ERCP time
- This topic has 7 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 11 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Thank you Kathy. That makes me feel a little bit more prepared. I appreciate you sharing your experience! Good luck to you.
Rick
Rick,
Glad this is going to be taken care of soon.
I have a metal stint wrapped in plastic. It was placed last December – three previous plastic stents since July 09 when diagnosed. The doctor said this particular stent isn’t FDA approved for removal, but said he could remove and replace it. I thought they were going to replace it, but they ended up just cleaning it out because it was clogged and stones were forming. The report says this was done with a” balloon” and after all the “debris” was removed the stent was “completely patent”. My total billirubin had went up to 9.5 very quickly, and very quickly after the declogging you could see a noticeable change in my skin color. This has been my fastest recovery from a stent replacement – maybe because they didn’t have to actually change it, just cleaned it out. I know they will do what’s best for you.
Kathy
Last month my plastic stents were plugged because I was fighting an infection and the inflammation swelled the surrounding tissues. As soon as the infection was controlled, the stents unplugged and I didn’t need an ERCP. Kind of weird.
Hey Kathy,
Thanks for the feedback. Do you have metallic stent(s) as well? How did they declog you? Was it just a dilation or did they put new stents in? Also – did they tell you why your stent was clogged? Was it tumor ingrowth or sludge, or anything to do with cancer advancement?
Sorry for all the questions, I’m just very anxious to see what is found and to get this overwith. I was fit in to Mayo next week to have an ERCP and a consult done, so I’m glad that decision is overwith and that they got me in so quickly – just 2 business days considering the long weekend!
Rick
Just got back from Mayo. Emgerency stent declog. Billirubin went up very fast. Turned jaundice.
Not a question for me as I only live 2 hrs from there; but if I was on vacation and had a choice, I think I’d fly there rather than see a doctor who may or may not be as good. For my situation, it all depends on a working stent.
You have a very good local GI doctor. Some would go ahead and try something instead of referring you to someone else.
Good luck. God bless.
I have a local doctor, and while experience is good, it is also good to have someone who is familiar with you and your unique case.
I would definately try to find somewhere closer. Stents often get clogged and it would be a pain to have to go to MAyo everything, plus there could be a time when it is an emergency and it would be good to have a working relationship with a nearer doctor….just my opinion.
Kris
It looks like it is time for me to have another ERCP. My bilirubin is persistent at around 2.5-3.0 for a few weeks now so we need to see what is going on with the stents. I don’t want them to get closed off or something that would require an external drain. The CT scan doesn’t show anything significant and doesn’t show the cause for the rise in bilirubin, but we are hoping that an ERCP will both sort out the issue and fix it with a dilation or new stent. I don’t want to delay this and want to get it done quickly, but my local GI doesn’t feel comfortable with managing the metallic stents and is going to refer me to someone else in a major city a few hours away.
I am not sure if I want to take the chance with a new Dr. to do this, or if I want to return to Mayo where I was diagnosed and the metal stents were placed. I have heard a lot of stories about unsuccessful ERCP’s and that the experience factor of the endoscopist is important. With Mayo I know what I am getting but it is a long travel. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to get a checkup by my Dr’s at Mayo if I go out there for the procedure. So I have to make the decision sometime soon. Meanwhile, Mayo is working on getting me a fit in appointment and scheduling an ERCP and my local GI is taking a 2nd look at my case and working on a referral to someone closer than Mayo. Both options are still open until I decide.
If any of you who have experience or feedback on this, please speak up!
Rick
- The forum ‘General Discussion’ is closed to new topics and replies.