Health DescriptionHealth Consultation Description: I just got out of the hospital for acute pancreatitis. Not a pain I ever want to feel again. They did a cat scan, MRI, and endoscopic ultrasound and found nothing that would have caused it. I'm not a big drinker either. The odd thing is that for the last month before the attack, I've really been trying to watch my eating and I've been working out.
I've had problems with my digestive system for the last three years and now I'm wondering if I have had
Chronic Pancreatitis. It started with gas and diarrhea. Most mornings I have anywhere from 2-4 bowel movements before I leave the house. The first one is usually normal and then it gets watery from there. Every once in a while I have a bout of yellow stool for a couple days. I went to the gastro 3 years ago and he did a colonoscopy and an EGD and he didn't find anything. He told me I had IBS. Could this be related to the pancreatitis? He told me yellow stools don't mean anything but it seems odd that I have them now with this acute attack. When I look up yellow stools it talks about a blockage some where. Could they have missed something? Is there another test that should be done? I don't understand how I got this in the first place.
Also, some lymph nodes showed up on the cat scan and MRI in my retroperitoneum. This is the part of the stomach by the pancreas. They were under 10mm on the cat scan but as big as 17mm on the MRI. They want me to see a specialist to determine if one should be biopsied. Now I'm really freaking out thinking I have pancreatic cancer or lymphoma or something else that's even scarier than the pancreatitis. I don't think I could take anymore right now. :-( Has anyone else had lymph nodes show up like this during an attack? I would think they would be enlarged simply because of the pancreatitis.
Expert ReplyCondition analysis:
Hi Sue, I'm sure that's why they're performing the biopsy. Pancreatic cancer is fairly rare and it's been in the news for awhile because Patrick Swayze has it so I think that it's been in a lot of people's minds right now. I would say you don't have a big chance of having it. Can you tell us how you're doing? I'd like you to give us an update if you can. By the way if you register for the forums you can tell us how you're doing because they'll email you when people post on the thread! Let me know okay?
Instructions:
Acupuncture: In an animal study released in 2008, researchers found that electroacupuncture (a form of acupuncture in which needles are attached to a device that produces continuous electric impulses, and then placed at certain points on the patient's body) relieved pancreatic damage in rats with acute pancreatitis.
However, there is a lack of human-based research to support the use of acupuncture in the treatment of pancreatitis. What's more, one study published in 2005 reports a very rare case of acute pancreatitis induced by acupuncture (most likely due to abdominal trauma).
Although they haven't been specifically studied in the treatment of pancreatitis, other alternative therapies (including meditation and breathing exercises) may help ease the stress of coping with pancreatitis pain.
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