I was diagnose with acute pancreatitis at age 16ish, now im 20 DOC's have no idea WHY EXACTLY i have the condition. Im also fairly interested in bodybuilding but i have to supplement alot! just make sure u take regular supplements for things like calcium multi v protein shakes keep fat down to about 30g try not to excede 4-5grams of fat per meal. Go see ur doc he/she should give u some enzyme pills they wont be as great as the real thing but they definately helped. good luck just remember to ALWAYS watch your diet, balance things around, if u experience that certain foods arent goin well and u experience pain or smelly stools just ease off them or completely discard them from ur diet. i used to take 30g of whey protein 2-3 times daily but i started getting VERY smelly stools, so instead ive broken it down to 10-15gram throughout the day crap load of fruits, really works like a charm.

Remember the key thing is to watch ur diet!
last thing u want is it progressing to chronic pancreatitis... like me...

I appreciate the advice. I hear a lot of what you are saying about the fat and watching my diet. I'm not even sure I've recovered from my initial attack (little over 3 weeks ago). I'm trying to get my fat low enough. I'm averaging anywhere from 2-5 grams of fat a meal up to at most 8g in a meal (RARELY). My problem is I think I naturally eat too much. Wasn't a factor before the pancreas stuff. I'm getting regular stomach aches (at least once a day). and I have chronic back pain..infact I think I might have pulled something during my attack (it was a painful incident occuring after a workout...might have pulled something then?) Anyways its not constant....sometimes a sharp back jab when im walking...characteristic of a pulled muscle...other times it's very noticably digestive pain in the front and back. Can't wait until my follow up.

I was just wondering if you have difficult digesting protein shakes? that is if you use any?
And are you currently on any enzyme supplements?
Also appart from the marijuana did you smoke any regular cigarettes? and for how long?

Just a few questions out of curiosity....

I had a terrible time with protein shakes long before I had been diagnosed. It would only happen when i drank them too fast or used too much of the powder in the mix at first. They were probably a huge red flag I never noticed. I was drinking one when i had my attack, as well as eating meaty chili. My doc said there may be certain additives that may stress out the pancreas in it and that they had a big boom of people with problems with proetein shakes when they first gained popularity. A relatively under reported side affect perhaps? It's all so gray and merky...never a straight answer in this field. I do not smoke cigarettes anymore and haven't in over a year. I did smoke for more than 8 years. I also probably drank 4 times a week 4 or more drinks for the last 2 years. I don't drink alcohol anymore. I have never had to take enzyme supplements. I had been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis...causes unknown. I'm sure my lifestyle was the cause. I was burning the candle at both ends. A few drinks in the evening, coffee in the morning, protein shakes in the afternoon...not to mention the physical stress of working out with a hangover. A lot of people live less healthy lives without so many side affects, I was just a choice candidate. I don't endorse drug use at all, I just happen to be a good example of bad luck with a risky lifestyle. I still want to smoke marijuana. I feel that other than getting an overactive appetite when i use it (something I must now control), that it is fairly harmless when used by a responsible person. Don't drive on drugs! Also...I have had chronic heartburn since my attack, and before it. Before I attributed it to spicey foods, now the spicest thing I eat is chicken soup. I'm hoping my doc clears this up. I mean if I have to live with heartburn is it safe to take heartburn meds daily? They never recommend it.

Wow!, never heard anything about protein shakes causing pancreatitis.... At the age of 16 I used to drink protein shakes but not in excess, It was pretty much because me and my family were vegetarian (for religious reasons). I did consult my DOC recently about continuing to use pure whey protein to supplement into my diet and he didn't notion any reason not too.....

I was also a smoker (tobacco only) didn't use any other drugs at all. I gave up smoking about 2 years ago, I did speculate that my pancreatitis could be linked to tobacco use. I consulted a few doctors on the issue and they all pretty much doubted it since they though i'd have to have been smoking for say 20plus years and drinking for it to be related. A few years of smoking in my teenage years was highly improbable to have caused the illness. Im thinking of having gene testing at the end of this year to confirm if it could be perhaps a faulty gene.

Im taking nexium for heart burn i dont see if i'll ever be able to stop take them. Any day i miss my medication results in heartburn..... Do you think its safe to take them for a long period of time? My doctor didnt really think it would causes any problems!?

I have experienced this & have helped a friend who had it severely & now we are not experiencing any problems. What we have done is alkalized our system, There are even some healthy foods that are acid forming, we too were on a vegetarian diet & found alot of it was acid. So some home work for you to do! do the following searches; water in water out,unprocessed natural salt, alkalizing diets, & a really good educational site called ithyroid.com, this one will teach you the importance of balancing minerals so you don't cause more problems, research every page of it! Hope this helps, oh also helicobacter pylori can be associated with digestive dysfunction & apparently 50% of the population have it & most don't know, so research this too!
good luck God Bless!