Question: For the past three years I am suffering from abdominal pain. After consulting a gastro entrologist, I did ultra sound and CT scan which showed calcifications in head and pancreatic body. Is this curable? Please suggest a treatment, medicines and food habit as well.
Answer:
Chronic pancreatitis is the constant inflammation of the pancreas, characterized by irreversible structural changes, causing pain and/ or permanent impairment of the function.
Chronic Pancreatitis Types:
- Chronic calcification: This is invariably caused due to heavy alcohol consumption, especially in combination with a high protein, high fat diet.
- Hereditary: gene-related
- Tropical: occurs due to malnourishment
- Obstructive: occurs due to an obstruction of the pancreatic duct
What exactly are your symptoms?
Are you taking any medication right now?
Are you a heavy drinker?
What is your meal pattern?
Chronic Pancreatitis Symptoms:
- Chronic pain, interspersed with severe acute attacks.The attack is usually precipitated by alcohol
- Weight loss
- Drops of oil in the stool
- Diabetes, almost always develops.
Prevention and Diet for Chronic Pancreatitis:
- Alcohol ought to be stopped at once.
- Surgical intervention is controversial
- Dietary management is extremely crucial. Watch your diet closely. Cut down your fat intake by 3/4. Go slow with the butter, cream, margarine and oil.
- Consume only, low cal, skimmed, cow’s milk.
- Avoid milk products. Thin buttermilk is allowed.
- Avoid eating any greasy food, when eating out. Opt for fermented foods, salads, fruits instead.
- Also, avoid animal proteins – egg, fish, and meat. Once in 10 days is recommended.
- Heavy spices should be avoided.
- Diabetes develops in most of the patients suffering from chronic pancreatitis. Hence, it is advocated that you check the blood sugar level every 3 months. Stay away from white sugar, refined and processed foods.
- A pancreatic supplement needs to be taken along with each meal.
Complications that you need to be wary about:
- Pancreatic pseudo-cyst
- Ascites.
The prognosis of the disease depends on complete abstention from alcohol, rigid dietary management, moderate exercise, and above all, stress-managing.
- Related Topics
- Diagnosis of Chronic Pancreatitis | Pancreatitis Function Test and Surgery
- Chronic Pancreatitis Life Expectancy: Diagnosis And Prognosis
- Symptoms of Chronic Pancreatitis | Tropical Pancreatitis | Pancreatic Cancer
- Complications of Pancreatitis | Acute Pancreatitis | Pancreatitis Renal Failure
- Pancreatitis Risk Factors | Obstructive and Gallstones Pancreatitis
Symptoms almost sound like Gallbladder symptoms, rather than pancreatitis. The gallbladder can cause referred shoulder pain, which can almost feel like a heart attack, or severe heart burn. It will come on shortly after a meal, especially a fatty meal.
Recurrence of pancreatic pain in chronic pancreas can be avoided if the person strictly follows a healthy life style. Many persons live with calcified pancreatic head without any trouble. The first line of treatment is conservative. Surgery is the last approach for pancreatitis and its sequel.