Hi everyone- thank yous : to Karyn and ...

[Guest guest]

Kris,

I am so glad to hear you are doing some better. I hope the procedure gives

you some relief!

Don't over do it! Take it easy for a few days!

Angie in SC

" The happiest of people don't necessarily have the

best of everything; they just make the best of everything that comes along

their way. "

[Guest guest]

Just wanted to say hi to everyone here. I am feeling much better

since my release from the hospital. As most of you know I had an

ERCP last monday and was kept in the hospital for 5 days after

because of pain and a flare from the procedure. After my office

consult with Dr. Lehman , we decided to do an ERCP with a couple of

stents in the pancreatic duct that would last approximately 1 year.

But once he got in there, he said that the pressure was up in the

panc duct again so he decided to do a deeper cut on the panc duct

and extend the bile duct side too. He then put a temorary stent in

the panc duct. I woke up and felt fine for about 1 hour and then

the pain hit. They had a real hard time getting my pain under

control. After I got up to my room they tried me on Dilaudid,

anyway, I kept having bad muscle spasms on the left side of my body

for about 15 -20 seconds after the injection. So we decided that I

was possibly having some sort of an allergic reaction so I went back

to demerol. The next morning I found out that they were only giving

me 25g of demerol in the ERCP recovery room and that's why my pain

wasn't under control. I told the nurse that I take 50mg 2x a day on

a good day at home. So the floor doctor upped my meds to 50mg

demerol every 3-4 hours. Well, that worked for about 24 hours and

then my pain was bad again. Finally they upped my meds to 100mg

demerol every 3-4 hours and bingo! I was having some pain-free

hours! Then I find out that I could only be on demerol for 3 days

(because of the risk of seizures), and that I would have to switch

medications again. I chose morphine. It makes me itch but relieves

the pain. So I believe I started the morphine on Wednesday pm and

then I tried to eat some jello and it caused more bad pain. Back to

IV fluids only and my favorite (ice chips). Then Thursday my floor

nurse comes into my room to say that Dr. Lehman's nurse scheduled me

for a PICC line. I told her to call the nurse back and ask why I

needed that! So the nurse comes back in alittle while and tells me

that the nurse practitioner would meet me downstairs (where I would

have the procedure) and she would explain everything. So I agreed

and then my hubby and kids show up. Now, my hubby (and me) were

both under the assumption that I was possibly going home on friday,

and he about freaked out. When we got downstairs, the nurse

practitioner explained to me that I needed the PICC line if I was

going to need continued IV pain meds. My veins were not good and

they had a hard time with my IV. I just requested that my IV be

changed because my present IV was EXTREMELY painful. Come to find

out that my first IV had gotten infected, so I am on anti-biotics

for that too. So I told the nurse practitioner that I would try to

use my own pain meds (pills) through the night and if I could do

fine then I could go home the next day and avoid that PICC line.

Everything went well (luckily) through the night and I didn't

require any further IV pain meds. Yipee! So friday I had a CT scan

and then I was discharged in the afternoon. I stayed overnight in

the hotel (friday) and then my hubby drove us home saturday. So I

guess that is my summary of my hospital stay. I came home with

alittle more that I expected, an infection in my right arm (from the

IV), and a rash on my stomach. BUT, I am feeling much better every

day. I just started to eat some solid foods and I'm doing ok. I

still am very nauseous and very tired.

I also wanted to say (sorry for the long post), that it was VERY

nice to meet Karyn! I am sooo glad that she stopped by, and visited

with me and my family. She is a wonderful person! She brought me

some gifts and that was a total surprise!! THANK YOU KARYN!

I also wanted to thank for the phone call. It was a nice

surprise too! -when I talked to you, you sounded just like

my sister-in-law. She is also an Aussie. Thanks for cheering me up.

Thank you everyone who posted good thoughts and concerns for me. It

is nice to be home!!

Kris in TN

[Guest guest]

Kris; I am so so glad that you are home and getting better. I was

very worried about you. had called me and I had your

number but had to stay off the phone. Could'nt even play online

like I like. I am so desperate (housewife...LOL) to go back to work

and dont want to miss a call. then my two oldest kids have

homework online, how about that and they are usually on until 9pm

and I thought it was too late to call you. Cant remember where the

time change is. anyway I am very glad you are home now, I am sure

your family is as well. What an ordeal you had.

Are the stents the type that pass on their own? It sounded that way

from your post. If so, you may be achey until they pass, usally

around 2 weeks give or take. I had one in for 10 weeks and it had

to be pulled. I think that caused a lot of damage, but there is

really no way to know for sure. Did they schedule you for a x-ray

in a few weeks to see if they have passed?

Lucky you not having to get a picc line. I remembe somebody had

mentioned one to me years ago and I ignored it. I really didn't

want to get one even with the bad veins I had back then

(dehydration). Gosh it was bad enough getting the g-j tube. I

couldn't talk them out of that no matter what tricks I pulled.

Actually there is a kind of funny story associated with that, but I

will save that for another time.

do you have to go back to Indy to see Dr. L anytime soon, a follow

up or something or is your local GI going to take care of that

part. Well try to rest, I have heard for every day in the hospital

it take tiwice that many to get over it and every day in the ICU (or

dependancy unit as Fliss calls it) is a weeks recovery. So give

yourself time to recover. The stents should really help and I will

hope and pray for you that it does.

Feel better, but dont do too much too soon. You had quite an ordeal

and you will need to give yourself time to get over it all. I know

when we get home we fall very easily back into our " super woman "

role and try to do all the things that have fell by the wayside

while we were gone and not feeling so hot. Well the world wont come

to an end if those towels are folded just yet. Shoot sug, they will

just end up on the bathroom floor anyway, unless your husband is

like mine and leaves the wet towell on the foot of the bed (grouds

for divorce in my book...LOL).

Let me know if there is anything I can do.

Warmly,

Chrissy