A good diet is always better for your health. Pancreatitis is most often caused by alcohol which triggers the inflammation. In the hospital they shut down my digestive system until the inflammation went away. That meant very limited intake of nourishments. This was after ultrasound testing of the gall bladder-which did show I had what they call a "dirty gall bladder" or "sludge" in the gall bladder. After my inflammation there was a long talk with the internist about not just diet (to lose weight) but primarily about alcohol intake-which I'm still having limited success. (how's that for honesty) I've actually had two related hospitalizations for the disease. One was roughly 6 years ago in Newport Beach (Hoag) and the other was about 3 hrs ago in Park City, UT. Both times my symptoms were exactly what you described. The worst part was I could not sleep and the only way to relive the pain was to get out of bed, stand up and walk around. When I returned to bed the pain came right back.
Feel free to tell your Doc you know someone who had exact same symptoms and it turned out to be acute pancreatitis along with a "dirty" gall bladder. Be prepared for preliminary questions re alcohol intake and be forthcoming if you truly want the best care possible. All this being said you may not even have pancreatitis and it might be something altogether different. But your concerns are appropriate.
