The pancreas is an important internal organ that has a lobed structure. It produces pancreatic juice, without which digestion is impossible. The secret produced by the pancreas contains alkali and digestive enzymes: alpha-amylase, lipase, protease. These enzymes help the digestive system deal with fatty, protein and carbohydrate foods.
Most often, pain in the pancreas is caused by an inflammatory process - pancreatitis. It can be both acute and chronic. The first arterial girdle pain on the left may be a symptom of acute pancreatitis. If you do not start treatment on time, the acute process can become chronic, and then lead to the destruction of the organ - pancreatic necrosis - or cancer of the gland, which are also accompanied by pain.
Pancreatic pains. Symptoms Treatment
With pancreatitis, the pain is constant, they do not increase and do not disappear. There is severe pain in the pancreas. Symptoms are not limited to this. Very often, attacks are accompanied by nausea and vomiting. In the acute process, pain is much more intense than in the chronic. Their localization: begins in the stomach and passes into the left hypochondrium and back. The girdle pain is very strong, is cutting in nature. Sometimes this condition in a patient causes pain shock, from which he may die. Therefore, when such symptoms occur, urgent care is urgently needed.
Chronic pancreatitis occurs with periods of remission and exacerbation. During exacerbation, aching dull pain in the pancreas occurs. Symptoms are slightly different from an acute process. Nausea and vomiting may be associated with upset stools. Sometimes the inflammatory process proceeds with serious complications:
- pancreatic necrosis - necrotic decomposition of the pancreas;
- ascites - accumulation of fluid inside the abdominal cavity;
- the formation of a pseudocyst.
What triggers pain?
In a chronic process, pain may intensify after the following factors:
- festive feasts;
- drinking alcohol;
- plentiful fatty foods;
- adoption of the "supine" posture.
Causes of Pancreatitis
The disease acute pancreatitis and its exacerbation in the case of a chronic process can trigger the following factors:
- abuse of alcoholic beverages (carbonated ones are especially harmful - gin and tonic, beer, etc.);
- prolonged use of drugs;
- disturbances in metabolic processes in the body;
- concomitant diseases of the digestive system (gastric ulcer, calculous cholecystitis with blocking the gallbladder or its removal, etc.);
- overeating and preference for fatty foods, salty, spicy;
- infectious diseases;
- autoimmune diseases;
- smoking.
Pathologies of nearby organs can also provoke pain in the pancreas. Symptoms will be similar to an attack of acute pancreatitis. These are the following diseases:
- gallstone disease ;
- cholecystitis;
- biliary dyskinesia and gall bladder;
- pyelonephritis;
- urolithiasis disease;
- gastritis or stomach ulcer;
- chronic enteritis.
What can relieve pain?
In order to avoid serious complications of pancreatitis and the occurrence of pain in the pancreas (symptoms are listed above), you need to see a doctor as soon as possible and start treatment. It is most reasonable to call an ambulance. Most likely, hospitalization will be offered. Before the doctors arrive, to relieve pain in the pancreas, more precisely, to bring some relief and reduce its intensity, can:
- applying cold to a sore spot;
- temporary severe starvation;
- the adoption of a sitting position with an inclination forward or knee-elbow position;
- taking No-Shpa or Drotaverin preparations;
- if possible, then an intramuscular injection of these drugs should be given;
- taking a small amount of liquid (it must be given to the patient often in 1/4 cup - this will reduce the symptoms of intoxication);
- absolute peace (you can not make sudden movements - this increases the pain).
Cold, hunger and peace
In the inflammatory process, the patient needs to provide cold, hunger and peace. It is this classic triad that helps relieve pain in the pancreas. Symptoms of acute pancreatitis are somewhat reduced.
Cold is needed to reduce swelling. It is applied for 10-15 minutes, if necessary, the procedure can be repeated again after 30-40 minutes. This helps to reduce the symptoms of acute inflammation and relieves pain in the pancreas. Symptoms of pancreatitis gradually recede.
Hunger provides maximum unloading of the digestive tract. In the absence of food, the pancreas ceases to produce pancreatic juice, and, as mentioned above, it contains alkalis, which can irritate the gland. Reducing the amount of secretion produced helps relieve symptoms of acute inflammation. In acute pancreatitis, starvation can last up to 3-4 days. You can drink water and drink a little vegetable broth by the end of the second day. If hunger cannot be tolerated, the use of a small amount of crackers is allowed.
Peace is ensured by strict adherence to bed rest. Acute pancreatitis is dangerous for its complications, so it is necessary to minimize physical activity. Providing these conditions reduces pain in the pancreas. Treatment is complemented by the intravenous administration of medications. This is already being done in a hospital setting.
Pain in the pancreas. Medical treatment
To relieve symptoms of general intoxication, a large amount of liquid is administered to the patient intravenously, with severe pain, droppers are placed on a solution of Novocaine. When the pain in the pancreas is stopped, treatment is continued with the use of enzyme-replacing drugs.
To relieve the pain syndrome, the No-Shpa, Baralgin, and Papaverin drugs are used in tablet or injection form. After the abolition of hunger, a patient is prescribed a sparing diet. With insufficient production of their own pancreatic enzymes for better digestion, the use of enzyme-substituting preparations Festal, Creon, Mezim or Pancreatin is indicated. They reduce the load on the pancreas. These drugs are taken with food.
To reduce the acidity of the gastric juice, the administration of the tablet drugs "Cimetidine", "Ranitidine" or "Famotidine" can be prescribed. A decrease in acidity helps to reduce the inflammatory process and irritation of the pancreas.
In the chronic form of pancreatitis, the drug "Octreotide" may be indicated, it is administered intravenously.
Treatment pursues the following goals:
- relief of pain;
- digestion normalization;
- elimination of incretory insufficiency.
Endocrine insufficiency is a decrease in endocrine function. It can lead to the development of secondary diabetes mellitus (this is one of the complications of pancreatitis), which reduces the production of insulin. What to do if there is pain in the pancreas (symptoms, treatment), now we have an idea. We will discuss the diet in more detail.
Diet
With pancreatitis, it is recommended to eat fractionally, that is, often, but not enough. Serving size should not exceed 200 ml. 6 meals a day are recommended.
Carbohydrates and fats are desirable to limit. Protein food is preferred. Dairy products are useful, milk in its pure form by patients with pancreatitis is not always well tolerated. Therefore, it is better to cook porridge and cook omelettes on it. You can light mashed soups, lean meat and fish.
Vegetables and fruits can be consumed raw, boiled and baked. Soups cook exclusively on vegetable broth. It is advisable to cook porridge (buckwheat, oatmeal, rice) in water or diluted milk and wipe through a sieve. Vegetable or refined oil is allowed no more than 20 g per day. Eggs can only be soft-boiled or scrambled eggs. It is useful to drink a rosehip broth.
Prohibited Products
Spicy, fried, fatty foods and any alcoholic and carbonated drinks should be completely excluded. In addition, you can not eat:
- pickles, cabbage soup, borscht, mushroom soups;
- any canned food;
- sausages;
- salted caviar;
- hard boiled eggs;
- bananas and grapes;
- chocolate.
Alternative methods of treatment
There are folk recipes for the treatment of pancreatitis.
- Rinse a glass of buckwheat groats and grind in a blender. Pour the ground cereal with a glass of kefir and insist overnight. Half of the resulting product is eaten in the morning on an empty stomach, the other half - before bedtime.
- For 1-2 weeks in the morning, eat 3 dates and only after half an hour start breakfast.
- In chronic pancreatitis, it is useful to arrange cucumber fasting days once a week. During this day, you need to eat 2-2.5 kg of cucumbers in 5-6 receptions. Other products are completely excluded.
- It is useful to brew white bean leaves. This is done as follows: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of leaves is poured with boiling water (1 cup), infused under the lid. You can also insist on a water bath. We brew in the same proportions and hold for 15 minutes in a water bath. Such an infusion is taken 3-4 times a day before meals in 1/4 cup. The course can last up to two months.
If there is pain in the pancreas, it is better not to self-medicate, but to seek qualified medical help.