Cholangitis

Question: Cholangitis? The liver Cholangitis is a disease that happened to Walter Payton, a NFL football player. Can someone plz tell me the symptoms of this disease.

Answer: Cholangitis means inflammation of the bile ducts. Is it Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis? If so, here's some info: Definition of Primary sclerosing cholangitis Primary sclerosing cholangitis: A chronic disorder of the liver in which the ducts carrying bile from the liver to the intestine, and often the ducts carrying bile within the liver, become inflamed, thickened, scarred (sclerotic), and obstructed. This relentlessly progressive process can in time destroy the bile ducts and lead to cirrhosis. Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) can occur by itself or in association with other diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, especially with ulcerative colitis; certain uncommon diseases, such as multifocal fibrosclerosis syndrome, Riedel's struma, and pseudotumor of the orbit; and AIDS. Changes in the biliary tract are quite common in AIDS and very similar to those in PSC; however, in AIDS the changes in the biliary tract are probably due to infection with mycoplasma, cytomegalovirus, or other agents. PSC often triggers jaundice (yellowing), pruritus (generalized itching all over the body), upper abdominal pain, and infection. Later on, PSC progresses to cirrhosis of the liver and liver failure, creating a need for liver transplantation. Diagnosis is by clinical observation and routine laboratory tests, and is confirmed by demonstration of thickened bile ducts using special radiologic tests called cholangiography. Treatment includes cholestyramine to diminish itching, antibiotics for infection, vitamin D and calcium to prevent bone loss (osteoporosis), sometimes balloon dilatation or surgery for obstructed ducts, and liver transplantation when necessary and possible. Prognosis depends on the age of the person, degree of jaundice, the stage of PSC found via liver biopsy, and the size of the spleen. Most patients die within 10 years of diagnosis unless a liver transplant is performed. Also known as idiopathic sclerosing cholangitis.

Question: My wife has been diagnosed with ascending cholangitis while pregnant. Will the baby survive? She's being treated with antibiotics and is responding to them. The doctor doesn't think surgery will be needed. I received a very vague answer about the survival rate the baby. Basically a wait and see. Does anyone know if the baby is likely to survive? I can't get any information out of these people! She's currently 15 weeks and 2 days pregnant.

Answer: I really don't know, keep asking the doctor that is treating her, if he keeps being flaky find another doctor you can ask.

Question: I have autoimmune cholangitis, does anyone have any information to help me?

Answer: I am very sorry to hear this... The name you gave me is rather vague, so I am going ot make a guess... Most likely you have primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). PCS is a is a form of cholangitis due to an autoimmune reaction. Meaning, PCS leads to cholestasis (blockage of bile transport to the gut). The reason for concern is that blockage of the bile duct leads to accumulation of bile, which damages the liver, leading to jaundice and eventually causes liver failure. As far as treatment, unfortunately we do not know much about it right yet. Meaning, the reason for the autoimmune response is unknown, but suspected to be genetic in origin. The main treatment focus is on protecting the liver and preventing its failure. In extreme cases, a liver transplant is needed... Good Luck and I Hope this Helps... And please take care of yourself...

Question: causes for obstructive jaundice(distal CBD obstruction) secondary to choledocholithias with cholangitis? is it due to CBD stone removal done once before and later on with laporoscopic cholecystectomy done? the ERCP reads- papilla: evidence of previous sphincterotomy with lot of purulent discharge. Cholangiogram: Gb-Post cholecystectomy status.

Answer: no one knows exactly. Sounds like the patient had a blown open sphincter of Odi (the papilla), this may have been done at ERCP, or from stone passing "naturally", or from the lap cholecystectomy. Sphincterotomies are routine, and are thought to open the papilla to allow stones to exit more easily. If only a simple cholecystectomy, then a stone may have been left. If they explored thh CBD, they may have injured it, or pushed a stone into the pancreas, or frankly, missed another stone. There very well be no way to answer the question, ever. This is an issue that will trouble surgeons for decades.

Question: Boys please help me with this. I need your help. What would you do if this happened to you? I have arthritis, sclerosing cholangitis and ulcerative colitis and have to use a wheelchair sometimes. I'm kind of scared that if a boy does ask me out, and we're still together in the winter months, what would happen if he saw me in my wheelchair? I don't know what boys think, but some people changed their minds about me when they found out that I use a wheelchair. What would you do?

Answer: Hun if someone doesn't want to be with you because you have a wheelchair then they don't deserve you. They need to look at your personality! Don't go for someone who can't look past your wheelchair, you will find someone who loves you for you!! Good luck hun! Stay strong and keep positive! Don't be embarrassed okay!?

Question: can surgeon refuse choledocho-duodenostomy for medicaid coverage? My friend,85 years old man in good health condition, has recurrent stones in bile duct.The first time ,he was suffered from sepsis due to cholangitis with stone .4 months later,his gall bladder was removed .One more year later,he was perfomed stone removement by ERCP,This time,2 more years later,he is found to have bile duct stone,and diveticulums in his bile duct around sphyincter area.What kind of treatment is best ? Can a surgeon refuse choledocho-duodenostomy for medicaid coverage? Is there any way to get proper treatment? can his friends pay surgeon enough fee for compesation?

Answer: A physician is not required to provide service to a patient if they don't want to. Medicaid reimbursements are very low, and I know a number of physicians who do not accept Medicaid. If the surgeon does generally accept Medicaid, then he is not permitted to accept extra money to perform the surgery. Insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid contracts specifiy exactly what the doctor will be paid for covered services - physicians are not permitted to charge more or less. If the doctor is not a medicaid provider, than you do have the right to pay him out of pocket for the surgery because he has not signed a Medicaid contract.

Question: About ulcerative colitis? Which extraintestinal manifestation of ulcerative colitis doesnot improve after colectomy: 1-pyoderma gangrinosum 2-erythema nodosum 3-sclerosing cholangitis 4-arthritis 5-iridocyclitis

Answer: hello peri, i am a crohn's pt. which is a type of IBD like ulcerative colitis. Once you have a total colectomy and permanent ileostomy, you are considered cured with no need for medications any more. Folks with Crohn's are more prone to the 5 symptoms you mentioned as well as recurrence at the surgical site. For more accurate info check out the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's site. They have a live chat and a hotline that is run by healthcare experts during the week as well as an open forum where folks w/IBD can post questions to others in the same situation. hope this helps.

Question: I think I'm going to kill myself... Help please? I'm 13 years old. I have Primary sclerosing cholangitis, Crohn's disease, Restless Leg Syndrome, and a number of other things. My brother teases me about these things, trying to insult me all the time. It seems that no one cares for me. I don't go to school anymore, i am often awake till 4 AM. Life feels so hopeless. I've told my parents, they don't really do anything... My brother has told me to kill myself before... He doesn't care about me.... Please people, keep answering. Please... I need more answers,,,, My brother hates me, my parents are annoyed at me because i keep attacking my little brother... I think my family would be better off without me. I told my brother how i feel and he just laughed... It so frustrating!!!

Answer: call 911.

Question: Bile duct blockage? My mom went into the hospital last Fri. Her symptoms were jaundice, stomach and back pain and very dark urine. She was found to have stones in her gallbladder. It was also thought that she may have a stone blocking a duct. After testing there was no stone but suspicious narrowing of the bile duct leading out of the liver. A stint was placed, but Doc's are worried because her levels (I believe of billirubin) are not coming down as quickly as they would like. She had a scope procedure during which they took a "brushing" of the inside of the duct. Doc's have not gotten the result of that test yet. We are concerned because the Doc suggested that my mother go to the Univ. of Philly for further testing. We are in Scranton PA. Docs say that it is not Sclerosing Cholangitis, but they are trying to rule out cancer. Any opinions out there? We are so worried. My mom is 67. Could anything else cause this blockage or narrowing?

Answer: Cholangitis is an inflammation of the common duct, and it may also be caused by a bacterial infectin that has crept back up from the small intestine. It may also be the result of the gallstones themselves, and was futher irritated by the surgical procedure itself. There are other tests that can shed better light on the situation, things like endoscopy that a doctor can do to check out the duct from where it enters the small intestine. That is something that really does require a specialist, one that probably isn't available there where you are. If they can't locate a blockage, the next most likely treatment will be antibiotics to clear up a possible infection in the duct system. She probably has either a primary or secondary biliary cirrhosis, which can happen when the duct has been blocked or narrowed and inflammed for some time. It's not unusual to see that in a patient that has had gallstones for some time before the surgery was performed. I think it would be a good idea to see the specialists down in Philly, if for no other reason than to save your sanity. Given your mom's age, and most recent troubles, it's more than like she has just reacted poorly to the gallstones and procedures and it will clear up given antibiotics and time for healing. But I'm not an expert by any means, and still think it would be a good idea to consult one down at U of Philly. Used to live down in Tobyhanna myself- and if I or a member of my family had a problem, that's where we would head.

Question: Liver Detox - Do you know of a good one? Would anyone know of a good Liver Detox or Cleanse that you would recommend. I have been surfing the web and have gone to my Natural Food store and they have some but I really want to hear from someone that has actually completed a cleanse and how you felt during and afterwords. BTW - I have a bad liver due to a birth defect of my GI track and I keep getting Cholangitis which is a Liver infection in the Bile ducts. Oh and I have had a Whipple procedure done in '01 which removed the function in my Common Bile duct to keep bacteria from entering from the small intestine.. gross huh. Anyway I am going all Natural, Organic, no perfumes, no drinking etc. and want to detox my liver at least twice a year. Any suggestions??

Answer: Milk Thistle is a great liver detox. Oral anabolic steroids are liver toxic and milk thistle is a great way to keep the liver in good order. This link is for 200mg tablets, but I use 1000mg tabs. No side effects at all. Liv.52 is another good option too.