Pancreatitis Pain: How to Stop Pancreatitis Pain

Pancreatitis pain can be mild to severe. I can personally tell you from experience that you do not want to experience the severe form of pancreatitis pain but I'll wager that if you are reading this blog post about pancreatitis pain that you've been there, done that.

I can remember one acute pancreatitis attack I was kneeling over the toilet when my wife came in (I was married at the time) and she asked me something, probably "what was I doing?"

I asked her "are my guts still inside me?"

I actually remember asking her that exact question but according to her I wasn't real coherent and obviously in severe pain so she got my ass into the car and she drove me to the ER.

This was just one of my many acute pancreatitis attacks and I can say, without doubt, you never want to experience severe pancreatitis pain. Sometimes it felt like something (remember Alien where that giant wormy thing pops out of peoples abdomens?) was trying gnaw a way out and explode from my abdomen.

Pancreatitis pain, especially when severe, is debilitating. Most people can't even phathom what it is like; however if you can imagine the pain associated with pancreatic cancer you are most likely close because pancreatic cancer patients often suffer from acute pancreatitis. So one could say pancreatitis pain is similar to pancreatic cancer pain, which may or may not be true.

Normal medical protocol is to treat pancreatitis pain with opiates such as demerol, morphine and morphine derivities. I've had demerol and it did absolutely nothing. It didn't even take the edge off my pancreatitis pain.

I've talked with several people who have had demerol for different types of pain. It was used years ago to reduce or eliminate pain from surgery and people who had experienced demerol told me it was a wonderful time for them. They flew high in the sky for an hour or two and felt nothing but pleasure.

I thought " how nice for them, isn't doing shit for me!"

I was diagnosed with acute and chronic pancreatitis in 1979.

It took 7 ER visits and half a dozen other doctors to finally figure out what was wrong with me. I don't want to go in to it in this article but let's just say I found out why doctors call their business a "practice."

I was sicker than a dying dog for several years. Then ...

I started drinking grapefruit juice.

I believe I started in early 1982 but get this ...

My acute pancreatitis attacks stopped.

My pancreatitis pain was far less severe and 30 years later I find research on the internet that specifically states that flavonoids, found in grapefruit juice, STOP acute pancreatitis in rats and actually protect their pancreas.  Ok ...

So maybe I am part rat!

All I know is that grapefruit juice stopped my acute pancreatitis and protected my pancreas long before it protected rats. You are most likely shakin' your head thinking this guys a nut so here - READ THIS! Scientists discovered in 2004 what I discovered in 1982, that unsweetened, white grapefruit juice stops acute pancreatitis but ...

At the time I thought it was my low fat diet and the drug called Robinul that my doctor had prescribed starting to kick in. I wasn't smart enough to realize that I'd been on that drug for about three (3) years already and it was most likely something else. Since my really low fat diet was new (within about 6 months) I just chalked it all up to the diet and the drug. But ...

The real winner was the grapefruit juice and ...

Unsweetend, white grapefruit juice can be found at any grocery store.

Fast forward about 12 years to 1994.

In 1994 I discovered antioxidants.

In fact I learned about several very special, highly anti-inflammatory antioxidants that are so powerful they literally stop pancreatitis pain and with diet allowed my pancreas to heal.

As it turns out the medical community stumbled upon my previous discovery as well and published the results of a study done by Pramod Kumar Garg, MD, DM, of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi in 2009. Dr. Garg states: "We are encouraged by our findings, as significant improvement was noted with antioxidants in respect to all the parameters of pain in this study. In addition, reduction in pain resulted in fewer man-days lost, thus providing functional employment gain to the patients. The findings should spur further research in this exciting area."

It took the good doctor 15 years more than me to figure out that certain, very powerful antioxidants help pancreatitis pain. Unfortunately the good doctor used antioxidants, such as selenium that can be toxic at high doses whereas I chose NON-toxic, highly anti-inflammatory antioxidants like grape seed extract, curcumin and vitamin C.

Taken in theraputic doses they will help to control pancreatitis pain and with an anti-inflammatory diet for pancreatitis you may heal like I did and enjoy some pain free years.

Is it worth a shot to change your diet and try some supplements?

If you said yes, then go get the supplements.

You can get grape seed, curcumin, vitamin C, pancreatic enzymes and a muti vitamin/mineral formula at any good health store. Just make sure that the vitamin C, grape seed and curcumin are "stand alone" products. You don't want grape seed, curcumin or vitamin C that is mixed with a bunch of other crap that could be toxic when taken in large amounts.

Posts about how to stop pancreatitis pain:

1) Ibuprofen for acute pancreatitis

2) What happens during an acute pancreatitis attack

3) Pancreatitis diet

4) Supplements for pancreatitis