ERCP #2 - 2/7/12

My urine is still dark. The whites of my eyes have turned yellow again. There is no relief for the itchy skin which has returned with a vengeance. Today, when I went to the treatment center to restart my chemotherapy, I didn't get beyond the IV bag of steroids before they told me that the results of my liver function numbers were back. The numbers were worse than they were before I had the ERCP. The liver is still failing, which makes it impossible to restart the chemotherapy. Clearly something is not right.

I've been scheduled for a second ERCP on Wednesday. The procedure itself is not that bad. The recovery, however, took longer than I expected from the ERCP that I had last week. My midsection was very sore, making it hard to move around, sleep, sit, or stand. I lost another three pounds because I couldn't eat or drink very much. My throat was also painful from the tubal insertion. A week later and I am just getting back to a feeling of normalcy. I can't imagine going through the recovery process again so soon after the first ERCP. But I have no choice.

The gastroenterologist will check to make sure that the stent that was placed last week is functioning properly. If it's not, he will replace it. If it is, he will place another stent along the bile duct to increase the flow. This has to work. We are running out of time. A poorly functioning liver with extensive tumors has an expiration date of less than six months. My six months started in December. This is February. I'm beginning to feel a sense of urgency, and I don't like that feeling. It's like approaching a looming cut-off time in a marathon or ultramarathon. Will we fix my liver before it craps out on me? I'm praying really, really hard today because for the first time in this journey, I'm scared.