The more I experience the effects of my bile/pancreatic ducts the more I’m able to manage it without having to go in to Emergency or surgical procedures.
Back in October, as I wrote about, I had three different procedures to deal with my pancreatic issues. In the end, after much deliberation, my GI doc did an interesting but much needed placement of a stent within the existing stent. And it worked.
In January my lipase levels were up to 684 but I had minimal pain so we played a wait and see game. After only two weeks the lipase levels dropped without any intervention. Seems whatever impediment in the duct had moved along and another moment of learning was had.
Two weeks ago I had a fever of 38.4, which usually means a blocked duct so I called the Oncologist on call (it was a weekend evening) and we decided to put me on antibiotics. This quick action again kept me out of the hospital.
But the most interesting discovery was that both the stent that was put in close to two years ago and then refurbished with a second stent within the original stent, had migrated out of the duct and was no longer in my body. Guess I pooped it out.
So now the question is ‘what do we do now?’
The decision was to take another wait and see approach.
Last night the back pain, bloating and gas returned so I’ve gone into the hospital to get blood work taken. I suspect I’ll have elevated lipase levels and that we’ll take another wait and see approach. If a fever comes I will have antibiotics at the ready, if it gets worse I’ll most likely go in for an ERCP.
Back in the day I would have gone into Emergency, and either I’d be started on an IV of antibiotics or I’d go in for surgery. Today I feel like we know all the steps to stay out of trouble but are keenly aware that if it escalates we can go directly into surgery knowing we have exhausted all possibilities.
For anyone dealing with a disease I highly recommend you keep records of all activities so that you too can have better control over the system and your place in it.
Stay tuned.