Experience With Stents
- This topic has 7 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 7 years ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Glad to be of help Tia and glad to hear that your mum has not had any signs of infection or fever. Remember as well that there are many nutritional aids that will be of use to your mum when her appetite drops such as drinks and shakes that may be of use when she loses her appetite. Actually there are quite a range now of things that can help with that and there is a load of info on the nutrition board on that, My dad went through a range of them and my mum still gets the Ensure drinks to help keep her weight up as well. Some of them even taste not too bad according to my mum but my dad liked all of them!!
Yep, a day at a time is always a good plan and also enjoying the good days too along the way.
Hugs and best wishes too to your mum,
Gavin
Thanks so much for sharing the side effects that may happen. So far she has not gotten a very high fever or infection. One of the ERCPs did cause pancreatitis and that was horrible, as it causes pain, then pain medication, and resulting in no appetite and food and more weight loss. I think that was more of the doctor’s poor performance and we surely don’t use her anymore.
Basically both decisions, waiting longer for the ERCP can cause cholangitis and each time she has to get procedure can cause pancreatitis or the tumor to bleed. Risky regardless.
As said, we take it day to day and enjoy the days and take it as it comes.
Hi Tia,
Just to add to what Marion has said, the shakes, yes my dad used to get these a lot as well. First few times they hit they scared us because he just started shaking quite a lot and they came out of nowhere so obviously that in itself is quite frightening. But once we knew that they happened he just accepted that they came and usually they went away again quite quickly. If this happens to your mum you now know that they can sometimes happen and hopefully neither you or your mum will panic about them!
None of us know exactly what is the very best most exact and correct decision to make about any of this stuff. You really just have to go with medical opinions and what is best or what your mum feels is the best choice for her to make. By all means ask loads of questions, come here for others to share knowledge, insight and experiences but never ever beat yourself up about anything to do with all of this!! When my dad was sick I always siad to him that I would support him in what ever decisions that he wanted to make and always said to him to make the decisions that he felt was right for him.
I also agree with marion here in trying not too worry too much about what may or may not lie ahead with everything as that stuff will really get to you.
Hugs,
Gavin
positivity…..the physician is going safe, he is trying to avoid ascending cholangitis, which is very serious. We provide this link for overview: http://cholangiocarcinoma.org/biliary-emergency-information-card/
Keep an eye (daily) on your Mom’s temperature, should it rise above 101F make sure to contact the physician. Another sign to watch out for are riggers (body shakes), which nearly always is a sign of an impending infection.
Perhpas it’s time to bring up metal stence once more. As Gavin mentioned, it too can clog with debri and/or tumor tissue) but it can be cleaned out or often times a plastic stent is inserted into the metal stent.
Most likely your Mom’s physician is referring to the fact that the tumor will continue to grow and to a point when a stent is unlikely to drain the buildup of bilirubin. I think this is an unneccessary worry at this time.Hugs
MarionThanks for your responses. At this point she is having an ERCP every three months to replace the plastic stents. I wanted to extend it to every four months, but the doctor thinks it is too risky. It’s that question as I have had from day one of this diagnosis, should I ? Shouldn’t I? Is this the best decision? What can be done? Numerous questions and decisions, once made, hope for the best.
We briefly discussed metal stents, but he thought that is not the best way to go in the beginning, and maybe down the line. Those have complications such as harder to remove and they migrate also. We may open it up for discussion again. That risk on top of already a high risk condition as Marion said is necessary for obvious reasons to prevent the blockage. Another shocker is when the oncologist mentioned that one day the stent may not do its job. I didn’t understand, why not? Never ending!
Both of you are amazing members and I am glad to contribute as well.
positivisty…..would like to add to Gavin’s great response that stents are life savers. Don’t think anyone enjoys going through the procedure, but without opening the duct patients soon succumb to this cancer.
Has the idea of a metal stent been brought up?Hugs
MarionHi Tia,
Will try and answer as best as I can. The stents unfortunately are necessary as when the duct gets blocked then that is what causes the jaundice as the bile can not flow through and exit the body so stenting allows it to flow and hopefully relieve any jaundice someone may have. Unfortunately stents also clog up and the plastic ones do so quicker than the metal ones. Plastic ones can last around 3 months or so before clogging can become an issue then they can be replaced and the metal ones last a year or so before clogging can start. Those are just approx figures though. Plastic stents are temporary and the metal ones are permanent and my dad had a metal one.
The jaundice and fever can be a sign that the stent is not working anymore and needs to be investigated asap and yes, infections can also be an issue with them. Metal ones can now be cleaned out I think with smaller plastic ones put into them also to help the bile flow again if they get clogged. As to how often they can be changed I think that will vary for everyone but know that from my dads case he only had the one fitted. Complications do unfortunately arise with stents and they need to be looked at if that is the case.
Hope that helps a bit and a big GRRR to stent clogging!
Hugs,
Gavin
As we know ERCPs are risky and already dealing with a tough condition, have to endure this procedure often for stent exchanges. The stents are risky too!! My mom has had 4 ERCPs in the last 8 months, with the recommendation of the plastic stents being replaced every 3 months!! The stents can migrate, case high fever, jaundice, pancreatitis, and infection if they don’t work well. Never ending! I dread those procedure, and hope for the best each time.
How often do you get a stent exchange?
Have you had any complications with stents?
How many ERCPs have you undergone?
Has the doctor ever said stents are no longer working?Thanks for your responses, as we maneuver through this complicated condition.
- The forum ‘General Discussion’ is closed to new topics and replies.