Acute Pancreatitis

[Proud90sKid]

Does anyone else have a health or medication issue that prevents you from drinking safely? I have this problem where I have spontaneous and random attacks where my pancreas becomes acutely inflamed and digests itself from its own juices from drinking alcohol. It is very painful and is called acute pancreatitis. It occurred for the first time in 2014 when I was 21. I had been drinking around 12 beers a day (finished an 18 pack every 36 hours or so) for about a year when I went on a liquor binge and it gave me my first attack. After that, I drank only occasionally and lightly(a beer every other week) until 2016 when I began to drink everyday in increasing amounts and eventually reached the 12 beers a day again in 2018. I ended up quitting in 2020 after alcohol caused upper GI bleeding. My pancreas never bothered me during that period and I started to question if I was misdiagnosed or if the hospital staff was bluffing to get me to stop drinking. I remained sober from alcohol (with the occasional slip up and having a beer) until 2022 when I started drinking everyday again. In 2023, I went through a period when I was drinking probably a fifth of fireball everyday. Suddenly out of nowhere, I felt extreme pain right below my sternum that went all the way to my back. I could not get comfortable at all and was writhing in pain. This lasted a full week. The next week, I was in moderate pain. Took a month before I could handle solid foods again. In retrospect, I should have gone to the hospital for that one as it was likely the worst attack that I have ever had but I didn't have health insurance. 3 weeks later and before I completely recovered, I felt that maybe having a beer wasn't the end of the world. I started drinking more and more and soon was back to 12 beers a day. During that time, I had some mild pain flare ups that reminded me of full acute pancreatitis, but much more tuned down. For example, during Thanksgiving time I was drinking a lot and had some liquor. I started to feel this nagging pain on my upper left abdomen and left back-- the same location as my pancreas pain . It would get worse when I drank but then it went away.

Last week, I woke up feeling fine and then went back to sleep. When I awoke I was in unbearable pain and could not find a comfortable position to lie in. It was miserable. The next day, I was able to lie down and go for short walks. I took myself to "Any Lab Test Now" and had myself tested for pancreatic lipase, which elevates during pancreatitis and is pretty specific for it. I get my results back and it said a serum lipase of 1240 U/L, above the normal range of 7-60 U/L. It was a mild attack in that it went away within the same week and I was able to eat normally by the weekend (unlike the second time) but it was definitely pancreatitis.

This last attack is very upsetting to me. Before it, I had put a lot of faith into a study (and a firmly held belief) that drinking beer would be safe and that the risk is only from liquor.I knew some people get attacks from beer but I thought that was just in more sensitive people. It happened after a weekend where I was feeling entirely normal. Beer is my favorite drink and I have honestly had some since the attack-probably around 3-5 a day, but I feel guilty and stupid every single time. This attack was also delayed in that I didn't feel bad immediately like the previous times. Didn't wake up with a hangover, my pancreas though apparently remembered that I had drank beer the night before. Yesterday, I drank 4 pints of beer and started to feel a vague cramping in the area of my pancreas, so I stopped immediately for the day just in case.

I am having a real hard time wanting to give up beer. For some reason, it wasn't hard in 2020. I had an upper GI bleed from alcohol and I just quit without looking back. This time feels different , I am still really wanting beer. I enjoy the flavor, I enjoy the feeling, and I enjoy the experience of having a few beers with chicken wings, a pizza, or a burger. I want my pancreas to be able to handle it, but issues keep happening. I went almost 10 years without a recurrence last time but this time it took only a few months. I think that 2nd attack in 2023 that was noticeably worse than the first and third may have done some lasting damage. Doctors say I should never drink again and that in someone prone to alcoholic pancreatitis, it comes on spontaneously and randomly with any continued drinking. Someone gave me the analogy that drinking after pancreatitis is like walking into a tiger enclosure in that you may be able to do it many times without any issue at all and then one day the tigers randomly get angry at you. It doesn't happen most of the time, but there was nothing different about the day that I had pancreatitis this time. I wasn't on a liquor binge and I was just drinking my typical amount of beer.

[Ennui.]

My GI told me to avoid alcohol to the greatest extent possible because I have an enlarged liver. I don’t drink that often though so it’s not a big deal, although I’m on meds where I should avoid alcohol.

I think they sell alcohol free “beers,” don’t they? That may be an option. I hear they have a similar taste to a regular beer so you might get some of the satisfaction like enjoying the taste and having it with your favorite foods without the risk to your pancreas.