enzymes

February 5, 2000

Hi, everyone! Karyn, I believe you are correct about all pancreatic

enzymes being alike. As far as I know, the ingredients are the

same in the various products, but the amounts of each ingredient

differ. Common brand names are: Creon, Ilozyme, Ku-Zyme, Pancrease.

They all contain lipase, protease, & amylase in varying

amounts; Cotazym also contains calcium carbonate. There are also

some enzyme drugs that contain pancreatin; I don't know anything

about these drugs. Does anyone know about pancreatin? (Some

brand names are:Panazyme, Dizymes, Entozyme, Pancrezyme.)

Hope everyone is having a comfortable weekend.

jang

February 8, 2000

,

Sorry to take so long to respond to your question about enzymes. I have been

extremely ill over the past several days. I am finally and officially out on

medical leave until further notice. This was forced upon me by both my

physician (GI) and employer. I only hope it will last a short time. I'm

counting on getting myself back to work before the end of this month, if I

can help it. If only the Pain Clinic would get my pain meds back to where

they were before they began tampering with it 2 months ago. My GI doctor is

supposed to call the pain clinic so that by the time I go for my next visit

on Friday they will know to increase my levels.

To get back to the point of this message, " what enzymes do I take and in what

quantities? " I am on Creon 20 mg tabs. I take 2 (40 mg) with meals and at

bedtime. What are you taking, if anything?

Andre'

March 2, 2000

<>

Hi ,

Are you taking your enzymes while you are on TPN?

Karyn

<A HREF= " http://hometown.aol.com/karynwms/myhomepage/business.html " >Pancreatit

is Support Network</A>

March 3, 2000

Karyn,

Hi, I am not on TPN, I haven't taken any enzymes in 4

years, I tried them but they made terrible mouth ulcers and I didn't want to

deal with that too.

March 3, 2000

In a message dated 3/3/00 12:51:07 PM Central Standard Time,

LR96@... writes:

<< I am not so sure that by not taking your enzymes that you are doing the

right thing. Those enzymes help your pancreas, by not having to work so

hard. If your pancreas is damaged it may not be able to produce enough of

the

enzymes. This may help the pancreas to not have to work as hard. Taking

the

enzymes may help to reduce or limit the amount of acute attacks. >>

I was under the impression that pancreatic enzymes which are amulase, lipase,

and pancrease are necessary for food digestion. Under normal circumstances a

healthy pancreas would not produce these enzymes unless there was the

presence of food in the GI tract. It seems as though there would be a risk of

autodigestion to introduce enzymes into the gut without the prior consumption

of food. I'll ask my GI what he thinks, too.

Karyn

<A HREF= " http://hometown.aol.com/karynwms/myhomepage/business.html " >Pancreatit

is Support Network</A>

March 4, 2000

Sorry I think this has been misunderstood. To be more specific I am meaning

those who are to take the enzymes that are not npo ( those on tpn are usually

npo?)I was referring to those that have choosen to discontinue without

physician knowledge. Sorry for the confusion.

March 6, 2000

In a message dated 3/3/2000 2:19:38 PM Eastern Standard Time,

LR96@... writes:

<< I tried them but they made terrible mouth ulcers and I didn't want to

deal with that too. >>

,

What sort of enzymes were you taking? I take Creon (40 mg per meal) and have

never heard of this side effect.

Andre'

March 7, 2000

I think the name of the enzymes were pancrease it has been a while about 4

years ago.

March 7, 2000

I STARTED TAKING MY ENZYMES AGAIN ODAY. i HOUGH ABOUT WHAT ANDRE SAID ABOUT

THEM HELPING THE PANCREAS WORK PROPERLY AND THAT MIGHT KEEP IT WORKING

LONGER. ALSO I READ HAT THEY HELP KEEP THE FAT OU OF THE LIVER AND KIDNEYS.

bU THE NAUSEA STILL COMES

IN WAVES. bUT AFTER LISTEN9ING O ALL OF YOU, I AM NEVER GOING TO COMPLAIN

AGAIN

WELL AT LEAS NOT FOR HIS WEEK.

THANKS

LYNNEAR

March 8, 2000

hi my name is jim, i am dodie's husband. i am sorry that i forgot the name of

the person who wrote about the pancreatic enzymes causing ulcers in their

mouth. this also happened to me. when i was in the hospital and first started

taking viokase. i started off by chewing them and after a few days and the

start of ulcers,i asked the doctor why this was happenening and he told right

off i had been chewing them and i needed to swallow them whole to have the

enzymes work properly through my system. i hope this work for you

March 8, 2000

Jim,

I know longer take them I have not for 4 years. I am a nurse and

I knew to swallow them, for me they caused terrible mouth ulcers and the Dr.

said no more

March 10, 2000

i SARED TAKING THE ENZYMES AGAIN BE AUSE ONE OF YOU WROTE THT IT MIGHT JUST

HELP THE PANCREAS WORK LESS HARD THEREBY KEEPING IT MORE HELAHY LONGER.

lYNNNEAR

March 10, 2000

Hi Lynn and all,

I really support you in doing this. Anything that we can do to help our frail

pancreas' the better. That was interesting what the others said about them

causing mouth ulcers. Before I went on TPN and I was taking them, I had no

problem. I found that the Viokase went down easier than the Creon capsules.

Karyn

<A HREF= " http://hometown.aol.com/karynwms/myhomepage/business.html " >Pancreatit

is Support Network</A>

March 18, 2000

In a message dated 3/7/2000 9:22:34 PM Eastern Standard Time, LynneAR@...

writes:

<< I STARTED TAKING MY ENZYMES AGAIN TODAY. >>

Linnear,

That is truly wonderful news. While you may still feel miserable, it would

become much worse without them. Like you, I too tried to do without my

enzymes for a period of 4 years. I found I got progressively worse over time

and may have been instrumental in my most recent surgery.

Andre'

March 21, 2000

aNDRE,

tHANK YOU FOR ANSWERING. SOMETIMES i JUST READ HE MAIL AND DON' SAY ANYTHING

BUT WHEN i DO IT IS NICE TO BE ANSWERED.

lYNNEAR

April 28, 2000

--

On Thu, 27 Apr 2000 16:11:01 Crystal, & Jillian Pratt wrote:

>This last time i was in the hospital my enzymes did not go up at all

>everything was normal. And my gp was not suprised he told me eventually

>this would happen has anyone else experinced this?

>

Hi Crystal. Glad to hear you are back home. After about 2 or 3 years of

chronic pancreatitis I also stopped having elevated amylase & lipase levels. My

doc said my pancreas was no longer able to secrete these enzymes in amounts

large enough to give abnormal lab results. Sometimes my liver function tests

are abnormal during flare-ups, but usually they are " normal " also.

My doctor feels that in chronic pancreatitis, after a while lab results don't

give an accurate picture.

jang

--== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==--

Before you buy.

April 29, 2000

In a message dated 4/27/00 4:11:45 PM Central Daylight Time, grayman@...

writes:

<< This last time I was in the hospital my enzymes did not go up at all

everything was normal. And my GP was not surprised he told me eventually

this would happen has anyone else experienced this? >>

When I presented to the ER 8-4-99 with excruciating pain, my enzymes were

also not elevated. They did admit me with my persistence. Four days later

they were going to dismiss me with a diagnosis of " abdominal pain " of unknown

origin. They said I couldn't have Pancreatitis because my enzymes were not

elevated, as a matter of fact they were almost gone. I finally had to demand

a CT scan and my pancreas was shriveled up rock.

One of the symptoms of Chronic Pancreatitis is the loss of exocrine

Pancreatic function. The primary enzymes that are found to be deficient are

Lipase, Amylase, and Trypsin. With ongoing, and even intermittent

inflammation or the deposition of calcifications within the pancreas, the

exocrine cells become damaged. The enzymatic process in which they become

activated is also damaged. Therefore, the traditional Lipase or Amylase test

to determine the presence of Pancreatitis is inappropriate for patients with

chronic Pancreatitis.

It is disappointing that the doctor's do not receive adequate training

regarding pancreatic pathophysiology.

Karyn

April 29, 2000

Hi everyone...

My name is Suzanne....but just call me suz... :-)

I'm new here, and so glad I found you :-)

I was brought to the ER on Easter and home on Thursday...with

pancreatitis....I have been having attacks since July of 99, and have been

tested for gallbladder problems since Oct....and with negative results :-(

I have pain on the right side all of the time, and I just don't ever feel

like myself. I'm afraid to go anywhere, for fear of an attack...yet I can

usually tell when one is coming.

My blood count, I think was 185 in the ER...but I'm not sure if that's the

exact number..I was trying to look at my papers when the Dr. came in....Is

that really high??

I'm having another endoscopy done, but not the same one...I think it's MMKP??

I'm a bit nervous, because every test has come back negative, but I live in

pain, and fear...I just want to get better :-(

Any adivice would be appreciated...especially on what to and no to eat...the

Dr. told me a low fat diet, but I thought I was doing that already....no fat

yogurt, Lean Cuisines and the such....

Thanks for listening...and any help would be deeply appreciated....I just

want answers and to feel better :-(

God Bless,

suz...

April 29, 2000

In a message dated 04/29/2000 9:10:47 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

KarynWms@... writes:

<< The primary enzymes that are found to be deficient are

Lipase, Amylase, and Trypsin. >>

Has anyone had an elevated trypsin? My doctors can not figure out what it

means, althought they say it is probably due to the inflammation. Any

thoughts?

-Malisa

April 29, 2000

In a message dated 4/27/2000 5:11:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

grayman@... writes:

<<

This last time I was in the hospital my enzymes did not go up at all

everything was normal. And my GP was not suprised he told me eventually

this would happen has anyone else experienced this? >>

Yes, my levels always register within normal ranges. They are never elevated

any longer. I was told that this was normal in my case since most of my

Pancrease has been removed in my Whipple surgery.

Andre'

April 29, 2000

Hi Suz:)

First of all welcome I know you've come to the right place for support. We

have suffered and continue to suffer with the pain, nausea, and frustration

of this illness. Second make sure your Dr. is a GI specialist and not just a

basic family practitioner. You will need a Dr. who truly knows the ins and

outs of pancreatitis. IT is more than just the alcoholics disease. Some of

us have never drank, but we have the disease. We have all at one time or

another dealt with various Drs. until we have gotten one that we are

comfortable with. IT is very hard to get frustrated and impatient,

especially when you know you're not yourself. Stay positive and as far as a

diet goes, you should avoid foods that are high in fat. However, I have had

pancreatitis since 93, and as of 2000 I don't tolerate anything anymore,

that's anything. I got sick yesterday from eating some carrots. I don't

tolerate raw fruits and vegetables, go figure. You get use to knowing what

you can and cannot tolerate. GOOD LUCK

and GOD BLESS.

Marie

May 1, 2000

By the way, last year when I went into the hospital for the first time with

Pancreatitis, my gall bladder tested negative for problems, too. When they

removed it last Wed., the anesthesiologist said it was so diseased and

horrible looking and so full of stones and a gall bladder doesn't just get

that way in a matter of months. The fact that my gall bladder had gotten so

bad had to have occurred over YEARS and they have even attributed my " IBS "

that I have dealt with for over 9 years to my horrible gall bladder. Get

someone to check and make certain it isn't your gall bladder. Better yet,

find someone who will say it HAS to come OUT! A lot of times the gall

bladder has nothing to do with Pancreatitis, however, I am one of the ones

whom it did affect. I would want to be sure if I were you.

Shari - Singing Pampered Chef Queen

*Jesus Loves You*

May 1, 2000

When attempting to lower your fat intake think of things like lean meats,

fish, chicken,( I hate chicken) I even buy lite (Not NO fat) hot dogs as long

as it is a good name brand they are fine, I also buy lowered fat smoked

sausage. I do not tolerated cheese well except for white cheeses, swiss,

montery jack, ramono, parmasean, be careful of highly processed foods they

can be trickey in their advertising, it is best to do your own cooking if you

possibly can, I would be thrilled to give you some recipes for easy things

both main dishes and of course sweets also just let me know and I will send

them to you.

May 2, 2000

In a message dated 04/29/2000 11:10:39 AM Central Daylight Time,

KarynWms@... writes:

<<

One of the symptoms of Chronic Pancreatitis is the loss of exocrine

Pancreatic function. The primary enzymes that are found to be deficient are

Lipase, Amylase, and Trypsin. With ongoing, and even intermittent

inflammation or the deposition of calcifications within the pancreas, the

exocrine cells become damaged. The enzymatic process in which they become

activated is also damaged. Therefore, the traditional Lipase or Amylase test

to determine the presence of Pancreatitis is inappropriate for patients with

chronic Pancreatitis.

It is disappointing that the doctor's do not receive adequate training

regarding pancreatic pathophysiology.

Karyn

>>

I've had multiple hospitalizations where the enzyme levels were normal,

however it is not everytime that I have an acute attack. In some research I

had found it says that the Amylase levels are only elevated for the first 24

to 48 hours, which is one of the reasons it is difficult for doctors to

diagnose this disease. From the information I've gathered from this group

there are other reasons that make more sense for this to occur. I think

sometimes I try to just tolerate the pain as long as I can before finally

giving into it. I know this isn't the best thing to do, but I just don't

want to give it up I guess.

Sandy

In a message dated 4/27/00 4:11:45 PM Central Daylight Time, grayman@...

writes:

<< This last time I was in the hospital my enzymes did not go up at all

everything was normal. And my GP was not surprised he told me eventually

this would happen has anyone else experienced this? >>

When I presented to the ER 8-4-99 with excruciating pain, my enzymes were

also not elevated. They did admit me with my persistence. Four days later

they were going to dismiss me with a diagnosis of " abdominal pain " of unknown

origin. They said I couldn't have Pancreatitis because my enzymes were not

elevated, as a matter of fact they were almost gone. I finally had to demand

a CT scan and my pancreas was shriveled up rock.

One of the symptoms of Chronic Pancreatitis is the loss of exocrine

Pancreatic function. The primary enzymes that are found to be deficient are

Lipase, Amylase, and Trypsin. With ongoing, and even intermittent

inflammation or the deposition of calcifications within the pancreas, the

exocrine cells become damaged. The enzymatic process in which they become

activated is also damaged. Therefore, the traditional Lipase or Amylase test

to determine the presence of Pancreatitis is inappropriate for patients with

chronic Pancreatitis.

It is disappointing that the doctor's do not receive adequate training

regarding pancreatic pathophysiology.

Karyn

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May 4, 2000

In a message dated 05/01/2000 10:40:58 AM Central Daylight Time,

FRETZRICE@... writes:

<< By the way, last year when I went into the hospital for the first time

with