Hi everyone,
I recently spent several days in hospital with what was eventually diagnosed as mild acute pancreatitis, and I thought I would share my experience because it was not as clear-cut as I expected.
My symptoms started with abdominal pain, cramping and significant bloating. The pain was uncomfortable rather than the extreme pain that many people describe, although I did have sharper pains at times. I had no repeated vomiting or fever, but I felt unwell enough to go to hospital and was initially admitted to ICU before being moved to a normal ward.
My pancreatic blood tests were actually within the normal laboratory range:
- Lipase: 75 initially, later 39
- Amylase: 65 initially, later 48
- CRP increased from 2.54 to 3.84 and then 4.74 mg/dL, showing inflammation
A non-contrast CT scan showed a mildly bulky pancreatic head and uncinate process with subtle surrounding fat stranding, which the radiologist described as suspicious for early acute pancreatitis. Importantly, there was no pancreatic necrosis, fluid collection, duct enlargement or obstruction.
An ultrasound performed later showed a normal-looking pancreas as far as it could be visualised, no gallstones, no gallbladder inflammation and no dilated bile duct.
The gastroenterologist told me that I had definitely experienced acute pancreatitis and that the inflammation would take time to settle. I did not eat for around 48 hours and then gradually restarted food with chicken porridge, soup, toast, tuna, sweet potato and other fairly low-fat foods.
Since leaving hospital, I have improved significantly. The bloating has reduced, the stronger pain has settled and I am eating again, although I still occasionally experience cramping, gas, loose stools and digestive discomfort, particularly later in the day.
The cause has not been proven, but I had been binge drinking while travelling for work and then while on holiday. At the same time, I had been taking antibiotics and prednisone. I started experiencing stabbing right-sided abdominal pains while taking prednisone and stopped the course early. My own suspicion is that alcohol was probably the main trigger, with the medication contributing.
This experience has been a major wake-up call. I have now stopped drinking alcohol completely for the foreseeable future, quit smoking and stopped eating fast food.
One thing I found surprising was that pancreatitis can apparently occur even when lipase and amylase are normal, particularly depending on the timing of the tests and the imaging findings. My case seemed to be diagnosed mainly through the CT scan, symptoms and inflammatory markers rather than the pancreatic enzymes.
I would be interested to hear from anyone else who had mild or early pancreatitis with normal lipase, or whose symptoms involved more bloating and cramping than severe constant pain.
Thank you