Pancreatitis - Idiopathic, Hereditary or Autoimmune?

Have you been diagnosed with Pancreatitis? If so, and I would imagine you or someone you hold dear has been diagnosed with Pancreatitis or you wouldn't be reading this blog - Do you know what caused your Acute pancreatitis and/or Chronic Pancreatitis?

There are a lot of reasons you may have Pancreatitis.

You could be an alcoholic. Alcoholism is the number one cause of Acute and Chronic Pancreatitis. But ...

That doesn't mean you have to be an alchy to have panc. You could have suffered gallstone pancreatitis because gallstones are the number two cause. And you could have suffered a severe abdominal trauma, hade a side effect from a drug such as Byetta (used to treat diabetes) or a complication of some sugical proceedure such as ERCP, OR ...

You could be just one of the lucky folks who suffer from hereditary pancreatitis. The term "hereditary pancreatitis" is used when an actual genetic defect is identified, such as Cystic Fibrosis. Of course your doctor will need to recognize the symptoms of pancreatitis and also know that one of the complications of CF is pancreatitis. Now ...

How on earth doctors were actually able to identify a genetic defect that caused pancreatitis when 13 out of the 14 I personally saw for my illness couldn't even come up with a diagnosis is beyond me. I have found that 93% of the doctors I have been privilidged to work with couldn't find their ass in the dark using a map and a flashlight, so - I would guess it was actually a scientist who discovered the potential of genetic defect causing pancreatitis.

Their is also familial pancreatitis and that term is used when it seems to run in the family but there is no clear-cut genetic defect. A good example would be "Familial hypertriglyceridemia" in which extremely high triglycerides run in the family and cause Pancreatitis. Then of course we have ...

Idiopathic pancreatitis. Idiopathic is used when the idiots can't find a reason you have pancreatitis and I believe the reason they can't find a REASON is very similar to the WHY behind the WHY they can't diagnose pancreatitis unless your pancreas jumps up, slaps them in the face and blatantly screams "Pancreatitis you moron!"

Welcome to "assembly line medicine" where if you don't drink massive amounts of alcohol or have a huge boulder (gallstone) that they can easily see blocking your common bile duct or your pancreas has simply turned into a glob of nasty goo from devouring itself so they can easily diagnose pancreatitis - why you simply don't have anything wrong with you and you are probably just in the ER to scarf some narcotics because ...

Everybody lies!

Everyone loves to visit the ER in order to have someone to chat with! I know it's my first choice in regards to an avenue to find new friends and of course get some good pain meds to get high. In fact I used to love sitting in some doctor's office or waiting room just to shake their germ infested hand and pay them MONEY to chat with me.

You too?

Damn! here I thought I was unique.

If you have had experiences like me and feel that most doctors have difficulty even diagnosing pancreatitis then wait till you ask them WHY you have it because ...

Unless you ARE an alcoholic or have gallstones or have been in an abdominal trauma situation (your pancreas is laying on the floor at their feet) or you can verify that your whole family has pancreatitis due to high blood fat levels (they draw your blood and yours are so high they hit 6 figures) chances are they won't know and for them to connect the dots to your ...

Autoimmune Pancreatitis, due to an autoimmune disease such as Celiac Disease, Sjorgren's Syndrome, Psorisis, Lupus, RA or a myriad of others is a real stretch of the imagination and their mental faculties. But ...

Who knows maybe you'll get lucky and your doctor will be very well read when it comes to autoimmune disease and their complications. But here is a peice of free advice. If you have Pancreatitis and your doctors have no clue why - have them check you for various autoimmune diseases.

Most autoimmune diseases are very difficult to control but you may get lucky and have Celiac Disease whereby (if you haven't had it for over 50 years before diagnosis) a gluten free diet may do wonders in eliminating your suffering from Pancreatitis. It may not cure it cuz there is no cure for Pancreatitis once damage is done but it could be of great help.