ERCP, DILATION OF BILE DUCT

[PUMPMANPLEE]

i'm a female aged 72, my gall bladder was removed some 8 years ago.
however, recently i felt very sick, nausea but no vomiting, upper abodominal pain,
weakness and i went to the hospital for treatment.
the hospital performed an ECG to check my heart, the ECG confirmed my heart was normal.
i was given an enema, which helped relieve stools from my bowel & i felt much better.
the hospital also performed all the following tests, Endoscopy examination, X-RAYS, CT SCAN, MRCP SCANS.
all tests came back normal, except there seemed to be dilation of the bile duct near the
ampulla of vater, just before it joins the duodenum.
blood tests were also performed and didn't show anything abnormal.
the specialist has informed that i have an ERCP performed.
since i no longer have a gall bladder, is it still possible to have
gallstones in my bile duct left behind some years ago when i had
my gall bladder removed ?
i don't have jaundice, however after eating a meal i feel a bit sick.
could this be due to obstruction of the bile duct ?

[Banned1]

Hi Helen:

How are you feeling lately?  Too bad the Metamucil doesn't work for you.  At least you gave it a shot.  I understand what you are suffering through and I empathize.  If you ever need to talk or vent, feel free to send me an email.

All the best,

Sam

[PUMPMANPLEE]

Hello Sam,
you seemed to have a grasp of the problem,
i watch my diet well & don't eat hardly any fatty
foods or drink any alcohol at all.

i will try the digestive & pancreatic enzymes you
mentioned as it may assist.

i did try Metamucil as suggested by my gastro specialist
but it actually made my constipation  worse...works for some
but not others but at least we keep trying things.

thanks for your information.

Helen

[Banned1]

Hi there:

I'm really sorry that you are suffering.  At your age, you should be enjoying your time, not mourning the loss of it.  I'm not a doctor and I know next to nothing about this stuff but I'm learning through my own illness.  Your symptoms could be SO many things including sludge/stones in the common bile duct, Post-Cholecystectomy Syndrome, Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction, Small Bowel Bacterial Overgrowth, pancreatitis, etc.  

There are some less invasive tests such as the Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS) and MRCP-S (Secretin) which can image the pancreas and ductal system.  The EUS does require sedation and is similar to an upper endoscopy.  Once you have a Gastroenterologist, they might be willing to try an EUS or MRCP-S to determine what is causing your symptoms.   I would try that before I risked an ERCP, given the risk factors.  Right now, EPISOD studies are being conducted in the United States which might be a way to get to the bottom of your symptoms without the cost if you qualify and can't afford health care.  

Metamucil or a similar daily fibre product is a great help for MANY people with abdominal pain.   It does not make you go, it makes you regular by adding fibre to the watery stools, making them firm.  

Many people have great success with digestive enzymes and pancreatic enzymes.  This is something you can talk to your primary Doc about.  I'm told that they won't do any harm so really - unless you have side effects - there's not a downside to trying them.  Your Doc might even have samples.  This is something you can do now and it reduces the amount of work the pancreas has to do which will also reduce any damage to the pancreas.  You can get them at the health food store, too, but make sure they only have proteases, amlyase and lipase.

A low-fat, fibre-rich diet can make a BIG difference.  Eliminating fried foods from your diet and starting with bland foods, you may get to a point where you have no pain.  Then you can add new items to see how you feel.  Less than 30 grams of fat per day is a great starting point.  Of course, alcohol is a bad idea but when you're sick, you're probably not drinking.

It helps to keep a journal or a blog and your welcome to read my first entry if you want but I write a lot (can you tell).  :)  Medhelp.org has a free journal on everyone's profile page.  It's a great resource and it helps you review your situation objectively and identify patterns in your foods, symptoms, medications, bowel habits and pain level.  Hindsight is 20/20 and keeping a log might help you look at things more objectively over the longer term.  Also, if you have to go to the Emergency Room, you can say, this has been the pattern...

You are not alone!  Try to stay positive and reach out for support when you need it.  Talk to your Doctor, family, friends, co-workers, church or social service volunteers or anyone you feel safe with.  

Search yahoo! groups for "Sphincter", you will find quite a few groups.  Both Maddi's and Michele's are worth joining.  There is a lot of great information there that might help you.  Since many of us are relatively house-bound or bedridden, this also provides a much-needed social outlet.

When you do find answers, it would be wonderful if you could update us on your condition.  It gives people on this site hope to hear success stories.

Take care of yourself.  Good luck and Godspeed.  All the best,

Sam