Pancreatitis
When To Call a Doctor
Call your doctor immediately if you have severe belly (abdominal) pain with vomiting that does not go away after a few hours, or mild to moderate pain that does not improve with home treatment after a couple of days. These symptoms may be caused by pancreatitis.
Watchful Waiting
Pancreatitis can be a severe, potentially life-threatening illness. It is not appropriate to take a wait-and-see approach, which is called watchful waiting, if you have severe pain in the upper area
of the abdomen that does not go away in a few hours.
Who To See
The following health professionals can diagnose and treat pancreatitis:
- Family medicine physician
- Internist
- Gastroenterologist (specialist in diseases of the digestive system)
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician assistant
- Surgeon
To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment
 Go to previous section |  Go to top of page |  Go to next section |
| Author: | Monica Rhodes | Last Updated: July 2, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Brent Shoji, MD - General Surgery | |
 | ||
