Someone recently came to this site, Living With Pancreatitis, looking for information on 'How to Stop the Inflammation of the Pancreas'. This is probably one of the most important questions a person suffering from chronic pancreatitis could ask. The question delves at the root of the problem. Without dealing with the inflammation itself it is probably not possible to keep the pain and related problems of the pancreas under control.
I try to deal with pancreatitic inflammation head on. I don't take painkillers because painkillers mask the pain which would allow you to continue causing and creating the pain without realizing it which can make the problem much worse even throwing the system into a state of acute severe pancreatitis leading to
hospitalization or worse. Therefore, painkillers are bad and not a friend to my pancreas.
When the pancreas is tender, sore or inflamed you know it. You can feel it. Therefore, start looking at the foods you've eaten recently (about an hour and a half ago) and if you've been eating some richer foods over the course of a longer period, perhaps a
few days, that could create pancreatic pain and vulnerability as well.
If there is a lot of stress in your life you might try to reduce the stress levels immediately. I had a very bad pancreatic episode a several months ago which took a couple months to recover from.
The pancreatic attack resulted from high stress levels as well as poor eating habits.
When I say I try not to take painkillers when the pancreas hurts I am mostly referring to over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol, Advil and Asprin. I don't generally go to the doctor and am known for not filling narcotic prescriptions so do note that I am referring to a total lack of absence both over-the-counter and prescription when it comes to taking painkillers for
pancreatitis.
Many doctors seem to favor morphine and other hardcore narcotics for pancreatitis. Perhaps the
reasoning is that people with chronic pancreatitis don't live long so who cares if they become addicted?
This is not my train of thought. First off, I'd like to live as long as possible. Masking the pain will probably kill me a lot sooner. So no painkillers for pancreatitis. Besides, they simply don't work as well as addressing the pain head on and making it go away through food intake and lack
thereof.
One day, I ate some ginger and almost immediately noticed a decrease in swelling in my pancreas. Ginger is a known anti-inflammatory.
I love steak! But too much steak will inevitably hurt my pancreas and yet I really don't want to eat a 4 ounce portion of steak. I want more! Therefore, I now add a very substantial amount of freshly cut up ginger to the leanest meat I can find.
While these are solid solutions for decreasing the risk of pancreatic inflammation these solutions aren't going to work if your pancreas is already swollen.
For a currently swollen pancreas. Ginger is good. Feel free to have a little ginger tea. Or buy the pink marinated ginger in a jar which can generally be found in the Asian Cooking section or near the fresh seafood section of the grocery store. I eat it by itself. Honey also tastes great and seems to calm my pancreas and fill me up when my pancreas is inflamed.
There are times when food is simply not a reasonable option. Honestly, not eating probably won't
hurt you for a day or two or even longer. That being said, I can easily fall into a routine of not eating and have found that since I often don't eat a lot anyway I need to watch my potassium levels. Potato chips, tomato juice, dried apricots, lima beans and raisins are all very high in potassium. A couple chips here, a few dried apricots there, an ounce or two of tomato juice and a few raisins will probably keep your potassium levels high enough to keep you out of a danger zone (kidney and heart problems seem to be the most prominent issues related to low potassium levels from my personal experience).
So remember, while no food really makes the pancreas feel much better there are some very scary side effects which are unacceptable. Therefore, if food hurts and you need to allow your
pancreas to heal but you're at home and able to eat a little try foods that can benefit the
pancreas and the overall health of the endocrine system while you are healing.
I've had to switch to a fat free diet. I love fatty foods. LOVE THEM! I like fatty steak, half and half. Rich is good! Well.... no. Actually, rich is no longer good and that is no longer a motto that works for me.
Honestly, I feel a lot better and can eat more regularly and more like a normal person when I simply keep fat out of my diet. Fatty foods are incredibly hard on the pancreas. By the way, Honey is Fat-Free! Isn't that fabulous!
Broth is good. I like chicken bouillon. Tea. Tapioca pudding. A little yogurt is okay with a few blueberries and a little honey. There are tons of great foods that might suit you when you are working toward stopping the inflammation of the pancreas.
No meals. Certainly, no big meals. Nibble size meals of yummy foods is good if you're able to eat. At least that has been my experience. No chocolate. I learned this the hard way. Yikes! Sweets just aren't that sweet when then hurt that bad and potentially can send your pancreas into
No meals. Certainly, no big meals. Nibble size meals of yummy foods is good if you're able to eat. At least that has been my experience. No chocolate. I learned this the hard way. Yikes! Sweets just aren't that sweet when then hurt that bad and potentially can send your pancreas into
severe inflammation for weeks.
No alcohol. Ever. No exceptions. If this is a problem for you then you are an alcoholic and perhaps might want to take a look at some recovery options or just stop drinking. PERIOD! Remember, people who don't have a problem with drinking don't have a problem with putting the drink down particularly when it's a life threatening issue!
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I had to take pain killers immediately to cope with the pain. One 500mg hydrocodone every six hours from the leftovers I kept. I also went to the pharmacy and picked up Prilosec OTC and a Probiotic. I already had Tylenol PM at home. After checking if I could overlap these I took them and filled up a quart of water abd laid down. The inflammation was still increasing. I learned something from a nurse friend of mine, and from a massage therapy school. Very light clockwise circular motions around the belly area actually move gas/air/food through the digestive track. I laid down on my left side and circled my stomach 20 times. Not much compression, because i didn't want to erupt of dammage andthing already going on. Just hand weigh, very light and slow circular motions. Then I lay down flat and do the same circular motion 100 times, while meditating and feeling the soothing feeling of my hand gliding across my belly area. Then I turned to my right side and circled 20 times to continue the air/gas/food working through its cycle process. Sure enough I can feel in my palm that there were fluids repositioning inside. Then I lay flat again for a couple of minutes or so. Then I stood up, and sure enough I began to burp and flatulate, which is what you want. It meant the decrease of pressure. I did that 7 or 8 times, until the meds kicked in. Then I lay down and take deep breaths and fall into a rest for a couple of hours. The pain does go away for a bit, but you have to get back up and do the same process several times. Monitor your pain killer intakes. I only did that portion a day and a half. However, you will dehydrate from sweating. At first it was increasing in pain when I took in water, but I forcefully did it because I knew that the body parts need flushing and I had to think about saving my kidneys and other parts from shock. Monitor your sweating during the process, and your pee color.
ReplyDeleteeventually water won't be a problem, as long as your pancreas isn't reactive to any food in there. It reacts a little to the pain killers and probiotic, but it is temporary till the meds kick in. The a day and a half into the flare-up I was weak and needed nutrition. I remember a friend told me that real lemons settle the stomach. I was confused so I looked up lemons and the pancreas. It actually helps the pancreas release the enzyme instead of letting it eat up inside the pancreas. I also remembered the lemonade diet. 2 tablespoons of pure lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of real maple syrup and a pinch or cayenne pepper. I look them all up and what they do against my pancreas, and it turns out they are beneficial. Add those ingredients to 8oz of lukewarm water and you get your nutrition going. Then I accompanied that with green tea extract. Somehow...someway I have discovered how to get through it better than I have before and sort of mimic what the hospitals do. Certainly not anything to compare to but when you are on your own with it...I did what I had to do. Here it is the third day and I am at least at 85% besides a little tenderness from swelling, and some feelings inside of things adjusting again. Gaseous, but okay
I'm not here to tell anyone else what works or doesn't work. I just share my experience when it comes to pancreatitis and what has worked for me.
ReplyDeleteGinger is an incredible anti-inflammatory. I use it as a tool to decrease the inflammation in my pancreas. My experience has been that it works. I have also found that when I decrease the inflammation the pain level decreases as a result.
It has been my experience that pain killers mask pain rather than eliminate it. I am not interested in having the problems remain that cause the pain. I want to get to the root of the problem and stop it there. Pain killers don't try to do that. Rather, the goal of pain killers is to keep you from feeling the pain, not for the problem to go away. Therefore, pain killers are not a workable long-term solution for me. I need to control the inflammation so I try to eliminate the things that create inflammation to the pancreas as well as decrease inflammation when it occurs. I find that both of these tactics are my solution for eleviating and eliminating pain related to my pancreas.
There are many natural remedies for decreasing inflammation. It has been my personal experience that these remedies have been effective in decreasing the inflammation of my pancreas. An easy way to try this to see if it can work for you is to go to a grocery store, buy some pink ginger in a jar, eat some of it and then see if you can feel a decrease in the inflammation of the pancreas. It's that simple.
Adding insulin-dependent diabetes into the mix makes things even more interesting, she cries as her pancreas screams in unison :( I appreciate anything I can read when I feel like this as it makes me feel much less isolated. Thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteI developed pancreatitis in August 2010 when I was 8 months pregnant with my son. At the time I was 25. I'm not a drinker, but my father had alcohol induced pancreatitis. I was kept in the hospital for 2 weeks. My son was an emergency csection due to my condition.
ReplyDeleteSince then it seems every 3-4 months I have attacks. Some are bearable and others are not. As of right now I am having an attack and don't want to go to the hospital because all they do is pump me with dauladid. I'm glad I came across this website. I'm brewing some ginger root tea as we speak and hoping it helps the inflammation. The only reason for my hospital visits was for severe pain relief.
Hi Anon - Thank you for your kind words. I've been where you are now. I found that over time I began to learn what foods or things triggered a flare up. I still get them but I'm better (much better) at getting them under control and I can do it quicker. I think flare-ups cause scarring which, in my opinion, makes things worse quicker and shorten the life span so realizing and fixing the problem is crucial.
DeletePain killers mask the problem, in my opinion.
Once my teenager moved out of the house I began to see a noticeable decrease in the number of flare-ups I experienced. I have periodically been stressed out over other things and have felt my pancreas immediate flare.
Food and stress are the two main things that inflame my pancreas. Food issues are easier to deal with than stress issues. It can be difficult to learn how to become zen 24/7. I'm assuming it would be very difficult if you had a newborn in the house.
One part of my regime is to get 8-9 hours sleep each night. A decent night sleep decreases overall stress levels an gives more internal strength. I'm guessing it just sounds insensitive to say that to a new mom but I do find it to be an important step in protecting my pancreas and decreasing the number of flare-ups I experience.
I also walk a lot. This is something that can be done with a stroller. Walking is an easy exercise that doesn't really stress out the body but keeps it healthy and fit while creating a bit of a buffer against stress.
Again, thank you for your comment. Many who have commented on this site have spoken about how disheartening it is to go through an attack. If you feel that, you are not alone but it can pass. The flare-ups can become less frequent and you can learn quicker ways to overcome them.
I always keep pink sushi ginger in the fridge. It's quick and easy and while I will also make tea it can tide me over for the moment.
I don't know if you take anti-depressants, or not, but I have heard that some of them cause pancreatitis. Just food for thought...
These are all really good types. I have had this pain for a few months now, along with diarrhea. I was diagnosed with IBS but I'm not buying it. The pain is continuous and sounds just like pancreatitis. I went to Lassens today and bought some Aloe Vera juice along with some other anti-inflammatory vitamins and I feel a little better. The hydrocodone and the tylenol were NOT working at all. Reading your posts make me feel less alone. I'm only 31 and have an 11 year old daughter and it's scary to think I have a chronic illness.
DeleteI'm 35 and just found out last chrismas that I had chronic and it's scary today is the first out of five days. I could walk straight and not hurt in still trying. Like hell to control it but I keep missing tail tail signs I'll try the ginger and get back with ya
DeleteI had an attack of acute pancreatitis. They removed my gall bladder because the stones were dropping on the pancreas & were the sourceof the attack.
ReplyDeleteI don't drink alcohol or take prescription pain meds, but th doctors seemed doubtful until the lab results came back. 90% of pancreatitis is from these two contributing factors which sucks for those of us who are the 10% re the interrogations when in that kind of pain.
I went on a low sodium diet with lean meats, fruits, salads. It dropped 12 lbs. Also stepped away from most dairy as that was the cause of the stones.
I started walking every morning which is really good for lowering stress.
I am early in this new journey.
A year ago today I had an ERCP done to deal with complications from my gallbladder removal. Ever since then I've had pancreatitis. I was also recently diagnosed with depression. I'm emotionally and physically exhausted from all of the emotional and physical pain. I feel very alone in all of this. I can't get my family to understand what I am going through and be supportive of me. How I feel changes every day. I can't make real plans anymore because I have no idea how I am going to feel from one day to the next. I've lost supposed "friends" bc they think I'm faking it. I'm so done with all of this. My family was very supportive in the beginning but has started acting like I am a huge burden to them. I'm 21 I should be out living my life. I should have graduated from college with my friends yesterday. But instead I've had to take a year plus off from school, my life is on hold and I don't know what to do or who to turn to. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I will try the ginger maybe that will help. But please, any advice would help. I just want to not be in pain. I can't continue to cry myself to sleep anymore. It's too much.
ReplyDeleteSuzy, I know exactly what you are going through. I am in the 14 month after being diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis. No matter what I eat or drink, it simply will not go away. It is a nightmare that I am not waking up from. I know how it effects every aspect of you life, mentally, emotionally, spiritiually, physcially and psychologically and those around you have a tough time relating. If they were going through what you are they would understand. I wake up in tears many a morning becuase of the pain and have to take pain meds round the clock. You may want to consult a pain doctor as I have. There is a procedure using a spinal cord stimulator to trick the brain into not feeling pain anymore. My doctor has had success with this in Colorado and hopefully I can have mine done in December. My prayers are with you and all who have to endure this horific disease.
DeleteHey, I'm not exactly where you are- but I'm also 20 (turning 21 in March) and I'm suppose to finish Uni in June but we'll see how that turns out. My family's being real supportive right now- but I terrified that they will see me as a burden in the future.... One thing that I think helped me a lot was to ask my parents and my sister to get on the internet and find out anything THEY can about my condition. It wasn't to scare them but to make them understand what I have to deal with. Because I think that many people don't realise how serious, painful and lonely this illness can be, I don't know if that's the best advice but it's the one that came to my mind when I read your post. I've also been crying a lot. Hopefully that is a part of the coping process and i'll get over it soon. Self pity gets very addictive, I've noticed. And I think it's alright to be miserable for a little while (because that's a natural response) but no one wants to be someone who brings down their sunshine. So it tough- but I think you and I are both capable of bring some of our sunshine back to life. (sorry was that a weird ramble?) p.s. I rather like baby food- it seems quite gentle on my pancreas.
DeleteSuzy, don't get discouraged. Talk with your doctor; tell them how you are feeling physically and emotionally. It is hard on your family I am sure, but you must sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk with them. I had pancreatitis and was in and out of the hospital for 7 months, had to get a feeding tube and drainage tube put in because of a cyst that was attached. My husband became my nurse literally caring for me when I was at home. You must have that support of your family. Don't give up because you deserve to get better. Find that help and support you need no matter what.
DeleteSuzy, I know exactly how you feel. I have experienced every thought, feeling and experience you listed. NO ONE who has not gone through this experience truly knows how we feel. I have had pancreatitis since October of 2010 and have suffered immensely in my job, relationship, family and home life as a result. My girlfriend left me for someone else during a 5-week short-term disability stint, leading to great depression and stress and even drinking alcohol. All of it hurt, not to mention my body. However, I realized through a lot of introspection that the person that matters first is you. Sometimes people's actions and statements can hurt because they don't believe or understand the pain and anguish. Make sure you love yourself first. That was my first step and once I realized it, I reach a moment of clarity that I need to get up and change for myself. I have committed to exercising (which can be limited when you have this condition), eating the right way (some "tricks" of which this site has provided) and having serious conversations with my family and friends. Once they truly know your situation and that you have the determination to make your life better, they will change. In the meantime, help YOU.
DeleteSweetie you are not alone. My husband is going through the exact thing and it has ripped our lives apart. We have no social life and all we do is sit and wonder if he has something deadly. We should be happy, our daughter just had a beautiful wedding and this is hurting us all. We barely get through work and the worst part is (we work together) so there is no diversion. I see him and he sees me so we remind each other of what is happening. Maybe you can look into a support group as we will, our family has had it with us as well. Hang in there and maybe we can all find hope
Deletereally appreciate all the stories I've read here. I was diagnosed in Aug of this year that I have pancreatitis along with diverticulosis. when they both flared up I immediately began to wonder if there was cancer paining my stomach. Wow such pain. The hosiptal did pump me up with morphine and gave me levaquin. Now I have received a 13 thousand dollar hospital bill. Along with other doctors I sought before going to ER looking for help. Which they did absolutely NOTHING for me. Sometimes I get a little hard headed and forget and eat something I know is not good for me. I also have GERD which is also very painful when I am not taking any acid reducers. Thanks so much for the ginger tip. I am going to get some ASAP. I do hope the best for each of you bother with your stomach problems. Best of blessings to each of you.
ReplyDeleteI just found this blog and thank goodness! I am just beginning this painful journey as I have had pancreatitis for over a month now and have had 4 attacks in that time. The four Drs that I have seen have all said it was temporary and would go away with a liquid diet for 48 hours. Well, they are sorely wrong. Now, I have done my own research and found that the only way this will go away is by eating a "no fat" diet and basically staying away from the triggers. So far mine are red meats, fried food and milk (though I can process shredded cheese). I've taken up drinking a green smoothie every morning to keep up my nutrients but have consistently lost about a half pound to a pound a day. Right now, I do have narcotics to help cope with the pain, but I am insanely paranoid about getting addicted, so I only take 1 when I absolutely cannot tolerate the pain and only when I am home. However, I still need to take tylenol every 3-4 hours to function after an episode. The ginger is a good tip and I will be adding that into my diet in hopes to curb the need for tylenol and narcotics. And to the lady above, I totally know how you feel. Right now I feel as if I will never lead a normal life again and am facing cooking a thanksgiving dinner without being able to eat. My boss is skeptical that I am having attacks, but am still functioning at work. Well, I don't want to lose my job. But I think this would be even harder if I was younger. I am 26. And another site to try, though his blog may be a bit extreme is http://beatingpancreatitis.com/.
ReplyDeleteIt took me about 8 months to get diagnosed with pancreatitis. Kept having attacks they kept saying ibs. Finally started going to ER and got ct ccT2763wQVb5scan to confirm. Since then I've been hospitalized three times for about 4-5 days each time. I have been on a nasal feeding tube for 8 weeks, no oral food or water. It's tough. I'm 42 yr old female. Dr says ill get through this eventually but hard to believe. I was even back in hospital for an attack while on feeding tube. They think from alcohol abuse, hard to believe because I do drink but not excessively. I also now have two pseudocysts they are hoping will just spontaneously dissolve in time. Pancreatitis sucks! Trying hard to keep my head up. Happy I found this forum. Guess we will all learn to deal with it eventually. Best to everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy husband found your site a couple of days ago. We have a 18 year old daughter that was diagnosed with pancreas divisum 8 years ago, which has resulted in chronic acute pancreatitis. It has been a very long, long journey to obtain this diagnosis. She spent the first two years in and out of our local children's hospital. She also had her gallbladder removed and had two ERCPs at this hospital. As parents we learned very quickly that we are her best advocates. We live in Michigan and it took her being transferred to Riley's Children's Hospital in Indianapolis IN to be diagnosis. We later found out that the physician reading the ERCP did not have the knowledge to correctly read and diagnosis pancreas divisum. Since then she had a Whipple procedure in 2009. It took 2 years for her to recover from this surgery. We have been able to manage her pain at home with the assistance of pain management physicians. She has been doing well until this past October 2013. Her pain increased slowly at first - she was still able to attend school. However, in the month of November she was not able to eat and the pain became unmanageable. This resulted in a 12 day hospital stay at the beginning of December with a feed tub. She is home now and her quality of life has decreased greatly. She is no longer able to attend school, sports, and after school activities. We have tried almost everything to assist her with pain control. During her hospital stay she did have a MRCP. However due to sever damage to her remaining pancreas, the test was difficult to read. We have been down this road many times. We do have a final option of having a Pancreatectomy and Islet Auto-Transplant. However with this procedure we were informed in 2008 that the chances of her becoming diabetic increases significantly and will take years off of her life span. Her GI specialist stated that if there is no improvement we can be transferred to Indiana University. At this time, a ERCP will not be performed because of the fear of life-threating pancreatitis. I haven't found a support group for teenagers/young adults with pancreatitis. We was not aware of ginger. We will try this right away. From a parent's view, it is very difficult to see your child in so much pain - physical and emotional. The worst part is not knowing how to help or ease the pain.
ReplyDeleteSuzy
ReplyDeleteNever loose hope. I experienced pancreatitis after the sudden death of my partner. I was shocked. I was 33 years old happy i had found God in someone's heart then destroyed by his death. Pancreatitis had no explanation in my life. Except possibly surfacing from the severe depression I felt at that point. I learned that according to Mayo Clinic, it can come in from that. Dont loose hope. Look for the best for you and have trust in God. Good things will come and all you have to do is wait. They are on their way. They always are.
Love, Cesar
I have recently tried adding lemon juice to my water intake but the pain intensifies and I become very nauseated and ill. Needless to say cut out the lemon juice. any idea of why this would happen?
ReplyDeleteMy husband who is not a drinker was recently in the hospital for abdominal pain, sweats, nausea. They tell him he has gastritis and took an MRI of his liver and pancreas and said they were good. But he has been suffering for a month, and we are getting nowhere with Drs. and tests since they are focusing on gastro health. He has pancreatic symptoms yet they do not treat him for it. He is very depressed and we have lost our quality of life. He is nervous about having a deadly disease and I am a wreck. Is there someone who can understand and tell me where to go from here. They are trying to convince me it is his nerves etc. He is an avid hunter and would in the woods now if he could get past this but instead he sits and just comes up with symptoms and aches and pains. Please help, I am desperate.
ReplyDeleteI was admitted to the E.R. on 10/31/14... I had dull pain in my lower abdomen, and lower back for a good week or two. The pain eventually became so severe my parents rushed me to the E.R.. After a quick blood panel, pee'ing in a cup, and a cat scan, I was diagnosed with Acute Pancreatitis.. I spent 5 days in the E.R. on a liquid IV, and bumped to soft foods on the day I left. I've been home for almost a week now, with blood tests every week since my levels aren't lowering at all.. I was a heavy drinker (at least 12 beers a day) since I became 21, I'm now 23, I've had a horrible diet my entire life.. Fast food, bacon, meat, meat and more meat, along with anything deep fried.. I still have random pains throughout my midsection and lower back.. I'm taking a ton of vitamins and am just riding out the storm. Hopefully this goes away. I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy. I also have 2 twin daughters (5 and half months old), I can't have this turn into a chronic issue, and cut multiple years off my life.. I've stopped drinking completely, and my diet is mainly yogurt, chicken noodle soup, and lean meats.. FML.
ReplyDeleteVery excited to find other people living my life. I was diagnosed in December 2014 with chronic pancreatitis. Started having issues after having acute pancreatitis and my gall bladder removed a year before. At first it was a relief to finally have someone belief my pain was real. My pain is almost constant since October and I am having trouble imagining the rest of my life being like this
ReplyDelete