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Gastroenterology (Expert Forum)
Do all bile duct obstructions have to be cancer ?
This forum is for questions regarding Gastroenterology issues such as Acid Reflux (GERD), Barretts Esophagus, Colitis, Colon/Bowel Disorders, Crohn's Disease, Diverticulitis/ Diverticulosis, Digestive Disorders, IBS, Stomach Pain.
Do all bile duct obstructions have to be cancer ?
by amyj, Dec 18, 2002 12:00AM
My father a generally healthy 54 year old has recently been diagnosed with a bile duct obstruction after having and ERCP. The doctor thought that it might be a gallstone stuck in the bile duct but as it turns out its not. They have done brushings and so far they have been coming back negative for cancer? The doctor said still to not get our hopes up it still could be a carcinoma ? He has lost 30 pounds over the course of 2 months while all these tests have been going on but now after inputing the stent in the obstruction he is feeling better. Has anyone had problems with bile duct obstructions ?
Bile duct obstructions and pancreatic duct obstructions are completly common with someone who has pancreatitis. Has your father been tested for this at all? I have found that alot of doctors don't usually check for this unless certain conditions apply. Such as over consumption of alcohol. Having a pancreatic attack after having an ERCP is a fairly high percentage rate.
Ask your father to talk to the doctor about doing tests on the pancreas.
Sandy
An ERCP is a likely cause of a pancreatic attack. The pancreas may have looked just fine when they did the surgery, but when he came out of surgery, he may very well have had a pancreatic attack that they are overlooking.
A non-working gallbladder can mimic pancreatic conditions. Mine was bad, they took it out...I had a pancreatic attack that the surgeon did not believe was happening and did nothing about. Now I have chronic pancreatitis. I know 3 people in the last year who had their gallbladder removed and have had a pancreatic attack right after surgery. ERCP's will do that to you. It is a very common cause of that. Weight loss is extremly common in gallbladder problems and pancreatic problems.
A severe stricture can be helped with surgery. I had a severe stricture in my pancreatic duct. It took 3 surgerys to take care of it, but I'm doing much better.
I am not trying to "push" a pancreatic problem on you, but PLEASE don't let the doctors overlook this possibility. Even if they said in surgery that the pancreas looks good, I would ask for a simple blood test of a amylase and lipase test to determine levels.
Sandy
My main concern is what are they going to do about the cysts, when he did my first ERCP 2 months ago, de dilated a stricture in the duct to, plus cut the sphincter muscle to let the bile drain. I go back to him in 3 months for repeat ERCP. I'm at a loss here.
Thanks,
Heather
Between seeing doctor after clueless doctor, I've taken to the Net, medical journals, and whatever else I can get my hands on to learn about pancreatic conditions. One thing I've found is that pancreatic cysts (often referred to as 'psuedocysts', I believe) are commonly associated with pancreatitis and are generally not a cause for alarm in and of themselves.
I've really been amazed at the volume of posts at this site, many of them from 20-30 year olds, asking questions related to pancreatitis and vague pancreas-related problems. What's more disturbing are the difficulties several of us are having in procuring any kind of decent care, based largely on age, it sounds like. Totally sucks.
Just curious - is anyone here who's suffering from pancreas-related pain a vegetarian? I am, and eat a lot of soy products (gardenburgers and the like); I mention this as I've been reading lately about how eating a large amount of soy can actually cause (or at least worsen pre-existing) pancreatic problems, specifically acting as a trypsin (sp?) inhibitor (a pancreatic enzyme which assists in the breaking down of proteins).
I'm curious if anyone else knows anything about this? I'm REALLY hoping it's crazy propaganda being circulated by the meat industry or something :)
Take care - M