Re: Re: How scary is ERCP? Henry to Ann

March 29, 2001

>>>> I'm hoping to find some info on the ERCP experience from some

>>> folks who have actually been through it.

>>>> I'm scheduled for an ERCP in two weeks (since I wasn't a heavy

>>> drinker and they couldn't find any stones with 2 CTscans, an ultrasound and

>>> many. I'm a bit frightened of the ERCP but don't exactly see any

>>> other it painful, does it take long to recover from it? Please

>>> share any ERCP experiences good or bad. I am a single mother of two. Will

>>>> Yours truly,

>>>> Ann (scaredy cat in Hawaii)

____________________________________________________________________

Dear Ann,

Hi! I'm Henry from the group and welcome to this fine family of pancreas

patients and their caregivers! Sorry you have pancreatitis, but you've come

to a nice, friendly supportive group of folks who are happy to help. Some

background to introduce my self and my case may be helpful for you. My

goodness, what a terrible thing to have happen on your birthday, and it has

to be hard with your children.

I'm 38- years-old and was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis in early

1992 when I was 29. I had been having symptoms of pancreatitis for about

eight months or so before the first major accute attack. I've had the

Puestow surgery and the Whipple in 1998, and 2000, respectively and gal

bladder removal in 1995.

Since you've never had an ERCP before I thought you might want to know

what the experience is like from a patient's standpoint. I will try my best

to describe what the ERCP experience has been like for me to help give you

an idea of what it's like if that is helpful for you.

I have had over 20 ERCPs over eight years. One reason I had so many was

that I was at a teaching hospital, The Medical University of South Carolina

(MUSC), as part of a stent study they sere conducting so my treatments were

free mostly. In my case they asked me to take nothing by mouth after

midnight on the day of the procedure. (NPO) they call it. I came into the

clinic in the morning and they took me into a subicle with a cot in a large

room and changed into a gown then they started an I.V. with saline. Then

they wheeled me into a small surgical suite and had me lie on my left side

and turned down the lights. They will put a nasal, oxygen tube under your

nose. Then they began administering the anesthesia. In my case this was

usually 100 milligrams of Demerol, or 20-30 milligrams of Morphine, and I

forget how many milligrams of Verced (which induces relaxation and can

produce an amnesia affect so that hopefully will help you not remember the

procedure. They refer to this type of anesthia as a " twilight sleep. " They

want to be able to communicate with you if necessary, but for you to be as

comfortable as is possible and relaxed. Since I have a high tolerance to

anesthesia, this didn't usually work and I often was awake for the

procedure, though somewhat groggy during and after. I worked out a system

with the anesthesiologist where I would tap my fingers to signal him if I

felt I needed more meds since you cannot speak with the tube down your

throat during the ERCP. Next they numb your throat with an unpleasant

tasting substance that comes out of a spray bottle. Then they put a

mouthpiece in and began introducing the tube that goes into your mouth and

down your esophacus into your stomach and past to the small bowel where the

pancreatic ducts are located. They will slowly introduce the tube and ask

you to begin swallowing the tube. The hardest part of this is getting it

past the back of your throat and down into the esophacus.

They had some difficulty with me at the ducts because I was born with

pancreas divism (Latin for divided pancreas), and my ducts were small. They

have a light and a camera on the end of the tube and can pass wires and

cutting instuments and stents, (little plastic or rubber tubes that help the

pancreas drain), through the tube. The tube is black and smaller in diameter

than a garden hose, although I don't know the exact diameter. They do

various things such as a cut on the duct to widen it and insert various size

stents. I have had some pain with the cuts, (spinterotomies), but the

demerol, (or Morphine) helps some with this pain. They want you to lie very

still so they don't risk puncturing bowel. In my case the procedure usually

lasted about an hour or so depending on what they were doing on a given

procedure. The longest ones were about two hours when they had to remove

stones from my pancreas. When they are finished, they would rub my shoulder

and say, " It's over Henry, we're finished! You did great! " or some such

thing. Then they would help me off the operating table onto a stretcher and

wheel me back to the recovery room where I would lie for about an hour.

After this it would be time for me to go home unless I had to stay the

night.

I don't like ERCPs, but when I think about what people had to go through

before they had the ERCP such as surgery to widen ducts, remove stones, then

it seems like a good alternative. I hope that this helps some. If you have

any other questions for me please feel free to email me. There are al ot of

good folks here who can answer your questions and know more about this than

I do.

I always enjoy recieving email and it's great to meet all the new folks

who have joined the " family. " I hope you are doing reasonably well and that

I will hear from you again soon! There is another pancreas patient neamed

Rich who lives in Hawaii here too. God Bless.

Your New Pancreas Pal,

Henry, from S.C.

March 29, 2001

I hope to see everyone tonight at 5:30 PST at

http://www.top5plus5.com/ChatRooms-Pancreas.htm

Mark E. Armstrong

www.top5plus5.com

Re: Re: How scary is ERCP? Henry to Ann

> >>>> I'm hoping to find some info on the ERCP experience from some

> >>> folks who have actually been through it.

> >>>> I'm scheduled for an ERCP in two weeks (since I wasn't a heavy

> >>> drinker and they couldn't find any stones with 2 CTscans, an

ultrasound and

> >>> many. I'm a bit frightened of the ERCP but don't exactly see any

> >>> other it painful, does it take long to recover from it? Please

> >>> share any ERCP experiences good or bad. I am a single mother of two.

Will

> >>>> Yours truly,

> >>>> Ann (scaredy cat in Hawaii)

> ____________________________________________________________________

> Dear Ann,

>

> Hi! I'm Henry from the group and welcome to this fine family of

pancreas

> patients and their caregivers! Sorry you have pancreatitis, but you've

come

> to a nice, friendly supportive group of folks who are happy to help. Some

> background to introduce my self and my case may be helpful for you. My

> goodness, what a terrible thing to have happen on your birthday, and it

has

> to be hard with your children.

>

> I'm 38- years-old and was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis in early

> 1992 when I was 29. I had been having symptoms of pancreatitis for about

> eight months or so before the first major accute attack. I've had the

> Puestow surgery and the Whipple in 1998, and 2000, respectively and gal

> bladder removal in 1995.

> Since you've never had an ERCP before I thought you might want to

know

> what the experience is like from a patient's standpoint. I will try my

best

> to describe what the ERCP experience has been like for me to help give you

> an idea of what it's like if that is helpful for you.

>

> I have had over 20 ERCPs over eight years. One reason I had so many

was

> that I was at a teaching hospital, The Medical University of South

Carolina

> (MUSC), as part of a stent study they sere conducting so my treatments

were

> free mostly. In my case they asked me to take nothing by mouth after

> midnight on the day of the procedure. (NPO) they call it. I came into the

> clinic in the morning and they took me into a subicle with a cot in a

large

> room and changed into a gown then they started an I.V. with saline. Then

> they wheeled me into a small surgical suite and had me lie on my left side

> and turned down the lights. They will put a nasal, oxygen tube under your

> nose. Then they began administering the anesthesia. In my case this was

> usually 100 milligrams of Demerol, or 20-30 milligrams of Morphine, and I

> forget how many milligrams of Verced (which induces relaxation and can

> produce an amnesia affect so that hopefully will help you not remember the

> procedure. They refer to this type of anesthia as a " twilight sleep. " They

> want to be able to communicate with you if necessary, but for you to be as

> comfortable as is possible and relaxed. Since I have a high tolerance to

> anesthesia, this didn't usually work and I often was awake for the

> procedure, though somewhat groggy during and after. I worked out a system

> with the anesthesiologist where I would tap my fingers to signal him if I

> felt I needed more meds since you cannot speak with the tube down your

> throat during the ERCP. Next they numb your throat with an unpleasant

> tasting substance that comes out of a spray bottle. Then they put a

> mouthpiece in and began introducing the tube that goes into your mouth and

> down your esophacus into your stomach and past to the small bowel where

the

> pancreatic ducts are located. They will slowly introduce the tube and ask

> you to begin swallowing the tube. The hardest part of this is getting it

> past the back of your throat and down into the esophacus.

>

> They had some difficulty with me at the ducts because I was born with

> pancreas divism (Latin for divided pancreas), and my ducts were small.

They

> have a light and a camera on the end of the tube and can pass wires and

> cutting instuments and stents, (little plastic or rubber tubes that help

the

> pancreas drain), through the tube. The tube is black and smaller in

diameter

> than a garden hose, although I don't know the exact diameter. They do

> various things such as a cut on the duct to widen it and insert various

size

> stents. I have had some pain with the cuts, (spinterotomies), but the

> demerol, (or Morphine) helps some with this pain. They want you to lie

very

> still so they don't risk puncturing bowel. In my case the procedure

usually

> lasted about an hour or so depending on what they were doing on a given

> procedure. The longest ones were about two hours when they had to remove

> stones from my pancreas. When they are finished, they would rub my

shoulder

> and say, " It's over Henry, we're finished! You did great! " or some such

> thing. Then they would help me off the operating table onto a stretcher

and

> wheel me back to the recovery room where I would lie for about an hour.

> After this it would be time for me to go home unless I had to stay the

> night.

> I don't like ERCPs, but when I think about what people had to go

through

> before they had the ERCP such as surgery to widen ducts, remove stones,

then

> it seems like a good alternative. I hope that this helps some. If you have

> any other questions for me please feel free to email me. There are al ot

of

> good folks here who can answer your questions and know more about this

than

> I do.

> I always enjoy recieving email and it's great to meet all the new

folks

> who have joined the " family. " I hope you are doing reasonably well and

that

> I will hear from you again soon! There is another pancreas patient neamed

> Rich who lives in Hawaii here too. God Bless.

>

> Your New Pancreas Pal,

>

> Henry, from S.C.

>

> PANCREATITIS SUPPORT NETWORK

> Online e-mail group

>

> To reply to this message hit " reply " or send an e-mail to:

Pancreatitisegroups

>

> To subscribe to this e-mail group, simply send an e-mail to:

Pancreatitis-subscribeegroups

>

March 29, 2001