We left for the hospital today and I'm not sure about Brian but I was so filled with faith that we were going to leave with answers and with results and be able to finally move on. 4 hours later, we left again disappointed and with Brian in more pain than he was when he arrived.
Today he had an ERCP which is kinda like the the Endoscope he had last week but this time they go into the bile ducts and pancreas area. We knew it would be more invasive and we knew there were more risks involved but we needed answers. In the last few days, Brian's been feeling better. Not amazing or even great but better- sometimes even much better and very much able to function. My theory on this great new world of "functioning" was that perhaps he had stones trapped in his bile ducts but now they were starting to break down and pass and therfore, some of the pain would be eleviated. I just knew the doctors were going to go in there and find enough stones to fill Alaric's marble jar. They just had to, right?
Nope! They found nothing. Yup, that's what I said- NOTHING! They did do a proceedure though- a sphincterotomy. The cut and opened up the sphincter ( or opening) where the bile duct connects with the small intenstines. The hope was that by opening up the area some, any increase of bile or sludge or any stones can pass easily and not be as terribly painful. When they went into his common bile duct, they also inflated a small balloon and then slowly pulled back out of the duct in the hopes of dragging any stones, sludge, or bile with it and kinda "cleaning" out the area. The doctor said that many people who have gall bladder issues ( increase in bile, sludge, and stones) commonly have irritation in the bile ducts from this . Because of that, sometimes that irritation over time can cause scar tissue which can form around the sphincter and cause a narrowing of the ducts. The doc hopes that by increasing the opening and cleaning out the bile duct, Brian will have a fresh start and begin to feel better soon.
The proceedure was tougher than the last. This time, we was on his belly . The nurse told me that many young people, especially men have a tendency to have the urge during the proceedure to push up and move. Because this is so invasive, laying still and staying asleep is so important. The nurse said Bri kept pushing up and would not settle in. She had to wrestle with him to get him to stay still and they had to give him 3 times the sedative to keep him under.
So, when he came back to recovery and was in a very deep sleep and had partial oxygen and was unable to communicate at all, I was shocked ( i expected him to be in the silly drunk-like state he was in after his endoscope/colonoscopy). It took him a very long time to wake up and he was unable to even talk for alot longer. Even know, 9 hours later- he is still very groggy and asking questions that I have answered a dozen times already- its been a bit scary.
I asked if my theory could be correct and he said "yes, it could be however I can't prove it as there were no stones to see" So- who knows, darn it!
His pain got worse, hitting almost a 10 on the scale of pain when he got home. He wanted to throw up and was still very out of it. I was very concerned about pancreatitis. He took a pain pill and was passed out within minutes. Now, a few hours later, he's still in pain- still uncomfortable but not as sick as he was.
He's hurting, he's frustrated, and he just wants to feel better.
We pray that he'll begin to feel better soon and that this ERCP, the sphincterotomy and the little "clean-out" will make a difference. It has to!
Please continue to pray for Brian and his health. I was hoping we could close this chapter of this crazy health crisis today but it looks like we may have a bit longer journey ahead of us.
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