Pancreatitis symptoms, causes, treatment reviews - 5 lifestyle habits to prevent recurrence

 

Sharing the dietary and lifestyle habits practiced together with a friend who suffered from acute pancreatitis.

This week's practices include reducing high-calorie and high-fat foods, avoiding overeating, developing exercise habits such as walking and running, and regularly monitoring for gallstones through ultrasound examinations.

If upper abdominal pain persists (back pain, shoulder pain), you should go to the hospital for an examination. Early treatment can lead to a quick recovery without complications.

 

A friend I met at my first company in my twenties and became best friends with had acute pancreatitis.

I have many friends and colleagues of the same age at work, and I often meet up with them after work since new gatherings keep forming. When we meet, we usually have high-calorie meals like pizza and pork ribs, followed by drinking and karaoke sessions, which have become like a routine.

When it rains, we meet and say it's raining; when the weather is nice, we meet and say it's good; when we're feeling down, we meet and say we're feeling down... There are so many excuses to meet every time~ haha

However, the alcohol and high-calorie foods that always followed me around seemed to be the cause of my illness.

My friend drinks well, but while I had one glass, he had about three. Even when he drank a lot, his complexion didn't change and he remained alert, but it turned out that continuous excessive drinking was the cause. High-calorie foods rich in fat also put a lot of strain on the pancreas.

 

What is acute pancreatitis?

 

It is a disease caused by inflammation of the pancreas due to gallstones, alcohol consumption, hyperlipidemia, and other factors.

 

✅ Causes of acute pancreatitis?

 

The most common causes are gallstones and alcohol consumption.

Other causes include hypertriglyceridemia and autoimmune diseases.

 

✅ Symptoms of acute pancreatitis

 

Persistent upper abdominal pain may occur, along with back pain. Radiating pain can also cause pain in the shoulders and back.

When I bend my body, the pain improves a little, but when I lie down straight, the pain worsens.

 

✔ The pain may be mild initially, but it is important to be vigilant and respond promptly from the beginning.

✔ If the initial pain is mild, be cautious as the pain may worsen within a few days.

✔ If other complications such as necrosis or sepsis occur (about 20%), they can threaten life, so early treatment is important.

 

Treatment of acute pancreatitis

 

My friend initially had only mild stomach pain, but suddenly experienced severe upper abdominal pain at night, so they went to the emergency room. After blood tests and a CT scan, they were admitted the next day, received IV fluids, took painkillers, and fasted for several days for treatment before being discharged.

 

 

Other treatment methods

In cases accompanied by infection, antibiotic treatment is necessary.

 

 

✔ If gallstones are the cause, a procedure to remove the gallstones will be performed.

 

In cases of acute pancreatitis, resolving the underlying cause allows the pancreas to recover to its original state, so active treatment is important.

 

5 Lifestyle Habits to Prevent Acute Pancreatitis 💯

1. If alcohol consumption is the cause, complete abstinence from drinking is necessary.

I eat only a little bit of greasy food.

Since the pancreas is involved in fat digestion, frequently and excessively eating fatty foods can strain the pancreas.

 

3. Walk and run aerobic exercises at least three days a week. Exercise diligently to maintain your standard weight.

 

 

4. You should not overeat. Since the pancreas also secretes insulin, overeating can put a strain on the pancreas.

Since gallstones are the main cause, it is advisable to perform an ultrasound examination to check for gallstones and manage accordingly.

 

My friend stopped drinking after being discharged from the hospital, unlike before.

The recurrence was caused by having just one drink at the company dinner.

✔People who have experienced it once are said to easily relapse even with just one or two drinks, even if they do not drink alcohol like before, so they should abstain from alcohol.

 

From this point on, my friend and I decided to abstain from alcohol. Whenever we met, we exercised together, avoided high-calorie foods, and made sure to eat plenty of vegetables, diligently taking care of our health.

 

 

If you experience initial symptoms of acute pancreatitis, you should get a medical examination to recover well without complications.