The patient recovers uneventfully from the episode of acute pancreatitis and is discharged home.
He misses his follow up appointment with you in the office and finally comes back 6 months later. He admits to being hospitalized four additional times at different hospitals over this period, for acute alcohol related pancreatitis. One episode required prolonged hospitalization with endoscopic drainage of “fluid”.
Today his main complaints are diarrhea and weight loss.
He reports losing over 20 pounds over the past 2 months. His appetite is poor and he eats one or two meals a day. He experiences post prandial bloating and flatulence and has 6-7 episodes of foul-smelling diarrhea a day, without visible blood.
He also complaints of dry eyes and notes he has difficulty driving in the dark.
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