revealed the tail of my pancreas was swollen and less dense then the rest. They have no idea what caused it and just told stay away from fatty foods and alcohol.
My pain was under my left rib age and radiated to my back. I was so tired, nauseous, bloated and couldn't eat much at all.

 

[MichelleLeigh]

I had pancreatitus in 2008 after gall stones. I had surgery to have my gall bladder removed, and the surgeon left stones lodged in my common bile duct. I went on for over a week like that before I went into septic shock. Horrible pain. It took me a year to recover and I lost 50 pounds. Definitely not something to mess around with!

 

[Kev]

A dear friend (who doesn't have IBD) went in for routine gallbladder surgery. The surgeon nicked the bile duct, but didn't notice it. I almost lost another friend. It's a good reminder that... despite what all the surgeons may think.. they aren't infallible, and they tend to bury their mistakes. Surgery should alwayss be considered a last resort. It might be the last decision you ever make.

 

[sashaz]

I ended up in hopsital last year after being ill. While i was there they did all the tests to see why i was so anemic and also why i had blood that was so low in clotting agents. They saw that my vitamins a,e,d and k were very low. In the end they tested to see why i wasnt absorbing the oil based vitamins and found my measure as below 15 showing i had pancreatis. I swear this was due to me asking the doctor through some research on my phone about oil baed vitamins and my problems with them.
They dont know if i have had pancreatis for many many years or if its recent. I havent had real pain to bring it on.
I suspect it was underactive but recently just gave up. Now i have chreon with every meal and feel great, the best for quite a few years.

Good luck to anyone with pancreatis and if anyone can give some further info on the condition then that would be great.


HD

 

[ron50]

I had a lot of exploratory work done on my gallbladder all to no avail. I was told it was fine and there were no signs of any stones. They should have taken more notice of my history. I had endoscopies on two separate occasions that showed acute ulcerative doudenitis. I should not have taken an Einstein to suspect I was passing a lot of sharp gravel through my duodenum from my gallbladder. Eventually the inevitable happened and my pancreatic duct blocked off with a little black gallstone. Into hospital with acute pancreatitis. Was asked if I'd tied one on. Told them I did not drink. Lost my gallbladder the next week. That was not the end of my problems. Ten percent of people who have their gallbladder removed suffer from bile dumping when they eat. This results in chronic diahorreah. I take questran lite every morning. It binds the bile acids and takes them thru the system without causing problems... Ron.

 

[723crossroads]

I take it too because I have too much bile acid and it does help, but you have to watch you don't constipate yourself!

 

[ron50]

If I take a 4gram sachet of a morning , every morning , I am fine. If I miss one I am back to diahorreah the next day. When that has happened I don't increase the dose. I just take the same dose and in three to four days I am good again.. Ron.

 

[723crossroads]

Wow glad it works so good for you. I had to break because I got constipated again. But will start again tomorrow.