PTC tube - stiches vs. washer - other options?

[Guest guest]

My liver doctor is threatening that I will probably need a PTC tube

placed soon. My liver numbers have been elevated recently and my

energy has declined. The thing is, I had one last year ago for 8 months

and it did not do me any good (mostly because my problems were

cholangitis in the smaller ducts - there was no need for ballooning or

stenting - yet). It was a pain to get them to take it out, even after

my liver doctor agreed it was not helping.

I have been encouraged by recent postings about ERCPs with Roux-en-y

that I may be able to delay the placement of a PTC tube by having an

ERCP. However, I remember hearing after my transplant that my Roux-en-

y was done a little differently from normal. I didn't know enough at

that time to even ask what that meant, but I suspect it may mean they

are less likely to be able to do an ERCP on me. I will still ask

though...

However, it seems likely that I will get another PTC tube in the near

future, and before that is done, I wanted to pick your collective

brains about options.

Last time I had the PTC tube, I found that the stiches regularly caused

pain, if my tube was not taped in just the right location/direction. I

mentioned this a couple times during replacement and one of the doctors

placed a washer around the tube with no stiches. That felt so much

better and was so easy to take care of, I always asked for the washer

after that. I could clean around and under it very easily, and the

gauze would go under it and the tape over it very neatly.

So I suspect there are other options as well that I don't know about,

and am wondering if others can share what worked best for them?

Thanks for any input,

Darryl

PSC/UC 96, Tx 02, rPSC 04

[Guest guest]

>

> Last time I had the PTC tube, I found that the stiches regularly caused

> pain, if my tube was not taped in just the right location/direction.

I only had stitches to hold my PTC tube in place when it was first

inserted. After the first change it was held in place by a FLEXI-TRAK

anchoring device. For pictures see:

http://allmedwholesale.com/index.php?main_page=product_info & products_id=9787 & cur\

rency=USD

http://www.southwestmedical.com/Urinary_Catheters_Kits/Urology_Accessories/FLEXI\

-TRAK_Large_Anchoring_Device/7105p0

I had a tendency to not change the anchors often enough, and after a

while (several weeks) the anchors would allow the tube to slip

resulting in less than optimal performance. Once I had a big butterfly

type anchor with a plastic clamp to hold the tube, but that was not as

comfortable as the FLEXI-TRAK anchors.

Tim R - PTC tubes from Nov '03 to Jun '07