Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

LOOKING FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

My husband is 33 and has been experiencing LUQ pain for about 4 months. He does have good days (few and far between) where he can eat normally (3 meals/day etc) but then there are days where eating puts him into excruciating pain. There are also days where he eats nothing and is still in pain. Our GI doctor has suggested a pancreas problem.

He had a cholecystectomy about 7 years ago so not a gallbladder problem, he has had pancreatitis in the past (2x), last time he was in so much pain he was admitted to the hospital and kept NPO for 4 days. He has never been a heavy drinker and he doesn't have a gall bladder so I'm not sure what could cause the pancreatitis.
He has cut out all alcohol and fatty and sugary foods, but still no luck in pain relief.

He has had a ultrasound to look for a gall stone in the bile duct that was missed during surgery years ago, a CT which showed mild inflammation of the pancreas but all enzymes were normal (all labs were normal CMP and CBC), an MRCP was done to look for pancreas divisum, all negative.

We are going to have an EUS next, but he continues to have severe pain and continuing weight loss. He is down about 35 lbs in 4 months- even when he has a good week or two and he eats normally he doesn't put any weight back on. He is having some bowel issues, mainly constipation, as well as a lot of belching. Our GI doc said have EUS done and go from there, but I'm at a loss of what else it could be besides chronic pancreatitis.

I feel so terrible for him bc he is looking very thin (he's about 6'2 and down to about 148lbs) and is in so much pain almost constantly that he lays in a ball on the couch more days than not. His job is very physical but he has had to take it easy recently due to the amount of pain he's in. His GI also prescribed Creon which hasn't helped at all, despite taking it religiously with food for 30 days.  Any ideas/help is greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance!
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
I have found help for my husband at a site that talks about beating pancreatitis. It suggests following a diet that severely restricts all fats, not just saturated fats.  
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
It is also suggested to keep a food diary to track foods that may cause a reaction. It's been a long time, 1.5 years, since you posted. I hope your hubs is doing better.
973741 tn?1342342773
Oh, that's really terrible! And such a difficult time to have a medical issue that you need to investigate further.  No elective procedures and tests, right?  I had pain in that same area and it was gallbladder related.  He's had his gall bladder removed? What about irritable bowel disease?  That can have these symptoms and they do have treatments for it to look into.  Here's an article https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325862#liver-abscess  One far fetched but still possible thing to look into is issues with his liver.  Does he have any of the other symptoms associated with liver issues?   Unfortunately, some people do simply suffer chronic pancreatitis.  https://pancreasfoundation.org/patient-information/chronic-pancreatitis/  and https://www.health.harvard.edu/a_to_z/chronic-pancreatitis-a-to-z  I do not blame you one bit for trying to find other avenues to explore besides chronic pancreatitis.  The treatent for that is just managing symptoms.  Does your husband journal food intake to get a handle on any triggers to avoid?
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Gastroenterology Community

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Learn which OTC medications can help relieve your digestive troubles.
Is a gluten-free diet right for you?
Discover common causes of and remedies for heartburn.
This common yet mysterious bowel condition plagues millions of Americans
Don't get burned again. Banish nighttime heartburn with these quick tips
Get answers to your top questions about this pervasive digestive problem