Stents

[Guest guest]

Hey all:

I have been reading with GREAT interest the question about stents.

I have been going to Dr. Cotton at MUSC since 1997 and last October

this is what he told me (which absolutely blew my mind). He said

that the stent has no therapeutic/treatment value OTHER THAN keeping

the duct open after ERCP so it can drain and prevent a really bad

case of pancreatitis. That blew me away. I had no idea. Everytime

I have been to MUSC for ERCP, they have either ballooned the duct to

stretch it (like they do your heart) or did a sphincterotomy (cut

the duct)or put in a tube that runs from from the pancreas out of

your nose to drain the pancraes. Like a nasogastric tube but not as

big around.

After he told me this, it kind of bothered me because I thought I

was getting relief from the stenting. Apparently not. It makes

sense though because I have had em put in and passed them within

hours and they don't bother to go back and put another in. If the

stent were for some " treatment, perse " they would want the thing to

stay in there. They go in and take them out if you don't pass them

on your own. I have had em taken out and passed them also. All the

times I passed a stent, I knew it immediately. I have sphincter of

Oddi dysfunction. Those who have it know the horrendous " pain from

teh sky " that you get with no warning. I don't know if the SOD

spasm pushes the stent out or the stent passing causes the spasm.

Kind of like the " chicken and the egg. "

I am going back to see Dr. Cotton soon and am going to clarify that

point with him again. But that is what he told me last year. This

makes plenty of sense now because most docs who do ERCPs don't put

in stents and most ERCPs cause all kinds of problems. I never could

understand why I had never had a problem with an ERCP but had read

so many who had. I am assuming the stenting so the dye they inject

can drain out is the reason. This is not to say that everyone who

has an ERCP without stenting is going to have a problem either NOR

is it to say that those who have ERCP WITH stenting won't have a

problem.

I have a deep down feeling that when I have this ERCP they are going

to find absolutely nothing. In the past, I have always worried they

would not find anythoing and they always would find those elevated

pressures. But, this last two hospitalizations, I had been under

major stress plus taking Aleve on a very regular basis and I really

and truly think that started it. I am hoping they find nothing,

then I will know it was the Aleve and that the treatment I had last

October is successful. My husband who is a pessimist (I guess he

can't help it) says that the pressures are probably elevated again.

I am just about ready to bet him a seafood dinner in ton on

that one! haha

That's my 10 cents worth on stenting. Hope I didn't confuse anyone

because I sure am confused. I thought the stents worked like the

ones in heart arteries. I always wondered why they didn't make

permanent ones. I guess the answer to that is because stenting is

not " fixative " only preventive from getting the really bad

pancreatitis from ERCP by draining the dye out more.

Kaye