Donna Goodline

[Guest guest]

Hi Donna:

I'm sorry that noone has gotten back to you regarding the info. you

requested. And I'm not sure I can be of much help, other than to say that

the doctor who performed my ERCP's said that the fact that my enzyme levels

were normal, did NOT mean that I did not have pancreatitis. I had recently

been in the hospital for an acute attack, a local hospital, where they spent

5 days ruling out that I had pancreatitis. When I went to see him, and told

him this, he said due to the fact that he had actually been inside my

pancreas, he has no doubt that I do have cp, and not to pay too much

attention to these other doctors, who are not experts. Have you had an

ERCP? And why are you asking about a Whipple? Have you had one, or are you

scheduled for one? I recently saw a surgeon who said he would not perform

either the pseustow (sp?) or Whipple since my stricture is not that bad.

The recovery sounds horrible, and I am lucky that I have a pain doctor who

has really helped manage my pain. Maybe if you gave a little more info. you

could get some response? I hope I have been of some help! Hang in there!

Robin

[Guest guest]

Hi Donna

Both of your explanations concerning your CT are right on in my

experience. For the CT itself, you will have to drink the contrast

so that your GI tract can be imaged. The enema is for the same

thing but to show the lower GI tract. The IV contrast is to allow

the organs to show up (the blood vessels will be highlighted).

This is a very, very good way to look at everything inside of your

abdomen - to look for inflammation, calcification, masses,

abnormalities in your bile duct, etc - it shows you in three

dimensions and in great detail! From what you report, your

doctor is suspecting that your incision has become infected and

the mass that is felt may be the abscess. If that is the case, then

this abscess may be drained using the CT pictures as a guide

for the radiologist (to make sure that he / she gets to the right

place without causing harm to organs or other structures). This

is a very common procedure and it should not be too difficult to

endure. If the catheter is left in, that is so the abscess can

continue to drain, without having to bring you back to the CT

room.

I had multiple abdominal abscesses diagnosed by this

procedure and it was not a difficult exam to go through. I have not

personally had them drained this way (I had to go into surgery)

but I have observed this done to other people. It is not that bad to

go through.

Also, I understand that it is not uncommon to still have gall

stones even if you no longer have a gall bladder. It is just a lazy

way to say biliary stones - it is semantics, not literal. These

stones may be residual from when you had a gall bladder or they

can still be forming within the common bile duct or other bile

ducts.

Hope that this helps you understand a little more what may be

going on with your case.

Laurie

[Guest guest]

Dear Donna,

First of all, please let me say that I'm sorry to hear of this new

problem, especially after hearing that you had been doing so

well. Hopefully this procedure will be precisely what you need to

get your problems straightened out.

Secondly, I wanted to tell you that I have had this procedure done

and would, without hesitation, do it again anytime that was

necessary. In my case it was done to biopsy a mass in my

abdomen, and then drain it. The " mass " turned out to be a

collection of pseudocysts in the tail of my pancreas, just to the

left of the navel.

The type of scanning machine they will be using is called a

spiral CT-scan, and it is the latest in scanning technology of this

type. This machine takes pictures in slices, and has great

clarity, and will show everything like they told you it would.

My procedure was done on an out-patient basis. After drinking

the solution the night before and fasting, I went to the hospital

early in the a.m. and after filling out forms and going through the

nurse's admitting questions, put on a gown and was placed in a

movable bed. Some time before I was supposed to go into the

scan room they gave me sedation by IV. I was woosily awake

and able to talk through the whole procedure. They also injected

a numbing medication at the site before they inserted the large

aspiration needle into my abdomen near my navel for the

aspiration. I cannot say that it was entirely painless, but they

were very gentle and worked hard to make me comfortable.

Afterward I spent several hours in the out-patient area in my own

private cubicle with my husband and was released late in the

afternoon. If you want all the full details, post again and I can

explain more.

There was some rather severe residual pain for a couple days,

and I was taking hydrocodone for that, and I was back to normal

within a few days. If you want more details, post again and I can

explain more. I just wanted to reassure you that there isn't

anything to worry about, as far as the procedure goes.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI, Intl.

Note: All comments and advice are personal opinion only, and

should not be substituted for professional medical consultation.

" What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters

compared to what lies within us. " - Ralph Waldo Emerson

> So here we go again, I scheduled to go into the hospital on

Thursday Sept 11, 2003 for what they cala CT ABDOMEN/PELVIS

WITH CONTRAST.

DONNA