I just got out of the hospital yesterday - was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. I'll be following up with my primary care doc tomorrow. They ran all sorts of tests on me during my stay, but never mentioned that this may become a chronic thing. Does pancreatitis always have to become chronic? Do many people just have this one occurrence, then never again?
View 1 RepliesI suffer with chronic pancreatitis since 2007 I have really bad anxiety and depression with it, my conditions were all caused by drinking way to much alcohol. I haven't had a single drop of alcohol for 2 years yet I've been admitted in hospital 4 times in them 2 years for my chronic pancreatitis. I live in the UK and I see a professor who deals with chronic pancreatitis once a year where I have a CT scan with contrast to see how my pancreas is, so far it seems to be holding its own but recently I am becoming more nausea everyday and vomiting everyday and its stopping me from eating. If i eat a small amount of any kind of food I'm instantly bloated all the time, I do smoke but I just haven't got it in me to stop smoking like the way I stopped alcohol because Iv'e been an alcoholic since 1994. I take medication everyday, propranolol for anxiety, omeprazole for acid in the stomach, vitamin b compound, and I also take tramadol 50mg when required because of my chronic pancreatitis pains I get everyday. At night i take pizotifen for my migraines and i take mirtazapine 30mg for my depression, I do really worry about my health and recently for the last month Iv'e been constantly vomiting everyday, I'm not eating as the smallest amount of food makes me feel bloated and gives me heartburn, but most of all I just haven't got no energy at all. Can someone help please as Iv'e asked my doctor for all kinds of things but he just says its due to your chronic pancreatitis, the last four weeks my days consist of coffee and smoking and so on, I can't eat and I'm feeling sick all of the time.
View 18 RepliesSo since 09 I have had incidents where I get pain in my upper abdomen. Usually it's shortly after a meal, but sometimes it does creep up on me a few hours post meal. It varies in severity and duration. In the beginning I only had it once/twice a year, but the pain was excruciating for 4-7 hours. Fast forward to 2011 I started having these incidents like every 4 months, but with less pain. In 2014 I had an incident every month, but pain again was less. Here in 2015, it seems to be going backwards. I have incidents every 2,5 months now and the pain is far from what it was in 09, but its still painful (its a dull squeezing kind of pain). Sometimes it will go away if I drink a smoothie containing ginger,lemon, beetroot and stuff like that. Other times I need to go for a walk. But then there are times when nothing but time helps. The only pattern I have been able to identify is, that if I am very hungry and eat some junk, then I MIGHT get it. Other than that, I have not been able to find any pattern to when I get them.
I fear it might be Chronic Pancreatitis. This worries me a great deal.
Stools have also been acting weird. Switching between brown/yellowish-brown in color and consistency is mainly normal, but also range between somewhat loose/normal/hard
My stomach is also somewhat tender to touch in the upper right side/middle. Feels sorta like how a black eye would. Nothing too painful at all, but still something I notice here and there, since I can sometimes feel it when I walk around.
Two months ago I had my stomach looked at by a doctor performing a gastroscopy. He didn't find anything there. No ulcers. He also did an ultrasound of my gallbladder and apparently also my pancreas (Only thing he said was it looked good and that I had no gallstones).
My symptoms starter earlier this year when I noticed a change in my bowel habits. I was going more than normal and they were just not the same, lighter in color and less bulky. I was having wind move through my intestines that was so loud it was embarrassing. It was like it would travel to my left side, set stuck, then all of a sudden roll down. Then sometime during summer I started having this pain on my left side right around my floating ribs. I felt like if I pressed on that side it would relieve the pain. It would last a day or so and then come back every couple of weeks. Now it's almost everyday I feel the pain.
My doctor thought I had SIBO and tested me for that but it was negative. He wanted me to start probiotics which I have but the pain just scares me. My stools have seemed to go back to a more normal color.
To prepare for the SIBO test I had to eat white rice, white bread, potatoes without the skin, just a bland diet. I felt like maybe it had gotten better during that time. But I've also noticed after I eat brussel sprouts the pain is really bad. I can't say if I've noticed it worse after drinking. It seems like almost every meal makes it worse.
I'm just so scared I've done something to my pancreas. How is it determined if you have acute or chronic? I have been drinking more this summer but nothing severe. And this pain will not go away. I am going to call on Monday to schedule another appointment.
I received a pancreatic resection of my tail in May of last year and have just been diagnosed with a 10 mm cyst in the head. I'm told all that can be done is manage pain/rest and food. Energy is lacking. Has anyone had any luck with B12 shots?
I have chronic pancreatitis and they put me on carafate and I have hep c since 2000, cirrhosis since 2007, no prior hep c treatment was wondering about Harvoni and carafate?
View 2 RepliesI was wondering how long it takes to recover from acute pancreatitis? It started when I was at work just over 3wks ago, I got the most excruciating pain in the upper left side of my abdomen, going into my back (the exact same pain I used to encounter when I had gallstones nearly 10 years ago, but I knew it couldn't be that, as I had my gallbladder removed.) my colleague took me to the walk in centre, where I had bloods taken and given buscopan tablets and sent home. Later that night the walk in centre rang to tell me I had pancreatitis, and that I should see my GP in the morning. I went to see my GP, she was puzzled why I hadn't already been admitted to hospital, she then arranged for me to go straight on to a ward. I was kept in for 4 days, nil by mouth on a drip, on lots of painkillers and I was given a X-ray and ultrasound scan. I was discharged and was sent home to rest, they said I would need to go back as a outpatient for a MRI, a camera test and a mrcp test. I got a sick note from my GP for 2wks, so thought I'd be ok by now? I was due to return to work yesterday, but still don't feel well, so my doctor has given me another note for 2wks. I still haven't heard from the hospital re tests, I just wondered is it normal to still be in some pain, I am also very tired? I know I shouldn't worry but I am worried about returning to work, my boss and her boss are coming to my house on Friday to discuss my attendance as it is procedure, it really is making me very anxious, I just want to get better.
View 69 RepliesI was diagnosed with CP about a year ago. Since then I have quit alcohol, fatty foods, and exercising a lot. However, I noticed that although the pain had subsided, I was still getting this annoying pain from time to time. I finally got to know that coffee, coca cola, and a lot of tea during the day was causing the pain. Now I only drink one tea bag 3 times daily and the pain has gone. Hope this will help some of my friends with similar problem.on this forum.
View 1 RepliesI'm not sure where to start. A lot has been going on in the past month. It all started when I started to feel like I had a couple of drinks when I had not. I was able to calm myself down because I thought I might be having some sort of anxiety attack. Long story short the symptoms did not go away. So I saw my doctor last week. With my vague answers to his questions he mentioned he wanted to do some further testing. Part of the testing was blood work and a 24 hour urine. That was last Wednesday. I had the blood draw on Thursday and turn my 24 hour urine and on Friday morning. It just so happened that I started my period on Friday. Its normal for me to feel a lot of lower back pain during my periods. this time is a little different. I started to feel the lower back pain then the pain moved to my upper abdomen on the left side. Then the pain moved to my lower right side of my back. now the pain is back on the left side of my upper abdomen. Of course everything that I have been reading leads to one thing... Pancreas. after calling my doctor my blood work has come back normal. However my urine test has not come back yet. They told me it could take up to a week. In the past this pain may have been here and it has gone away. But because of how much reading I have been doing on whyI have been feeling funny I've noticed the back pain and the abdomen pain a little more.
I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon. However I'm really scared.
Ive had a battery of tests through the years and for so long thought it was pancreatitis. I went to an expert out of state and he thinks its IBS though I do not feel my pain correlates to what I think IBS pain would be. My pain is a sharp, deep, quick stab/squeeze pain and comes and goes quickly. Its upper left abdomen.
Can you please describe the pain and location? I have assumed it was lower or mid abdomen and more like a long cramp vs a quick deep sharp pain.
So DH has been taking the Aloe Vera juice for almost a week now and is feeling better now than he has for the last 6 months and I was wondering if anyone else was interested in trying it to see if it made any difference to their level of pain?
He drinks a 1 litre bottle over the course of about 3 days.
Good Morning I would be very grateful if anyone can offer some form of advice. I was recently diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis. The specialist increased my Creon from 10000 to 40 000. I take 2 capsules after each meal but it does not seem to be working. My stools are still very soft and after each meal 15 minutes later I’m rushing straight to the toilet. What is even worse is since I’ve stopped completely drinking as advised by my GP/Specialist my stools have got worst. I don’t know if it’s because of all the info I have read on the internet relating to this illness or this is what normally happens to every patient diagnosed with this illness. I recently read on the internet about other medication that helps i.e. Aloe Vera, Betaine, primrose oil and Vitamin B12. I don’t know if any of you can offer any advice on these medications/supplements. Also I recently went to see my doctor for my blood test results he said my sugar levels have increased and my liver. I am awaiting another stool sample test back. Every morning my stomach make extremely loud gastric noises as soon as i finish eating my stomach goes into overdrive, sounding like a washing machine the only time it stops is when I go to the toilet. My pains in my stomach are very mild from 1-10 I will say 2 nothing like what I’ve read here on the forum. It has affected my whole outlook to life and lastly I still smoke two cigarettes a day. I have also read that I need to stop that completely, I am considering going on the Vapour friends have told me it’s better. I would appreciate any form of advice because I am extremely distressed with everything, Thanks.
View 27 RepliesAnyone on here have chronic prostatitis. I've dealt with mine for 6 + years now. It's debilitating! Not sure if it came from infected bladder stones or unprotected sex.
View 7 RepliesI am suffering from chronic angioedema. They are not sure that causes it, even though they did several tests. Anyway, they suspect on food, so I cut of egg, milk, fish, shellfish, nuts and seed for now, to see what will happen. Why is so difficult to find the cause of chronic angioedema? What can you tell me about it?
View 1 RepliesI am 38 years old, male.
About a year ago I started having pains in abdomen and mid back.
It started with mild mid right back pain, then mild abdominal pain just between sternum and belly button, accompanied by indigestion, hypersalivation, bloating, reflux, very bad smelling and sometimes floating stools and flatulence. The pain does not seem to be food or alcohol related. It does not really matter that I eat or drink for the pain pattern
I drink alcohol rarely, no more than a couple of drinks a month, but I used to smoke for ~ 15 years and I quit about 3 years ago, also I lost about 5 pounds during this year
Since then I had various test including:
1) Abdominal US, found slightly enlarged right lobe of the liver only
2) Upper endoscopy with H.pylory sampling – all negative
2) Various blood tests including CBC, liver/pancreas enzymes, Hepatitis A/B/C , celiac- everything normal or negative
3) Abdominal CT scan with oral and IV contract -all normal
4) Abdominal 3T MRI with contract – all normal
5) Fiberscan – normal
The only test that showed abnormality was HIDA scan, were delayed (more than 60 min) filling of gallbladder was found, the radiologist decided do not proceed with the second part of HIDA protocol - CCK injection, therefore ejection fraction of GB was not tested.
Based on this finding the radiologist concluded that this finding is consistent with chronic cholecystitis , and since no stones were found during previous tests the GI concluded that this is acalculous cholecystitis with unknown etiology and referred me to surgeon.
Surgeon’s recommendation was to proceed with cholecystectomy, but she also said that there is a chance that surgery may not help to relieve the symptoms since the initial problem could be related to SOD or to the problem with biliary duct.
Now the pain is mostly on the mid back on the right side and for the last month it began to spread to the left as well.
The pain does not wake me up from the sleep, and usually laying down on the right side makes the pain to fade away, but if I sleep for longer than 7-8 hours the back pain kills me, then I walk it is getting better.
Also that makes the pain worst is if I stand still for longer than 10-15 minutes, on subway of doing some kitchen work.
I also recently noticed that sometimes then I am in pain if bend back I feel kind of click in the mid back and pain immediately goes away for several minutes.
Does this sound like gallbladder related problem?
I've had difficulty falling asleep since I was a teenager (27 now), but over the years the problem has only gotten worse.
To put it as simply as possible: No matter how tired I am during the day, I am never tired or sleepy by the time I have to go to bed.I believe this is partly a case of DSPD (delayed sleep-phase disorder), because I do tend to fall asleep faster if I stay up until well past midnight. The problem is I have to get up at 8AM and there is no way to get around this (I own an independant store that opens at 9AM).
I am not stressed out when I go to bed or thinking/worrying too much, I am simply not tired. If I go to bed at 10PM it feels like I am trying to sleep in the middle of the afternoon. I ted to fall asleep between 12-12.30 at night which is around 1 to 1,5 hours later than I would like to fall asleep.
Going to bed earlier has almost no influence on when I fall afsleep: For example if I go to bed at 10PM I'd fall asleep at 11.45, while if I go to bed at 11.15 I'd fall asleep at midnight. 30 minutes of laying awake is the minimum though and I consider that a REALLY good night.
To make matters worse, I am a competitive athlete which makes a good restful night's sleep all the more necessary. This is also why I have stubbornly only used a few types of sleep medication, because it is EXTREMELY important that my reflexes/focus is not impaired the next morning, which is a side effect of nearly all sleeping aids. What I've tried:
1mg lormetazepam: Slept fine but did not feel rested and felt groggy the next day
3mg melatonin: Had no influence on falling asleep and woke up in the middle of the night way too energized like it was the middle of the afternoon.
Passiflora extract: no effect
ZMA: no effect.
The bottom line is: I sleep 6-7 hours a night, I only feel rested after 9-10 hours, and no matter what I try, I can't seem to fall asleep quicker, or even be tired when it's time to go to bed.
I definitely have anxiety and am now wondering if I also have CFS. Or maybe something else?
Brief list of symptoms...
Fatigue (groggy & heavy type tiredness)
Brain Fog
Feeling detached and 'spaced out'
Muscle weakness (especially in extremities and legs)
Sensitive to light and sound
Sometimes feels like I have flu or a bad virus (although I know I haven't)
Feels like I sometimes have a lump in my throat
Light headed
Light dizziness
Easily tired out
There are a few more general symptoms, but the more I read my lengthy list of symptoms, the worse I feel! Ha ha :-D
Brief History...
I have had anxiety issues on and off for many years and also hormone induced migraines. This year the migraines are definitely worse and so too is the anxiety. I had an 8 day brutal migraine early/mid September, followed by 8 days of severe brain fog/fuzzy head. I haven't been the same since. I'm also wondering if my symptoms are migraine related? I've had 2 full blood tests done and 2 urine samples taken. All came back normal/clear and healthy. I've also been to see an ENT consultant and he has ruled out an inner ear virus. He also checked my throat and balance. I had a full eye examination last week and my eyes are in great shape. I have an MRI booked next week and am also waiting an app have an ECG recorder fitted for 48 hours. I have not yet seen a neurologist or anyone else. My Doctor is saying it is all down to anxiety.
Is anybody experiencing anything similar? I feel more anxious not knowing what is happening to my own body!
i have aneurysm coilling aug.2011. why i still have chronic head ache? i've been seeg neurologist for more than three years and given four types of medication but have different side effect but my headache never change and getting worse, last week i've been to doctor because i have stiffneck o my left side, doctor says muscle pain. still now i still suffering to it. worse my neadache, Why long time?
View 1 RepliesI have been reading the boards about ETD and all the other potential causes of my ear problems for the last 6 months and am still without a clue what is causing my particular issue.
The story is long and like so many others on these boards also very frustrating. In March I was diagnosed with and inner ear virus as I was dizzy, foggy headed and had a slight sensation of fullness in my left ear (all occurred less than 24 hours after a 3 hour flight). This lasted for 3 weeks at the end of the three weeks all symptoms subsided except for the constant need to "pop" my ears. This lasted 4 days and was gone.
For 3 weeks I was symptom free, I had to take another flight which went off without any problems. For days after the flight I had spells of dizziness and on day 7 after the flight hear came the ear fullness and need to "pop" my ears.
Went back to the ENT and was told I have ETD and will resolve....6 months, 4 ENT's and an Allergist later my ears still feel pressurized. I have mad improvement over the months and instead of having to "pop" my ear 1 million times a day I am down to maybe a half a dozen.
My major concerns are:
While driving my ears bother me the most I feel increased pressure instantly no matter if the windows are open or closed.
Also I have post nasal drip MD diagnosed with non allergic rhinitis, never had that prior to the dizziness and ear issues.
ENT and others say it will go away it just takes time, I have not read of anyone's ETD going away on this board and feel like I can not live with this forever!
What are your opinions: will it resolve over time are we stuck with this forever?
I have been on oral and nasal steroid no significant improvement, I am doing acupuncture and seeing a chiropractor. I am negative for any allergies and my MRI came back negative.
The next step is tubes which they say can help in 50% of case and may make it worse in the other 50%, as much as I want this to go away I can not even take the chance of making it worse.
I suffer from chronic headaches and have done for over 15 years. I am on amitriptyline, citalopram and diclofenac, all of which I've been on for several years. I think my headaches are depression/anxiety related. Over the past year my job has changed and I've been finding it very difficult to cope. I've also been having relationship difficulties with my girlfriend and I think we are probably going to split up. I have been off sick for 2 weeks and my headaches will not go away. I can't sleep and this makes it worse. The headache has been really bad now for about 2 months and is showing no signs of lessening. I find it extremely difficult to function at the moment. The headaches make me feel exhausted.I am really anxious I will loose my job and not be able to pay our mortgage, loose my house and my girlfriend. I know I am catastrophizing and full of negative thoughts but I don't seem to be able to manage them.
View 1 RepliesI have been suffering from chronic Epididymitis and Balanitis for the last 6 months after unprotected intercourse. I was tested negative for all STDs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hiv, syphilis, and many more) and autoimmune disorders. Initially tested positive for Candida Albicans after noticing some red spots on the penis glans. Went through a series of antifungal creams (because it kept coming back) until it finally disappeared without recurrence. However, I still still a red/inflamed meatus and mushy scrotum and foreskin (I am uncircumsized). In all of this, my scrotum sags after every urination and my spermatic cord/epididymis starts to hurt (this is also amplified when I have an erection or ejaculate). Usually when I wake up, everything is fine (meatus is less inflamed, and scrotum is normal and firm).
I went through a series of medications with multiple primary care physicians and urologists. Antibiotics (10 days of Doxycycline, 1 month of Clarithromycin/Amoxicillin). 2 weeks of Fluconazole, 1 month of Lamisil Antifungal cream on penis glans. 1 week of Nystatin. On and off with anti-inflammatories.
Diagnosis done:
Ultrasounds (small bilateral 4mm spermatoceles),
CT scan (nothing found),
4 urine analysis (nothing found),
STDs (nothing found),
They thought it was either yeast infection, prostatitis, urethritis, dysuria, or STDs but none of the medication helped
What is currently persistent and the most bothersome is the testicular/epididymal pain (right testicle). I have to ice it every night (been doing for past two months) to reduce inflammation and pain which also spreads to the base of penis, pelvic bone, and groin area.
Anybody have a clue on what this is? Could all this be candida? This has become a very big problem in my life and is constantly stressing me out. One of my doctors almost even started me on anti-anxiety but I am not the type to have ever been in depression or stress. I am always eating healthy and keeping fitness. Was usually an active and sporty person before all of this but I can't even do strenuous activity anymore otherwise it starts to hurt.