questions about ERCP and pain

[Guest guest]

hello everyone!

i am sceduled for my first ever ERCP on sept.20th,and i

have a few questions i hope someone can help with.i know the main

complication is an acute pancreatitis attack but if you develop this

complication when does it occur,right after the test,after you go

home 1 or 2 days later?if this does happen how long are you

hospitalized?i've never been in the hospital before,except for having

my kids,and have never been hospitalized for pancreatitis so what

happens if you are admitted for an acute attack?how many of you have

came home with no problems,how many of you were admitted and for how

long?i just want to know what i may be facing.i'm really nervous and

i know of noone who has had this test done except you guys here.

also,i am just now

getting better from a flare-up that has lasted about a week.now i'm

having this really weird pain,when i go from a sitting to standing

position,i get this really sharp cramp/spasm type pain in the middle

of my stomach.when i stand up,i have to bend over then lean back into

a standing position slowly or the pain is terrible.then when i eat,or

even take a drink of water, i get this pain that kinda comes and goes

in'waves'and usually only last about 10-20 seconds.are these pains

normal,i've never had them before should i call my dr. or wait and

see? thank you to all,and i hope every one is having a good day

cindy

p.s.

my dr. also said during the ERCP he will knock me out with

demerol and 'versad'? with this REALLY knock me out or will i still

be aware of every thing?

[Guest guest]

I had four ERCPs, and two caused acute pancreatitis. One hit me while

in recovery but they pushed me out the door. Two hours later I was

admitted. The next hit me almost 24 hours after the procedure. I was

hurting some but now bad and then at about 24 hours I took two bites

of a banana and keeled over and passed out. That one sucked!

I was told each time that if you are going to get it will hit within

48 hours. But generally within a few hours of the procedure.

Just monitor yourself and if that pain starts to increase call your

doc or go straight to the ER, if you aren't still in the hospital.

Think postively, stress does not help pancreatitis. Many people do

fine.

I wish you much luck!

Bert

[Guest guest]

Hi Cindy,

I have had 4 ERCPs (I think) and two gave me mild cases of

acute pancreatitis and two were fine. The two that gave me AP

were the ones when the doctor had to manipulate the ducts with

some aggression: he had to cut the sphincter and use a balloon

to squish it open to get the dye in and place the stent. The two

that didn't cause any complications were the ones that pretty

much left the ducts alone. So in my case at least, it seems like

the less messing with the ducts, the less chance that I was

going to have complications.

As far as when I felt the pain of AP....I would say both times I

awoke in recovery in pretty severe pain. Although it has been

known in other people to not hit for some hours later (or even a

day later). The unbearable pain lasted for a couple of days and

the " bruising " feeling lasted a couple of weeks I would say. In

one of my cases, I was not hospitalized past the 23 hour

observation period (although the first one I should have been in

for at least two to three days knowing what I know now) and the

other one, not hospitalized at all If you are admitted, it is mainly

for pain control, as well as hydration and nausea control. You will

be monitored via laboratory studies and if indicated, they may do

a CT scan or other imaging study if the attack is more severe.

But for most cases of post-ERCP AP hospitalization is mainly to

make the patient comfortable and to be there if things go

down-hill.

As far as sedation.....I am thinking that your doctor is using

conscious sedation. We recently had a spate of posts about

conscious sedation and general anesthesia use in ERCPs (you

may want to go back and look at them if you haven't done so

already) but from what I remember, there are a lot of people who

reported that conscious sedation was not that effective on them -

that they really were not " out " at all.

From what I have read, those of us who undergo ERCPs while

we have been on narcotics for some time, become tolerant to the

sedation effects of the conscious sedation medication. This is

why some doctors use general anesthesia for cases like this. If

you have been on narcotic pain meds for any length of time, you

may want to inquire about using general anesthesia (or MAC -

monitored anesthetic care (?)). This may make you more

comfortable. In my case, all of my ERCPs were done under

GA...and I prefer it that way. The thought of having any awareness

of the procedure is not something I can handle psychologically. I

had that happen once in surgery and the lasting effects are

horrible.

Hope this helps. I know you will get lots of different stories about

our experiences. It is so hard to know what will happen ahead of

time so hope for the best, prepare for the worst, I guess.

laurie

[Guest guest]

I have had many ERCp's and with all but one to remove the stent, I had a panc

attack. And even that one I do believe I had a mild attack but refused be in

that hospital one minute longer than I had to be away from my kid. He's my

light!

The chances are good that you will have an attack so be prepared to stay in the

hospital for a few days. And if you come through it without an attack....HOORAY

FOR YOU!!! :-)

I have never woken up during one and never had a sore throat after one, but they

are completely draining and for everyday you are down because of surgery or an

attack, you should allow yourself 1 week to get better. So 4 days, 4 weeks to

feel like your old self. Sounds like too much time when you write it out like

that, but it really isn't. Try not to worry so much. I bet you will come

through just fine!

Sandy in Ca