# Pancreatic Insufficiency! Now on Zenpep 20,200806 units



## Sweetpea80 (Feb 17, 2014)

Well I been having bad stomach pains, left side chest pains, shortness of breath, getting full after eating a few bites of food, nausea and a lil vomiting. After having a abdominal ultrasound, blood work, and stool test, my pancreas levels were 50 and it should be 200. I'm hoping that this medicine (Zenpep) helps. Im so tired of suffering with this all the time. Sorry for venting!


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## Brad1000 (Oct 7, 2014)

Hi Sweet pea,

I hope this has helped for you? How are you feeling now? My Eladtase was 342 but I have started this to see if it could cut down on my diarrhea.


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## Sweetpea80 (Feb 17, 2014)

Hi Brad1000,

I have good and bad days. The Zenpep doesnt seem to help much. Im at my wits end with all this mess.


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## Brad1000 (Oct 7, 2014)

Sweetpea,

Did they give you a diagnosis of why you had EPI? I've had a CT, MRCP, and EUS done and all they found was that I had a fatty pancreas? My stomach doesn't bother me that much but my stools still float and it feels like I'm not digesting properly even with Zenpep.


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## Susan Nash (Jan 1, 2016)

I have similar problems. I am taking CREON which is similar to Zenpep. Are you on any acid suppression medication like a PPI or H2 inhibitor? You may need that as well as the Zenpep because excessive acid can disable digestive enzymes.

Be sure you take your enzymes at the beginning of the meal and with each meal and significant snack.

Somethings I have researched and used to help manage my condition. When you eat food your stomach secrets acid and enzymes to start breaking down the food. After the food leaves the stomach the gallbladder secrets bile to neutralize the acid, this is where your zenpep enzyme microbeads should open up and start adding enzymes to the food mix. If the food mix doesn't get adequately neutralized then the lipases (fat digestion enzymes) get destroyed and you wind up with steatorrhea (fat in the stool).

Bile is very important to adequate fat digestion. In normal digestion, the bile gets reabsorbed in the colon and is recycled in the liver. When you have been having chronic diarrhea the stool doesn't stay in the body long enough to get reaborbed and you can wind up with not enough bile to neutralize the acid. It is a good idea to eat a low fat, easy to digest diet for a day or two (similar to coming off the stomach flu). This gives your body a chance to build up bile again and then slowly add fat and heavier foods.


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## Sweetpea80 (Feb 17, 2014)

Hello Susan Nash

Yes im taking Dexilant currently. Ive been on every ppi known to man.


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