When diagnosed with pancreatitis you will be taken to hospital to get treated. Whether acute or chronic pancreatitis, you will go through initial treatments, surgery and other procedures if chronic.
Initial Treatments
When you first go to the hospital you will be given these treatments:
- Fasting — for a couple of days you won’t be allowed to eat anything in order to give your pancreas a chance to recover. Once inflammation is controlled, you can start to drink clear liquids and eating bland foods. Over time you will be able to return to your normal diet. If you still suffer from persistent pancreatitis or you experience pain while eating, your doctor may suggest a feeding tube in order for you to get nutrition.
- Pain medications — for the severe pain caused by pancreatitis you will be given pain medication to help control it. These come in the form of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and if these do not work, mild opioids can be administered like codeine. In the case that these do not work strong opioids such as morphine will be given.
- Intravenous fluids — you may become dehydrated as your body gives energy to and fluids to repairing your pancreas. You will be given extra fluids through a vein intravenously (IV).
Treating the Underlying Cause
Once you have received initial care, your health care team will attempt to cure the underlying cause of the pancreatitis.
- Removal of bile ducts — if your pancreatitis is caused by a narrowed or blocked bile duct you will have a procedure to open or widen it. The procedure is called endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) which involves using long tube with a camera attached in order to examine your pancreas and bile ducts. It is passed through your throat and then sends images of your digestive system to a monitor. This procedure can help diagnose problems in the bile and pancreatic duct and to make repairs.
- Gallbladder surgery — gallstones could have caused your pancreatitis and if this is the case your doctor might recommend surgery to remove the gallbladder, also called cholecystectomy.
- Pancreas surgery — this procedure is used to drain fluid from your pancreas and to remove diseased tissue.
- Alcohol dependence treatment — if your pancreatitis was caused by an alcohol dependence, you might be recommended to enter a treatment program for addiction to alcohol. If you continue to drink you could make the pancreatitis much worse.
Extra Treatment for Chronic Pancreatitis
- Pain management — for persistent abdominal pain your doctor might recommend medications in order to control it.
- Enzymes for digestion — to help your body break down and process nutrients you can take pancreatic enzymes with each meal.
- Change your diet — you might be referred to a dietitian who can help you to plan for a low-fat diet plan.