Q: I am a 24 years old man suffering from chronic pancreatitis from the past 3 years and due to this, I have also developed diabetes. I am neither alcoholic nor have any family history of this disease. The cause for my condition is not known. I have lost weight and often feel tired and drained out. I take my breakfast, lunch and dinner on time but in small quantity as advised by the doctor. My sugar level shoots up even after light meals and I often find it difficult to control them. Please suggest.

A:As you have mentioned chronic pancreatitis is not always alcohol related, there are several associations with this disorder. What happens is that the pancreatic gland which produces digestive enzymes as well as insulin to control our blood sugar, gradually gets damaged to a varying degree. It is the most important gland in the body to digest the various food we ingest and this helps in the utilisation of the various food elements needed by the body and the rest is excreted. So, when the enzyme production from the pancreas is low or absent it needs to be supplied to help digestion and you need to consult a specialist to prescribe you with regular daily pancreatic supplements as their absence will lead to regular increase in bowel movements of undigested food. Similarly diabetes, which is because of lack or absence of insulin from the pancreas, needs daily replacement as injections and your specialist will advise you on that as well. As you would have experienced most people get pain in the abdomen in varying degrees and this would also need to be treated with appropriate analgesics.