Pancreatitis hell

[Fedupofwaiting1]

I'm looking for other people's experiences of having severe acute pancreatitis. The pancreatitis was caused by the removal a gallstone from my bileduct. I've been suffering now for 6 weeks, spent the first 10 days in ICU and HDU. Then 3 weeks on a ward before being allowed home on 'home leave' going back in for bloods and scans.

I'm still in considerable pain everyday, get constipated due to all the meds and the pancreatitis. Currently waiting for a cyst to mature so it can be drained. How long after the cyst drained did you begin to feel better? Able to eat a normal amount of food? The pain to subside?

Even when the pancreatitis heals I will still need my gallbladder removing. It just seems like a really long haul.

You poor thing, that pancreatitis pain is horrendous

Dp had this - they think caused by stomach issues (diverticulitis) plus a very boozy weekend away on a stag do. He ended up in ICU with only a 50% chance of survival. Acute pancreatitis is abysmal.

I would say took a good 3 months for him to feel normal but we were very cautious with no high fat food or booze for probably a good year.

Thanks for sharing your experience, hopefully I'm half way through then!

It's a really serious illness so make sure you have all the help you can get. I really hope you feel better soon though it does seem like they need the cyst gone before it will properly calm down!

I had the same complication after a gallstone was removed from my bile duct. Excruciating.

It was 16 years ago, but I still remember the feeling of being stabbed in the stomach. I was in a private hospital and scared for my life. It took them far too long to get me a doctor and any help.

Sending well wishes OP. I have the gallbladder removal 2 weeks after the pancreatitis. Lost a lot of blood after surgery and took another month to recover.

Hope you’re on the mend very soon!!

Yours is going on a lot longer than mine, pain was worse than childbirth by a long shot but I was in hospital for a week, then probably took another two weeks to start feeling myself. Sent me home with no meds and I phoned Dr and she prescribed some oramorph for me. The gall bladder removal was very straightforward in comparison! Easy op and just a bit tender for a few days.

The pain is pretty bad. Please be aware that in still having a gall bladder your risks of yet another run in is higher than most.
I found it took six months to start to feel well again. I lost a lot of weight, had some fun bruises from so many blood gas tests and could not lie down. Food was fun. I resorted to using recipes for people with chronic pancreatis to avoid poking my pancreas whilst it slowly remembered what it was supposed to do and not what it was doing. The blood sugar crashes were horrible as were the glucoshot drinks to bring it back up past 3. That slowly improved but I tend more to lower rather than higher blood sugar levels since. Pain relief can help BUT codeine based painkillers are often best saved for a sudden acute pain flare followed by your Drs advice to manage till they can get you in surgery. Codeine is addictive and can add to the misery by causing constipation on top of an already grouchy gut.
Gall bladder removal post surgery is a very different form of discomfort than the pain of pancreatis and gall bladder attacks. TBH it felt great in comparison and I could finally sleep! Three years on I still have to be very careful about what I eat as if I get it wrong I pay for it.
I hope your able to have your cyst drained soon and that you manage to avoid another run in before you can have your gall bladder surgical removed.
I found the GUTS UK Charity a useful source of info.https://gutscharity.org.uk/