Hi all, so I went keto a couple of months ago and did and felt great. I started noticing pangs under my left ribcage but they weren’t bugging me so I blew them off. Then the following month, I got really stressed at work and went off keto just because I ended up cheating one too many times, so by the time my cycle came around, I had already been off keto for a good three weeks. I had been drinking warm lemon water in the morning this whole time to support my liver though. I had a horrible hormone migraine which was enough to convince me to get back on a keto diet. I started eliminating all breads and pastas and sugar over a period of about a week, I increased my veggie intake, ate about the same amount of protein and fat since I was still eating fruit as I adjusted. Then I had one day where my schedule was all messed up, and ended up fasting over a period of 16 hours, undereating calories, and eating mostly meats and veggies. Suffice it to say, I felt like doodoo. I also had severe pain under my left ribcage, headache, extreme nausea, and a hot burning sensation in my stomach that wasn’t exactly acid reflux, more like a hot pressure. So I did some research and realized I was probably in the throes of keto flu, a pancreatic attack, or the ranch dressing I ate had gone bad. I started thinking to the past times when I had the pain under the rib cage, and realized that maybe my pancreas may be stressed as a result of not having enough stomach acid or bile. For several months I’ve been trying to figure out why I don’t seem to synthezise collagen very well (skin is getting wrinkly and dry on my hands no matter how much i hydrate, hair loss too), so the lack of acid or bile fits with that. So, I’m now taking ox bile with enzymes and apple cider vinegar with or before every meal, for the past two days since I pieced all this info together, but now I’m wondering how to start keto up again? I notice a sensation of low blood sugar about three hours after eating, and that wasn’t there before, and I’m afraid to load up on fats due to the stress on my pancreas. I do know the pancreas help to regulate insulin release, which is why I may be feeling the low sugar drop. I feel like I’m between a rock and a hard place. I figured this might be the best place to ask. Thank you for any help or guidance.
Need help with pancreatic pain and nausea
I think some actual blood work may be in order. Sadly, you would have to go to a doctor to get the order to have blood drawn. Gee, those symptoms sound terrible. I hope you feel better.
Keto “flu” is a sign of a lack of sodium. The symptoms you describe are not what I would expect from low sodium, except for the headache.
Bad food would have had you vomiting for a day or two, and possibly running a fever.
I don’t know the symptoms of a pancreatic attack, but if that’s what you suspect, I would get to a doctor, post-haste. Pancreatitis is often fatal.
I’m not sure why bile would have an effect on the pancreas. Bile is made in the liver, stored in the gall bladder, and dispensed into the digestive tract, so I am not sure how it would even get to the pancreas. I also don’t see how fats could affect your pancreas. Fat has almost no effect in stimulating insulin production, whereas carbohydrate makes the pancreas work overtime secreting the stuff. So I’d expect eating a lot of carbohydrate to have a much greater effect on the pancreas.
The pancreatic duct and the common bile duct join together and connect to the small intestines.
Pancreatitis can be linked to bile duct obstruction or inflammation.
I stongly recommned you visit a doctor for further investigations.
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The pancreas does make digestive enzymes as well as insulin.
Please go to urgent care, OP
Interesting. I looked it up, and in addition to glucagon and insulin, the pancreas also secretes lipase, protease, and amylase. Yay pancreas! 