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About Me Along the way, I have learned, by default at times, some of the pancreatic symptoms that send a pancreas into a worse state - such as emotional stress, physical stress (walking too quickly or carrying something even slightly heavy) and eating the wrong foods (fatty foods and spices) or simply too much food. An ultrasound showed no damage to my pancreas although it was very swollen. As the doctor put it, my pancreas was 'huge'. This generally means the pancreas will heal completely and the pancreatic attack will cease without recurrence. I'm still waiting for that to happen. At present, I am continually experiencing recurrent pancreatitis At present, I see the symptoms prolonged at best and often getting worse. Acute Pancreatitis usually goes away on its own but in severe cases the person will need to be hospitalized and hooked up to an IV for nutrients. This was my situation. I was off food and liquids (including water) for nearly a week before I started incorporating a healthy pancreatitic diet into my regime, starting with water then working my way up to heavier more nutritious liquids. Very slowing, I started adding liquids - such as broth, then soups - into my diet over a period of several days. Eventually, I began adding solid foods. This was a very slow progression - water for a couple days, then broth for a couple or a few days, then soup with a consistency but no solids for a couple or a few days, then yogurt and puree, then eventually solid foods. If you rush this process you risk getting chronic pancreatitis which causes new bouts of pancreatic symptoms and prolonged pancreatic pain. The first time I was served a plate of food, at the hospital, was after about a week and my pancreas was not ready. I had a bout of severe abdominal pain the episode set my recovery back completely to a degree where I wasn't even drinking water for a few more days and was hooked back up to an IV. Although Acute Pancreatitis usually heals on its own, it can become Chronic Pancreatitis. In this case, the enzymes are not normally digested and eat away at the pancreas from the inside. My eye sight has deteriorated since I've had pancreatic problems. I have problems breathing due to lung issues associated with pancreatitis. My blood pressure is often so low the nurses mad faces of concern and/or surprise. I can't eat on most days and days when I try it often sends me back into having a pancreas attack. The pancreas is very delicate. According to my doctor, once damage is done the pancreas stays in a frail state. It needs a lot of time to heal in my case. I have found foods that don't seem to bother the pancreas or help in its healing process which I have listed on this site. These foods can only be eaten when the pancreas is healthy enough to digest the food. Broths and soups seem fairly easy on the pancreas during early stages of eating. I also seem to have a sudden and regular craving for honey which has enzymes in it that are good for healing the pancreas. I find myself eating it by the spoonful at times. Often, I find that eating honey can ease the abdominal discomfort. I often crave potato chips which have both magnesium and potassium which are needed in healing the pancreas. Of course, the problem with potato chips is that they are a solid and must be digested by the pancreas. I haven't found much information on the internet about pancreatitis - acute or chronic. I am hoping this website will be of some benefit to other sufferers of the disease. I have had setbacks with this disease because I simply didn't know that carrying a bag (not a very heavy bad) would be too hard on my system as well as other information that simply wasn't available to me. One of the problems with pancreatitis is that the disease often goes undetected until it's too late. One of the problems with finding treatments and cures for pancreatitic cancer is that the patients generally don't live very long (many under 6 months after being diagnosed) making it difficult to study the disease and try treatments on the patients. I have pancreatitis as a result of alcoholism which is probably the most common way to get the disease. Some people have pancreas issues as a result of diabetes , gall stones or heredity. I have been told that diabetes can also occur as a result of pancreatitis. This is not how I came to have pancreatitis and it is not something I have experience with at this point. I can only speak on the topic of pancreatitis as a result of alcoholism and what I have experienced as a result of this disease and how it has affected me. I am not an expert. I am a patient. Pancreatitis often goes undetected for years until serious damage has already occurred and it is too late to do anything about it. When I went to the emergency hospital I told the doctor I thought I had pancreatitis. He asked why I thought that. I said I had the symptoms from what I had read online. He laughed and said, "Oh, you read something on the internet." in a sarcastic voice. I said, "Just do the blood work." and rolled over. He came back and said they were admitting me to the hospital on the floor that specialized in gastro-intestinal problems and I would probably be there for four days and 'I couldn't drink anymore, ever'. Pancreatitis is hard to diagnose. Basically, it just feels - to a greater or lesser degree - that you have a soar upper abdomen. Before I went to the emergency room when I would drink it felt like the liquids I would digest were acting as a waterfall and cascading over my upper organs and going down directly below. The section between my ribcage became swollen and it felt like I had a football in the upper part of my stomach region (which I found out later was a swollen pancreas). It hurt after I would eat and my lower abdomen would swell - most likely because my system was unable to digest the food. The real reason I knew I had pancreatitis even before being admitted to the hospital is because of reflexology. I strongly recommend to anyone and everyone to either have someone (a loved one or friend works just as well as paying a 'professional') perform reflexology on you or for you to do it to yourself. It is how we knew I had pancreas issues and the only reason I looked into the symptoms of the disease which led to my eventual awareness that I probably needed to go to the emergency hositpal. If you feel this information has been useful consider leaving a donation. I love giving to you. I also love receiving. All the best to you! | 
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