My Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) - the full story!
9:57AM, July 28, 2004 - [ Permalink]
This morning we got up and went out to do some shopping - so we stopped at our usual haunt, Planet Coffee for some apple cider and Chocolate banana bread (yum!) while we read the paper. Once done there, we walked through the market, picking up fresh fruit and vegetables for the next few days.
Monday night around 8pm, I stopped eating and drinking for the ERCP. Tuesday, I got up and did my normal morning things - read the news online, answered email, and had a look at the overnight spam statistics from the server (its getting really scary, folks).
We went out to run errands - off to Canadian Tire and Trailhead to shop for new lifejackets (the old ones are *way* too big), swung by MEC [link] for a some water-proof bags and a quick look-around and then dropped in on a new Mac store in Ottawa (the Mac Group, who sell new and used Macs) as we'll be in the market for a G4 laptop soonish.
Once we were done there, we took a roundabout route to the hospital, and drove into the maze that is Ottawa General's parking lot. With what they charge for parking ($12.50!) there shouldn't be any funding problems at all! We found a spot and began to look for Module "S" on the second floor. Fortunately, we found the information desk who pointed us in the correct direction, indicating that we should stop at a desk to get a hospital card.
The amount of information they have on record is a little freakish and really reminds me just how much 1984 wasn't too far off. The woman there was really friendly and helpful and pointed us in the correct direction to the GI (Gastro Intestinal) unit (Module S) - down the hall and to the right, near the end.
Low and behold, we walked down the colour-coded hallway, at the end, turned right walked a bit more and we arrived at module S, about 20 minutes early for my 1:30 appointment, so I checked in, and Tracey and I sat down with our reading material that we brought with us for the expected wait.
Within a few minutes, my name was called and I wandered to the last room down another hall on the left. I have no idea why there was such a broom-ha-ha when they talked about shutting down the Montford hospital (the only French language hospital in Ontario) - everyone at the General spoke French to me first, and amongst themselves.
The nurse told me to change into a a hospital gown, which I did, and then she came over and then the head nurse came over and put my IV in, and made the error of asking if I had any questions. I think I surprised her with how much I knew about the ERCP, and she didn't have answers to the specific questions I had about that and gallstones. She overhear me mention to the other nurse about how I had passed gallstones and wanted to know what I did, so I explained it and she was impressed - especially when I mentioned the size of the stones I passed (~15mm). She then asked if I had any additional concerns and I told her that I was worried that George Bush might get a second term, which got a laugh from the nurses who where present.
Now I waited for about an hour in the hospital bed, just watching how things were done, listening to the nurses talking.. Just waiting around.
Then I was wheeled down into the radiology department where I waited around some more, watching people coming and going. You'd be surprised how many sick people there are in a hospital, and how many people break bones. Perhaps its something in the water. :-/
After about twenty minutes, my specialist doctor, Dr Gregoire, came over and walked me into a special room where they did the procedure. I was introduced to everyone including another doctor who would be operating the endoscope (unfortunately I didn't catch his name) but he was wearing a heavy-looking coat that I imagine was lead-lined. I asked it it was and he indicated that it was and said that he thought it was rather fashionable. I commented that the Nehru collar was a bit high, but that it could probably be fixed. One of the nurses asked if I had been given the drugs yet, and we laughed. They had me lie down on my stomach with my right arm above my head and my left one at my side.
He sprayed the back of my throat with a freezing agent to dull my gag reflect, then they injected some demerol (meperidine) [link] as well as something akin to valium (not really sure why), put an appliance in my mouth to protect my teeth and took my glasses off.
I don't clearly remember the endoscope going in - well, I remember gagging a few times, but I remember everything else relatively clearly though. I spent what felt like a long time trying to get the nurse at my head's attention because I wanted my glasses back so I could watch what was going on on the monitors. Eventually she caught on to what I wanted (its surprisingly difficult to speak when there is an endoscope in your mouth), and put my glasses on. My insides were interesting to see, well, for me they were. Its too bad I couldn't get a souvenir VHS copy of the procedure. ;-) They explained what they were doing and what they were looking for. It was really, really strange to be able to feel them poking around inside my belly. Everything went really smoothly and there were no stones in my bile duct.
I was moved back into the first room so they could keep on me for half an hour before I was discharged. I asked if they could get Tracey and a few minutes later she appeared. A half hour passed and my blood pressure and heart rate were fine, so they sent me home with instructions to only have clear fluids (fortunately, they approved apple cider) a list of things to watch out for - bloody vomit and other things that would make you go to the hospital anyways.
Overall, it was a good experience. Everyone was friendly enough, answered my questions and was smart enough to say "I don't know" when they didn't. My throat is a little sore, but that is supposed to pass in a day or so.
I was a bit groggy for the rest of the day and a bit slow, but so far today, I feel fine. Now that I'm done this rather long entry, I'm going to go have some fresh-from-the-market strawberries (yum!).
