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Thread: Slightly raised Lipase levels ... very worried.

  1. #1
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    Slightly raised Lipase levels ... very worried.

    Hi I received a note from my Dr today saying that my lipase levels are slightly elevated 71 and the cut off is 60. She's ordered an ultrasound of the abdomen tomorrow to check my pancreas. I'm very stressed about this as I have had some right sided mild abdominal discomfort and my bowel motions have been fairly light (tan colour for years) unless I eat something with a dark colouring. My digestion isn't good due to the CFS. I haven't got pancreatitis.

    Of course my first thought is pancreatic cancer, maybe it's very early. I'm wondering if anyone else had had raised Lipase levels without having anything sinister show up on an ultrasound. My partner is coming with me so that's good. I'm trying not to panic and to stay calm although I feel awful inside. This is the last thing I need after a stressful week :( Thanks for reading this x
    Last edited by WiseMonkey; 11-10-19 at 07:26.

  2. #2
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    Re: Slightly raised Lipase levels ... very worried.

    Your Dr is very keen on sending you for tests. WM. Why did you have your lipase levels checked in the first place? I'm sorry you have another scare to deal with and hope that this is just an incidental finding and not significant. Please let us know the result of the ultrasound? It's easy to say try not to panic but please try not to assume the worst from a mildly elevated one -off reading xx

  3. #3
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    Re: Slightly raised Lipase levels ... very worried.

    Quote Originally Posted by pulisa View Post
    Your Dr is very keen on sending you for tests. WM. Why did you have your lipase levels checked in the first place? I'm sorry you have another scare to deal with and hope that this is just an incidental finding and not significant. Please let us know the result of the ultrasound? It's easy to say try not to panic but please try not to assume the worst from a mildly elevated one -off reading xx
    Thanks pulisa, the lipase was the last of the liver tests to come back from the lab (a week later), it came back this morning and she'd ordered an ultrasound for me. She knows I have HA and also having CFS, and that I get very anxious about my health. It's weird because I'm not like this with anything else in my life although I'm a worry wart. Thank-you for replying x

  4. #4
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    Re: Slightly raised Lipase levels ... very worried.

    I thought that amylase was the one that was very elevated with anything pancreas-related but I try not to research too much if I don't need to.

    Good luck today, WM xx

  5. #5
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    Re: Slightly raised Lipase levels ... very worried.

    Lesley, wouldn't something like pancreatic cancer shoot those levels off the chart? Pancreas inflammation also brings severe abdominal pain doesn't it? Aside from PC there are a few nasties on list but also chronic inflammatory conditions and...meds. could this again be another side effect, which you would normally be unaware of, because of the meds you take? If your stools have been affected for a while could this also be a med side effect or a consequence of another side effect I.e. The change in lipase? Given pancreatic cancer is one of those that is found incidental otherwise it's late stage once symptoms appear it seems very unlikely and even if so these tests would be finding that plus something causing the symptoms if it was an early stage? You seem to have a bit of a tangle here because you have other conditions and meds in play so professional opinion is needed but you have just seen someone who looked at some tests and wouldn't they reveal some big markers if it were a cancer?
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    Re: Slightly raised Lipase levels ... very worried.

    Your doctor is very cautious. Most doctors would would repeat the lab after a few days, perhaps a week to see if it fell back into normal range before they ordered imaging. I'm no doctor but everything I have ever read suggested if one had a problem with their pancreas their Lipase level would be significantly elevated.

    I hope everything comes back good with your ultrasound try not to worry in the meantime.

  7. #7
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    Re: Slightly raised Lipase levels ... very worried.

    pulisa, yes you are right amylase and lipase both test pancreatic function, lipase is the more accurate of the two.

    Terry, I'm sure you're right, whatever this is is either nothing, benign or early stage. Lipase can also be raised with liver and gallbladder issues too. I'm on NO meds at present, giving it all a rest. I have a g/friend (in Maine) who has CFS as well and she's had raised Lipase and ultrasounds as well and everything's been clear so I'm encouraged by that. It's possible that the prednisone I had for a rash 3 weeks ago could have elevated the Lipase levels.

    Anything acute like panceatitis, gallstones etc (benign) can flare up very quickly and cause liver enzymes to skyrocket, whereas with PC not so commonly elevated and harder to detect. Not many blood markers appear in PC until it is advanced.

    Careful1 yes my Dr is very proactive, she told me she's seen 3 people this week with elevated lipase and referred them all through for u/s scans.

    I had the ultrasound this morning so now have to wait until the results go to my Dr on Monday. I'm hoping for a good outcome, I've already lost 2 kgs in stress this week. The waiting is the challenging part. I've just learned about belly breathing so I will be practicing that. Thank you for you kind, caring replies xxx

  8. #8
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    Re: Slightly raised Lipase levels ... very worried.

    Yes, that's true, Lesley. Prednisone does increase lipase levels so it could be that. And with it being a little over normal that would make sense as problems with the pancreas, are Careful1 says, shows a much larger spike.

    It's also good you have the comparison with your friend.

    My mum had raised liver enzymes earlier this year and the doctor just monitored them until they reduced. It was an incidental finding and she wasn't concerned because of the meds my mum is on and her being elderly. She said it was common. The nurse kept an eye with tests and she never heard anything more.

    This is why a doctor's opinion is so important with tests as we could see the things all the time throughout our lives but we just don't know because we aren't plugged in daily to check.

    It's amazing how big changes show up in symptoms too. After having pneumonia (when I was 18) and came out of a week in hospital (impacts to my asthma) it took me about a month to get back to college. The day I was going back I could barely stand or eat and my eyes were bloodshot. I had to crawl back up the stairs to bed on my backside I was so tired. It turned out my platelet count was low. That took another 3+ weeks to sort out through natural recovery and my GP monitoring me.

    Your weight will recover as it will be water weight. Some people seem to see it drop off with stress and others see it pile on.
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    Re: Slightly raised Lipase levels ... very worried.

    Quote Originally Posted by MyNameIsTerry View Post
    Yes, that's true, Lesley. Prednisone does increase lipase levels so it could be that. And with it being a little over normal that would make sense as problems with the pancreas, are Careful1 says, shows a much larger spike.

    It's also good you have the comparison with your friend.

    My mum had raised liver enzymes earlier this year and the doctor just monitored them until they reduced. It was an incidental finding and she wasn't concerned because of the meds my mum is on and her being elderly. She said it was common. The nurse kept an eye with tests and she never heard anything more.

    This is why a doctor's opinion is so important with tests as we could see the things all the time throughout our lives but we just don't know because we aren't plugged in daily to check.

    It's amazing how big changes show up in symptoms too. After having pneumonia (when I was 18) and came out of a week in hospital (impacts to my asthma) it took me about a month to get back to college. The day I was going back I could barely stand or eat and my eyes were bloodshot. I had to crawl back up the stairs to bed on my backside I was so tired. It turned out my platelet count was low. That took another 3+ weeks to sort out through natural recovery and my GP monitoring me.

    Your weight will recover as it will be water weight. Some people seem to see it drop off with stress and others see it pile on.
    Hi Terry, I'm glad of the weight loss as it puts me down to 59 kgs and giving up sugar should help too. Being English by birth, I've always had a sweet tooth especially for chocolate! Yes pneumonia is bad and also glandular fever that a lot of teenagers get, recovery can take a long time.

    Your mum sounds wise and level-headed. I'm generally rational but when it comes to my health (HA) my emotions take over and I can become very irrational. It all goes back to my childhood (my mother had Narcissistic Personally Disorder) and we kids copped a lot emotionally and psychologically along the way, but that's another story. The imprints of those informative years hit me hard and manifests through HA. In times of health distress my confidence flies out the window and I revert to my child :(

    The radiologist wouldn't tell me anything re the scan, this is their policy now even if you go privately. I forgot to tell her that I have an angiomyolipoma on my kidney (completely benign, found incidentally years ago and rechecked) so she would have recorded that down!!

    I think my long term issue is going to be skin cancer (basal cell and squamous cell) which is caused by our NZ sun, but I'm right on top of this with my skin specialist. My brother who is 53 (fair haired, blue eyes) had early stage melanoma on his back about 9 years ago, which was completely removed. He's had loads of moles removed and goes for skin checks every 3-6 months. In his earlier years he was a keen surfer and back then they used coconut oil on their skin, which just fried their skin. My skin specialist says that NZ is the worse place for Celtic skinned children to come to! At least I spent my first 7 years in England, whereas my brother was born here.

    Thank-you so much for responding to my posts, it does make me feel valued at this vulnerable time

  10. #10
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    Re: Slightly raised Lipase levels ... very worried.

    Of course you are valued on here, Lesley! I think many on here will agree (I'm sure pulisa will for a start) that we have many members who spend more time helping others than asking for help so when we see one needing support many of us will want to offer it because you deserve it back.

    I think our NHS are the same when it comes to tests. Perhaps it's more hassle potentially opening cans of worms when the patient will just go away worrying about something technical that a doctor will read a report on to conclude it's nothing or just something to keep an eye on?

    Was giving up sugar hard? I've read there are a few weeks where it kills your mood and many quit at that point.

    Glandular fever was what I thought I had because a mate at college had it not long before me. He collapsed into his pint one night and we had to carry him out!

    My mum is more the type who won't bother doctors, old fashioned that way. She has no issues with anxiety though so health isn't one that bothers her and elderly people have to go through that acceptance stage as they end up back & forth to the docs and see their generation fade away. They are both quite stoic over health.

    Like so many things in anxiety (e.g. intrusive thoughts) it can find your Achilles Heel. It finds a hole and yanks it open and out it all comes. I think the loss of confidence is something we all would understand and as a GADer I saw mine hit the floor. One day fighting my corner with people of all levels in corporate boardrooms and then post breakdown and I'm terrified if the phone rings. You will bounce back from this, triggers just sink us until we find our ways of coping so they don't make us sink so much.

    Places like NZ seem on the ball with the skin. Over here it's just not an issue other than on a place like NMP. The info is out there on the health sites but who keeps checking moles in yearly appointments with doctors and having them removed? The NHS isn't set up to handle that. But if something does crop up they are all over as they were when my dad had a form of skin cancer. He was an outdoor worker all his life and the specialist said it was a common form in those who worked on the roads or in fields daily. So, as long as you know, you can keep a balanced check on things like your brother will have too but catching them early can mean a quick procedure.
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    For free Mindfulness resources, please see this thread I have created to compile many sources together http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=168689

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