Lupus and pancreas

[Purpletop]

Has anyone suffer with both lupus and pancreatitis? For the past few weeks I have been suffering from lower to middle back pain. I initially thought it was a pulled muscle but as this pain seems to come and go, I'm starting to worry that it is to do with the pancreas, particularly when the pain goes away if I bend forwards, which apparently is an indicator.

Anyone experienced this?

[norma52]

Hi Purpletop,

I had pancreatits when I was 19 (in 1970). I wasn't diagnosed with lupus until 1993 although I had been displaying all the symptoms from around 1976 onwards. It was only recently (on this page) that I found out about the possible link between pancreatitis and lupus! I used to have similar symptoms to you - but on the couple of occasions I was hospitalised I had been suffering intermittent pain for days and then was sick! As soon I was sick I got a continuous bout of pain which ended up the first time in an operation to establish the cause - which is when they found the inflamed pancreas. The second time I had to have a drain put in to take away the fluid. Both these bouts were in 1970. I rubbed along for the next 18 years with occasional bouts of quite mild pain as far as the pancreas was concerned. However, I was very careful with my diet - avoiding fatty or spicy food, not eating bananas or anything too hard to digest, not drinking alcohol, and so on. Then in 1988 I started getting quite bad pain again. I got a scan and they discovered gallstones. They were quite small and usually they would just have taken them out and that would have been that. Because I had a history of pancreatitis however, they decided to remove my gall bladder altogether. Since then I have had absolutely no pain from my stomach at all. I know that when they first operated on me they were expecting to find an ulcer and not pancreatitis. They were amazed when they did find it because they said I was very young to have it. They did tell me that it is very unusual to find it in someone so young. I don't know what age you are - but could I suggest that your doctor may not know of the links between pancreatitis and lupus and may also be put off by your age (or youth!). Don't know if any of this helps - but good luck with it!

All the best

Norma

[Purpletop]

Thank you for this, I will keep this in mind. Meanwhile I saw an osteopath who believes the pain is from my lower spine, it is twisted and the muscles contract to stabilise it. Obviously I would love it to be an issue with my spine rather than pancreas, I'm hoping to go abroad next week, I don't want to end up in hospital and have to cancel the holiday. But then lupus doesn't care about what we have planned, so I'm apprehensive about what the pain could lead to. Thank you again.