I have a dull pain/bloated feeling in my left side that gets worse after drinking or eating fatty foods. I've had various blood tests and a CT Scan. The scan revealed a "minor inflammation of the pancreas." My doctor claims that pancreatitis is ruled out from the blood tests, and pancreatic cancer is ruled out from the CT Scan. That's the good news. The bad news is I still don't have a clue. All web searches point to one of these two diseases. I have an appointment with a gastroenterologist in a few weeks but if anyone can possibly shed some light in the meantime I'd be grateful. Thanks!

Have you been having the pain and fullness in your left side for a long time? I have chronic pancreatitis and my blood levels of amylase and lipase (pancreatic enzymes) no longer raise when I am having a flare up of pancreatitis. Once you have progressed to chronic pancreatitis, your pancreas no longer makes enough of the enzymes to be able to elevate those levels in your blood.
Just thought I would give you some food for thought.
I had one horrible case of severe acute pancreatitis, and that was enough to throw me into chronic pancreatitis, my enzymes have never risen again since that.

Is "minor inflammation of the pancreas" considered acceptible by your doctor?

Thanks for the responses so far. I don't really have any more info to share at this point. Apparently the tests they did ruled out cancer (no tumors on the CT scan) and the blood work done afterwards ruled out pancreatitis. I've had this pain for a few months now, on and off. At first I just attributed it to a hangover since it appeared after drinking and went away after a day or so. I haven't had anything to drink in awhile now though. My doctor evidently thinks it's a result of some sort of gastro-intestinal issue. Maybe the inflamed pancreas is just a symptom of something else going on rather than the main issue?

I've been on a rather strict lowfat diet since I learned this about a week and a half ago. Eating healthy avoids any major pain flare-ups but I still feel something around my pancreas. When I move around I can feel an enlarged area that doesn't move as freely as it once did. I'm beginning to feel it towards my back as well. A dull, bloated feeling. More of an annoyance than any real pain. No feelings of nausea, vomiting, or any other scary symptoms thoughs. I did have some diarrhea and gas but I think that's mainly due to my intake of prune juice lately while I tried to avoid coffee and stay regular. I've cut out a lot of fatty foods, avoided alcohol completely, reduced my coffee intake by half, and avoided any type of painkillers including ibuprofen. Other than a daily multivitamin supplemant it's been mostly oatmeal, veggies, fruits, rice, tea, yogurt, pasta, and chicken. Thanks again for all responses.

Is "minor inflammation of the pancreas" considered acceptible by your doctor?

He never came right out and used the word "acceptable." Instead he referred me to someone else whom I haven't been able to see yet. Although considering how important the pancreas is I don't consider it acceptable. At the very, very least I want to learn what's causing it so I can understand it any avoid any complications.