Does the pancreas still work?

[KleboldKlan]

I'm type one and I have been having real bad stomach pains, excruciating pains and I went to the doctor and she kept asking me about my alcohol consumption, I don't drink much at all, I have one can and I have had enough for the night. And she said my pancreas might be inflamed, which I thought didn't work as it doesn't produce insulin, obviously I am completely wrong, but I'm not a doctor so wouldn't know anyway. Does it still work or is it something else?

 

[trophywench]

It doesn't only produce insulin - it produces other digestive things as well. We wouldn't be getting any nutrition from the food we eat if we didn't still get the other 'stuff'.

 

[khskel]

Speaking personally, no mine is kaput but for most it still produces the enzymes you need for digestion.
Have you been loosing weight unintentionally?

 

[pottersusan]

Not having a pancreas at all, I know that it produces a lot of enzymes for digestion as well as insulin.

 

[KleboldKlan]

So it can be inflamed? I haven't been losing any weight. I've stayed the same weight for ages, 8 and a half stone (which is a perfect weight for my height). I've had it for a little over a week ,but as I couldn't get in the doctors straight away (always booked up) I couldn't get it sorted. I'm on Omeprazole for my stomach and Flucloxacillin for an abscess on my armpit. So hopefully I'll be better just in time for Christmas (I hope anyway). Thanks guys.

 

[mikeyB]

If it is your pancreas that is inflamed, then I hate to put a damper on things but you must not drink any alcohol at all. Alcohol will make the pain worse. And avoid fatty food, that makes the pancreas work harder, and you need to give it a rest.

 

[Hepato-pancreato]

Trust me if it was pancreatitis you wouldn’t be sat in a doctor’s surgery.
From personal experience You wouldn’t have made it to the gp surgery.

 

[KleboldKlan]

@Hepato-pancreato never said it was pancreatitis. I'm going by what my doctor said. I don't know what's wrong with my stomach. I didn't even know where the pancreas was in my body tbh. Like I said just going by what she said to me.

 

[HOBIE]

Good luck that its better for Xmas KK 🙂

 

[Amigo]

@Hepato-pancreato never said it was pancreatitis. I'm going by what my doctor said. I don't know what's wrong with my stomach. I didn't even know where the pancreas was in my body tbh. Like I said just going by what she said to me.

Hasn’t your GP ordered any tests for you KleboldKlan? I’d have thought an ultrasound scan at the very least and blood tests to look at your pancreatic enzymes amylase and lipase.
It’s certainly true that alcohol won’t help if there’s inflammation but I’d be wanting further tests. I’d persist if this ‘excruciating pain’ persists.
I’ve had pancreatitis caused by a stone stuck in my bile duct and was desperately ill but a grumbling gall bladder or even appendix could also be causing pain (depending on where the pain is located).

Push for answers. Best wishes.

 

[KleboldKlan]

@Amigo i think she wants to wait and see if the tablets work first. If it still persists I will go back and demand I have tests done. As since this has started been feeling nauseous and dizzy. Is there anything else an inflamed pancreas would be?

 

[Amigo]

@Amigo i think she wants to wait and see if the tablets work first. If it still persists I will go back and demand I have tests done. As since this has started been feeling nauseous and dizzy. Is there anything else an inflamed pancreas would be?

There’s a number of reasons for an inflamed pancreas KK but only tests can reveal them. We don’t suffer bad pain for no reason and she obviously suspects something like acid reflux or maybe even a peptic ulcer aggravating things hence the Omeprazole. I hope the meds work for you but push for further testing if it persists particularly if you’re feeling nauseous and dizzy with the pain.
I only had one episode of sickness and abdominal pain before the worst pancreatic attack imaginable. It brought me to my knees the pain was so bad and I had a week in hospital with a bed in the ITU on hold for me.
In my case I needed my gallbladder out. Hope you get some answers and relief from it soon.

 

[Hepato-pancreato]

An inflamed pancreas is pancreatitis. If she thought your pancreas was inflamed she should ‘be ordered blood tests automatically. Dosn’t make sense.

 

[Amigo]

An inflamed pancreas is pancreatitis. If she thought your pancreas was inflamed she should ‘be ordered blood tests automatically. Dosn’t make sense.

That was my observation too HP. I can’t see how it could be diagnosed simply by observation but it sounds to me like she didn’t think the level of pain was great enough to send KK immediately for tests. They had to scrape me off the surgery floor when I had it and sounds like you’ve been through this too.

 

[mikeyB]

I feel a bit guilty in this pancreatitis discussion. I’ve managed to get chronic pancreatitis without ever having any pain at all.

It is difficult to diagnose by observation or palpating, but you can tell if the gall bladder is inflamed using those techniques, so if it isn’t the gall bladder it’s something else. You can’t palpate the pancreas, it lives behind the stomach. The classic sign of a damaged pancreas (which is how I diagnosed myself) is steatorrhea. That’s pale, or even grey bowel motions that are greasy and difficult to flush. That’s a cardinal symptom.

 

[Hepato-pancreato]

Bet you hated when 40,000 creon tablets were unavailable. The extra medication dose of the 25,000 means a a handful with each meal now instead of 3 or 4. The dreaded steatorrhea. Luckily creon and the morphine i’m On sort that out. Still leaves this young lad without a diagnosis though. Could It be the antibiotics he’s taking. Definitely needs a blood test. Can rule out or confirm so many things.

 

[eggyg]

Trust me if it was pancreatitis you wouldn’t be sat in a doctor’s surgery.
From personal experience You wouldn’t have made it to the gp surgery.

With you on that one! Would not wish pancreatitis on my worst enemy.

 

[eggyg]

Hasn’t your GP ordered any tests for you KleboldKlan? I’d have thought an ultrasound scan at the very least and blood tests to look at your pancreatic enzymes amylase and lipase.
It’s certainly true that alcohol won’t help if there’s inflammation but I’d be wanting further tests. I’d persist if this ‘excruciating pain’ persists.
I’ve had pancreatitis caused by a stone stuck in my bile duct and was desperately ill but a grumbling gall bladder or even appendix could also be causing pain (depending on where the pain is located).

Push for answers. Best wishes.

That’s how my whole sorry story started 17 years ago! Bloody gall stones!

 

[eggyg]

Bet you hated when 40,000 creon tablets were unavailable. The extra medication dose of the 25,000 means a a handful with each meal now instead of 3 or 4. The dreaded steatorrhea. Luckily creon and the morphine i’m On sort that out. Still leaves this young lad without a diagnosis though. Could It be the antibiotics he’s taking. Definitely needs a blood test. Can rule out or confirm so many things.

The problem with blood tests is if you are not having an attack at the time they are taken they don’t always show the amylase levels. But I agree definitely needs looking into.

 

[Amigo]

Th eproblem with blood tests is if you are not having an attack at the time they are taken they don’t always show the amylase levels. But I agree definitely needs looking into.

I’m relieved now that I didn’t realise how serious it was at the time. A young junior Registrar took my amylase levels and said they were the highest they’d ever registered there. I just thought that was slightly amusing until a posse of very concerned looking senior doctors appeared around me and started inserting tubes in every orifice! 😱