Question to those with Stent experience

[Guest guest]

Hi!

I am in the middle of my stent therapy. I am to have a series of at

least three stents to stretch my stenotic minor papilla because

the blockage, along with the pancreas divisum, is causing me

pain. I have been reading bits and pieces of people's comments

concerning stents, " I am so confused " that I have a few

questions.

Firs of all, are stents just a temporary solution to the pain

problem? Is it unlikely to give me permanent relief? If it is

temporary does this last for days, weeks, months, years (I am

confused by anecdotes on this board that mention blockage of

stents at various times after insertion).

If the stenting ends up giving me relief when the series is done,

will the doctor consider this a cure, or will I most likely have to

have this done every couple of years or so? Or if I become

blocked again, do they consider this a failure and move on to the

possibility of surgery? (is there a progression of treatment

therapy?) Is there a point when you have too many ERCPs (I will

have had 6 ERCPs before this series is done: sept - jan) and the

recommendation is to move on to surgery, or is it common to

just do it over and over again?

I understand that all of us are different and that there are different

causes for CP, AP and stuff. I do not expect you to predict my

outcome or anything. I guess I am looking for a heads-up on

what I should be looking for so that I do not set myself up for a

great disappointment.

I am three weeks away from stent number two and am still not

comfortable that I am doing the right thing. I have heard so many

times that this is all in my head, that I am wondering if I am

undergoing too drastic of a procedure for " just pain " when there

really isn't a real pathology (no signs of CP yet - just a blocked

pancreatic duct of santorini).

Laurie