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Had the ERCP Procedure

Posted , 4 users are following.

simone76753
simone76753

So I had the ERCP procedure 3 days ago. The GI doc had wanted to wait until the corona situation calmed down and the hospitals were working at more normal capacity but a few nights ago the pressure pain was severe enough that I felt I couldn't tough it out like I've had other times.

I went to the ER at a good time. Here in the States it was the end of a holiday weekend at 2:30 a.m. and the ER was almost dead and I got taken right away for tests. The doc said my bile duct was almost L shaped and a stone was stuck in it and very infected. They got it and put a stent in for draining pus and I have to go back in 8 weeks to have stent removed.

I'm writing this for the folks who've also had their gallbladder out and are still suffering. Ask for an MRCP test. The regular abdominal scan is good for the initial test while you still have a gallbladder and the stones will show up. But a regular abdominal scan didn't show anything for me having a more hidden stone in the bile duct, I needed the MRI called MRCP.

What is strange to me is that they told me that you can still make stones from bile after the gallbladder is removed but then they did not advise any particular type of diet. They told me I could eat anything now just go slow. Even though the more fat you eat the more bile is produced increasing the chance of producing more stones. Go figure...

It's like we need orthodox medicine for these acute occurrences but for long term maintenance we have to do our own homework, study and experimentation. I'm very grateful for the good care I received and I so hope when I get the stent out that is the end of a very long bad dream I've been having! Thx for reading.

1 like, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Moonday
    Moonday simone76753

    Edited

    Hi Simone ... thank you for your interesting update .... it's the same here in the UK .... after you've had your GB removed they almost shrug their shoulders regarding what you should eat .... for me, there was no real after care or advice and I think that goes for a lot of other people too.

    Hope all is well for you after your stent is removed. Best wishes.

  • Kavala
    Kavala simone76753

    Edited

    Hi Simone

    i too had an ERCP for a stone stuck in my bile duct. unfortunately mine was unsuccessful and the stone was not extracted as it was too deeply lodged. As a result of the procedure i developed pancreatitis which is painful thing I've ever felt. I had my gallbladder removed and a bile duct reconstruction 2 months later during a 5 hour open operation. So i am pleased for you that your procedure was a success as I wouldn't want anyone to experience what happened to me. I wish you well.

    • Moonday
      Moonday Kavala

      Posted

      Kavala ..... how terrible for you .... I do think there needs to be more research into the after effects of removal of the GB .... no one seems to really know.

      Sending you best wishes

    • Kavala
      Kavala Moonday

      Edited

      Moonday .. thank you . Luckily my recovery after the surgery went well and I have been able to eat and drink normally again, albeit with a little digestive discomfort on occasion . !! So ultimately it ended well.

    • simone76753
      simone76753 Kavala

      Posted

      Kavala

      OMG you really suffered. So glad for finally a happy conclusion for you.

      I don't feel I'm out of the woods yet. The pain, discomfort and fear since last summer has been training me to be a pessimist. I have a weird pressure in my abdomen. I mentioned this to the nurse in the hospital the next day, like I did too many sit ups. She said it was normal as they were poking around a lot down there between trying to get the stone and then putting in the stent. That was Tuesday, today is Saturday. Hoping this goes away before my imagination starts taking over that they screwed up the stent, etc.

      As Moonday intimated, there really needs to be more objective honesty with potential gallbladder removal patients. thx

  • simone76753
    simone76753

    Posted

    Saw the GI specialist. They had put a stent in me to drain the infected bile duct after they took out the stuck stone during the ERCP procedure. He wants to do the procedure to remove the stent in his office. Somehow that wigged me out and I insisted on going to a nearby hospital in case anything should go wrong. I think he just doesn't want to go to the hospital because of covid. He also made it sound like a no big deal procedure where they don't have to have breathing apparatus like with the gallbladder removal and ERCP. I also asked for reassurance that he's done this procedure a number of times which I think annoyed him. He showed me the stent which he thought somehow would calm me but amazed me in an anxious way. Totally different than I imagined. It's a blue piece of plastic about 3 inches long with a circle at each end about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Can't believe I have this inside me.

    Am I just a pain in the butt? Would you have the procedure done in the office or the hospital?

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