pam

Thanks all….we took my dad back to er after much discussion with him. His biliruben level was 17. Last week when he was in hospital it was 5. The doctors are going to scope him tonight and if the stent has indeed gone bad they will replace it with another plastic temporary stent. They do not believe they can get a metal one in there long enough. If they are unable to get another plastic one in place they will consider an outside bag. If they see that the stent is draining they will do nothing. They have told us the cancer is very advanced and this my be the course and we would go home with hospice. I will say after some iv fluids my dad has perked up. They are also giving him pain meeds through iv. He just doesn’t want this to be another long hospital stay. As for know doctor appts. Are on hold. Thank you again.

Thanks for the posts. My dad was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in May. CT scan showed it was a blockage that was restricting his bile flow. The digestive specialist inserted a plastic temporary stent that was said to last anywhere from two to three months. The specialist here took a brushing of the tumor and it came back highly suspicious of being bile duct cancer. He gave my dad two choices. 1. Pallative care. 2. Surgerical consult. My dad chose surgery. We went to Ochsners in New Orleans who reviewed everything and said he could have a resection. Part of liver, bile duct, nodes, and gallbladder would be taken. Unfortunately, after exploring the surgeon could not do any of the resection. He said he believed the cancer originated in the gallbladder and had metastasized into the head of the pancreas. He said he would have had to do a resection and a whipple. The surgeon said he would not have gotten any clear margins. We live along the coast of Mississippi and when we got home my dad started experiencing very low blood pressure and very high pulse rate with no fever. He spent a week back in the hospital with an infection of the blood and bladder. There was also the question of whether the temporary stent was clogged up. The doctors have decided that the stent is still working to a point. His biliruben level was around 5. I think it is measured differently in the U.S. He is home now and very jaundice, no appetite, no fever, but no energy. His urine is very dark again and he has started to itch again. All the things he had trouble with before the temporary stent was placed are back. The doctor says he is unsure that a metal stent can be made long enough and a drain bag is possible. He goes to see a new internist tomorrow and then the oncologist Thursday. He is also x6 heart bypass patient and recently had heart stents put in. He is on a lot of medication and I am concerned that with his liver not functioning properly he will becoming toxic and not be a candidate for chemo. He is feeling extremely poor. He has drank the ensures and mostly eats very soft foods in very small amounts. Even water can set off pain and feeling of fullness. I’m sure many questions will answered with the appointments coming up later this week. Sorry this post is so long, but I hope I answered some questions. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

Thank you for your quick replies. We are at Ochsners in New Orleans. My sisters and I have been on this site since early May when it was suspected that our dad may have this disease. We have written every helpful piece of information down.
My dads surgery was terminated due to the surgeon finding the cancer had spread to the pancreas. It was explained to us that a whipple and all other surgery was not possible. The surgeon would not be able to get clear margins and my dads age and health is against him.
We will see an oncologist when we return to Ocean Springs Mississippi. I will keep everyone posted on the general discussion board. Thanks, We are hopeful he has many more years. We do suspect he has had this for two years. Many questions add up now.