Abdominal Pain
Considering the location of the pancreas, it shouldn’t be surprising that abdominal pain is a frequent symptom of pancreatitis—whether acute or chronic. Eventually, as the pancreatitis continues, the pancreas ceases the production of the digestive enzymes for which it is responsible. Once this happens, the abdominal pain may go away—not because it’s getting better, but because it has progressed to such an extreme degree.
Upper abdominal pain is one of the defining symptoms of acute pancreatitis. The pain may continue for several days, and you may notice some abdominal swelling or bloating. At first, the pain may come and go, or at least wax and wane in intensity. Eventually, however, it can become not only persistent, but also debilitating.
Because internal organs don’t necessarily interpret pain in the same way as, say, your finger, it can be difficult to pinpoint abdominal pain caused by pancreatitis. Externally, pain occurs in the spot where the injury occurs, while internal pain may not be exactly from the spot where the organ is located. Thus, it is possible that instead of feeling the pain in the abdomen, you may notice pain in your back. It may seem to spread from the front, left side of the abdomen, to the back or left shoulder blade.
Certain things may make the pain caused by pancreatitis worse. For example, lying on your back may increase back or shoulder blade pain. As one of the more common causes of pancreatitis is long-term alcohol abuse, drinking can increase the pain. However, this may occur even when the root cause is not because of alcoholism. While extremely fatty foods tend to be a trigger for abdominal pain, simply eating and drinking may be painful if the pancreatitis has progressed enough.
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