Treatment for acute pancreatitis focuses on supporting the functions of the body until the inflammation has passed. This usually involves admission to hospital so you can be given fluids into a vein (intravenous fluids), as well as pain relief, nutritional support and oxygen through tubes into your nose.
In some cases, additional medicine – called amitriptyline, gabapentin or pregabalin – may be recommended to help relieve the pain. If this isn't effective, severe pain can sometimes be relieved for a few weeks or months using an injection called a nerve block. This blocks the pain signals from the pancreas.
After an episode of pain from pancreatitis, you should start off with drinking only clear liquids, such as soup broth or gelatin. You will need to follow this diet until your symptoms get better. Slowly add other foods back to your diet when you are better.
People with mild acute pancreatitis usually start to get better within a week and experience either no further problems, or problems that get better within 48 hours. Many people are well enough to leave hospital after a few days.
Pancreatitis can cause dehydration, so drink more fluids throughout the day. It may help to keep a water bottle or glass of water with you.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids. These are nutrients you can get by eating salmon, tuna, and flaxseeds. Some small studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids may reduce inflammation from pancreatitis and repair damaged tissue. Researchers reviewed eight clinical trials involving 364 participants with severe acute pancreatitis.
Avoid high-fat foods, especially fried foods that can put a load on your digestive system. Instead, focus on eating a low-fat, high-protein diet that is rich in vitamins and nutrients. Patients with chronic pancreatitis often benefit from the institution of medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil in their diet.
Common foods that irritate the pancreas include liver, red meat, hamburgers, French fries, and potato chips. Full-fat milk or cheese, margarine, and butter, along with pastries and mayonnaise are other foods to avoid.
If you have chronic pancreatitis, the digestive enzymes that would normally travel by tubes inside your pancreas and empty into your upper intestine, become trapped inside your pancreas. This causes pain and scarring.
Symptoms of acute pancreatitis
Eating or drinking may also make you feel worse very quickly, especially fatty foods. Leaning forward or curling into a ball may help to relieve the pain, but lying flat on your back often increases the pain.
The main symptom of pancreatitis is pain felt in the upper left side or middle of the abdomen. The pain: May be worse within minutes after eating or drinking at first, more commonly if foods have a high fat content.
Drink or eat nonfat or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, or other milk products each day. Read the labels on cheeses, and choose those with less than 5 grams of fat an ounce. Try fat-free sour cream, cream cheese, or yogurt. Avoid cream soups and cream sauces on pasta.
Are bananas good to eat when you have pancreatitis? Ripe bananas are a good option because they're easy to digest. They also have a good amount of fiber, reducing your risk of gallstones and high triglycerides, which can sometimes cause acute pancreatitis.
Because your pancreas produces and secretes enzymes based on what's in your small intestine, eating may worsen the inflammation by increasing production and early activation of the enzymes.
The best food choices for those suffering from chronic pancreatitis are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nonfat/low fat dairy, and lean cuts of meat. Healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds, may be consumed with careful portion control.
There are no medications to make the pancreas normal again. However, with adequate medical management, it may be possible to limit the damage from chronic pancreatitis, reduce the rate of decline of pancreatic function, and prevent complications.
Although some cases of acute pancreatitis may go away on their own, that depends on what caused the condition and how severe it is. In the meantime, most people with acute pancreatitis will need pain relief to get through it. Some people will need emergency treatment for certain causes.
Fruits like apples and red grapes are ideal for pancreas health. The resveratrol in these fruits helps fight inflammation and cancer in your pancreas. Fruits like apples and red grapes are ideal for pancreas health. The resveratrol in these fruits helps fight inflammation and cancer in your pancreas.
Emotional stress can excite the vagus nerve (connects the brain with the stomach) and causes the stomach to be stimulated to produce excessive amounts of acid. As noted, this increase in acid stimulates an increase in pancreatic secretion production. This can exacerbate pancreatitis once it has been established.
Probiotics have been suggested to reduce bacterial translocation (in acute pancreatitis) through a beneficial effect on three levels of host-bacterial interactions; the intestinal lumen, the intestinal epithelium and the immune system.