Ok everyone I am home and well not quite as yellow as yesterday.

[Andy_Stephenson]

I had the ERCP yesterday and the GI doctor found no stones in my Gallbladder or Bile duct. However, the bile duct had collapsed and he had to insert a shunt to keep it open and the bile flowing. I will have to return in 2 weeks to have the shunt removed and hope that the duct stays open. The collapse in of itself is wierd...he said it mainly happens in pregnant women not healthy 43 year old men. Go figure. I told him I did not think I was pregnant...but he ran a test to see just in case. :0

Other than feeling like I have been kicked in the gut and a slight sore throat I am fine. Eve the whites of my eyes are clearing up this morning and I should only be yellow for another day or so. I am real glad I did not have anything too serious wrong...I was really worried about pancreatic cancer for the last couple of days. Now all I have to do is figure out why the bile duct collapsed. The doc was real perplexed as to why it did that as well. He said there was literally no bile whatsoever flowing. SO I am sort of on the mend...my mind is coming back and I don't feel like I am in a haze.

I plan on resting this weekend seeing the doc again on Monday...then Tuesday I have a speech an to give. I was really worried I was not going to be able to give it but now....yay I can! Thanks to all of you here that have sent me well wishes prayer and donations...I know in my heart it made the difference. Your support and kindness have meant so much to me and reinforces my faith in the goodness of people. I am ready now to continue the fight...out of action for 3 weeks is way too long for me.

Love Y'all,
Andy

[asjr]

1. Glad to hear you are better and

on the mend. Welcome back!

[Fridays Child]

2. This is great news, Andy! So glad to hear you're mending, now.

:hug:

[MelissaB]

3. Wonderful news, Andy!

Take care of yourself! I'm so glad things are going well for you.

BTW, I love the new avatar. :)

[Helga Scow Stern]

47. I love your avatar, MelissaB,

and Andy's too. It's not everyday we get to have things sexed up around here.

[punpirate]

4. Sounds as if you might be on the mend...

... that's very good. Obstructed bile duct, as I mentioned earlier (didn't think of it collapsing, though--that's weird). Have you been spending too much time hunched over a computer lately?

Best wishes, Andy. Mend well.

[Andy_Stephenson]

6. Would that do it you think?

"too much time hunched over a computer"

If so...I need to get out more.

[punpirate]

10. Dunno...

... but more exercise (walking, etc.) might help.

How would I know for sure? I spend too much time hunched over the computer m'self. :) But, I do walk a bit.

The collapsed duct, though, is pretty rare, and you don't fit the profile. But, if you think about the incidence in pregnant women, for example, it's probably due to some sort of crowding, pushing, etc. Not enough room for everything. Can't think of how that would occur in a normally healthy young male except for being in a cramped position for too long a stretch for too long a period.

When you feel better, get out and walk a bit more. That will help prevent it from happening again. That's my guess.

On edit, I would also say that I can't guess about the extent to which stress may be implicated in this. You've had more than your share in the last weeks and months, and that may have been a factor in this problem of yours. Exercise can help with that, as well.

Very glad to hear you're doing better, in any event.

Cheers, Andy.

[mike_c]

5. aww, quit yer malingering and get back to work....

Great news, Andy. :toast:

[Cooley Hurd]

7. Good to hear, Andy!

Keep your spirits up, get good rest and come out swinging on Tuesday!:thumbsup:

[KaryninMiami]

8. Back to bed now sweetie....

You can continue the fight tomorrow. We need you healthy and strong please. Glad the yellow is fading - soon you can rejoin the rest of us in the orange revolution! But for now, rest, eat healthy food and drink lots of water (to flush out those toxins from the surgery) and relax your brain for a while.

(Too bad about not being pregnant- we could have made a fortune with that!).

Sending love from the other side of the country...

(Talk to you soon)


K

[BeFree]

9. Glad to hear you ain't pregnant

Collapsed tube, eh? Too much pressure on that spot? Maybe some yoga stretches would help? Then again, you have been holding back some stuff in the outside world,eh?... some folks think some illnesses are caused by internalizing outside world problems.

Think positive, Andy, and search for pent-up things inside of you, and mentally delete them from your operating system.

Here's thinking of you, kid. <grin>

[NC_Nurse]

11. Great news!

I'm so glad you're on the mend! I don't know why your duct collapsed, but I'm glad they found the problem and fixed it. Take good care of yourself and don't overdo it. :)

[flyarm]

12. HI ANDY!! WELCOME BACK...GLAD YOU ARE AOK!!

now take it easy ..they always make women take it easy for a couple weeks after that proceedure..and don't lift anything heavy...give your gut time to heal..and calm down!!
you will have bloating and gas high in your chest...don't worry its not a heart attack..its just the gas they blow you up with to see stuff inside!!

thank god its nothing terrible and serious( meaning life altering ) ..but you will have to watch your bile duct...hopefully the shunt will do its job...you'll prob have to watch what you eat for awhile...but thats livable!!

you are a rich man with all your friends..the paper stuff does not make us rich in life..its the love we get from others that makes us rich or poor....you are rich indeed!!

sending love through the wires...and take care of yourself..be kind to your body right now...and let it heal!!


sleep..its the best cure-all!!

sending lots of hugs and lots of love!!

fly:hug: :hug: :hug: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

[havocmom]

13. Thanks for bringing a big smile to my face!

Andy, SOOOO glad to hear you are on the mend! Take time to heal and get your spunky back!

[papau]

14. Glad to see you are back home - and things sound better! :-)

:toast:

:-)

[coffeenap]

15. YAY!!!! Much love and good wishes from D and me. n/t

P.S. D got flamed on another thread yesterday--man, people can be mean--I think I'll stay right here.

[greatauntoftriplets]

16. I am so glad that yesterday's procedure is over...

and that you are on the mend.

[all.of.me]

17. welcome home, andy!

i am so glad it wasn't more serious. i hope you can find out why the duct collapsed and how it can be prevented in the future (if that's even possible!).

rest up, my friend. you are needed.

[helderheid]

18. I am SO glad you're ok!

Thank goodness!

[bettyellen]

19. you may not have a bun in the oven, but you do have a little something

in your inbox.
hope you enjoy. and i'm so happy for you.
see, everything is getting better.

[hootinholler]

20. Rest well and return ready. NT

[New Earth]

21. good to hear Andy

i'm glad you got everything done and checked out - i think it's all gonna be fine. :) :hug:

does this mean you will stop posting pics of sausages and get back to voting rights issues :shrug: :hi:

[Wilms]

22. That's relieving (no pun intended) news, Andy!

But I still think you should lay off the enchiladas for awhile. :eyes:

[Andy_Stephenson]

23. Agreed...

but in this case it was spagetti.

[Kip Humphrey]

24. Good to hear you are moBILE once more!

From noBILE to moBILE, welcome back Andy, to the land of the fully functional!

[Catamount]

25. Great News, enjoy your off-time!!!!!:P

[bush_is_wacko]

26. Nice to hear Andy! And please take it easy. Results of PG test? LOL!

[Andy_Stephenson]

27. No bun in the oven

Thank GOD....last thing I need is a baby hanging on my coattail.

[goodboy]

28. I talked to Andy briefly yesterday, and he told me he was on the way to

the hospital to have his gall-bladder out. Anyone know anything more?

[jen4clark]

29. Healing white light heading your way ----->

Dear Andy,

I'm new to posting at DU but have heard about you and now after reading the last few posts regarding your physical health I'm quite concerned about you. I hope you will consider alternative therapies at some point. I know you are in the middle of treatment and I understand how important it is to stick to it.

Also, I don't mean to sound like anything other than very concerned, but wonder if you have been checked for any type of obscure poisoning? I think with all the connections here at DU, if enough are aware of your various symptoms, maybe someone would come up with something that would cause those symptoms. Some things will not show in blood tests unless they are specifically looked for. I hope and pray this is not the case, but I do so worry about people like you Andy, out there fighting for all of us and our country against a corrupt, evil regime who has stopped at nothing in the past...

If western medicine fails at some point to be helping you I would like to suggest finding a credible homeopathic doctor to work with. Also, there are several chiropractors (and perhaps physical therapists as well) who specialize in visceral manipulation. It is a very gentle, non-obtrusive technique of moving your "guts" around, clearing blockages, untwisting kinks - they can do amazing things!! I experienced it personally and it literally changed my life. I was diagnosed with colic and irritable bowel syndrone at different times, but nothing the western medical doctors did helped (except the morphine when I would end up in the hospital! lol!).

Anyways Andy, my thouhts, prayers and generous rays of healing white light pour out to you and I hope you're feeling some better even right now!!!

Thank you for giving so much of your life and time and energy to fighting the good fight!!

much love, jen

[thinkingwoman]

30. good news!

take care and keep getting well!

[rumpel]

31. I'm so glad you are on your way to recouperate now. Take it easy.

[loudsue]

32. YAY, ANDY!!! So glad you're ok!!

:hug: Please take it easy for a couple of days, and get plenty of rest, and drink LOTS & LOTS of water! Flush all that nasty stuff out of your system!!

I'm so glad you're on the mend!!

:loveya:

:kick::kick::kick:

[DU GrovelBot]

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This week is our first quarter 2005 fund drive. Democratic
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your support.

[katinmn]

34. Glad to hear you are on the mend!

It must be a huge relief to know that it isn't cancer, too.

It's the not knowing and the waiting for tests that can be so frightening. Sorry you had to go through that.

Looking forward to working with you on election reform. We really need you.

:hug:

[nashville_brook]

35. i am soooo glad you are feeling better.

i had medicinal hep from a medical mistake (and then pancreatitis from my ERCP) and when you finally see the other side of being liver sick, it's a wonderful thing!

many blessings.

[suffragette]

36. so glad to hear you're on the mend

Hmm, PG test.
Now I have visions of little red-headed Andy Jr's lobbying in the halls of Congress. :D
I know it's hard for you, but get the rest you need to get well.

[BamaBecky]

37. I hope all goes well with the healing & the speech! We care! n/t

[Melissa G]

38. Glad you are feeling better!

:grouphug:

[crispini]

39. Glad you're doing better!

:hug:

[trayfoot]

40. This is surely great and Welcome news!

Glad you are on the mend, Andy! Will keep you in my prayers!

[Freebird12004]

41. Great news ~ Andy

:thumbsup:

[sepia_steel]

42. Wow that's odd Andy, but glad things are okay!!

Good luck with our speech and as always we're on your side.

[harmonyguy]

43. Hey, even the Grovel-bot stopped-by to wish you well !!

Although I think he was looking for green rather than yellow....

Hope things get better for you real fast.
Try and take it easy there, pal - at least for a little while.
HG;-)

[Lugnut]

44. Nice to see you!

I hope you're now on the road to recovering. :)

Thank you for all you do.

[KaliTracy]

45. Glad to hear things are getting better! Try to not jump back into the

fray without lots of water, fresh vegetables, water and sleep. Meaning, get more than 5 hours of shuteye a night, you hear? Ok -- no more nagging, I'm so relieved that problem was not anything major. Do take care.

Deep Peace.

[meganmonkey]

46. Yay Andy, Good news!

Welcome back, we've missed you!

:hi:

[Senator]

48. Special Care on Speech Day, Andy

Hey Trooper

I know nothing can stop you from making the speech, but KEEP IN MIND (all that day) that thinking, planning, and natural nervousness about things like public speaking are ALL physical activities.

They can drain you even more than hard physical work.

You must force yourself to do the simple things like sitting as often (and for as long) as possible, drinking enough liquids, stretching neck and shoulder muscles, etc...

Also, being very early can reduce stress greatly.

Best of Luck
-----

[MadisonProgressive]

49. I'm relieved!

Great news and get well soon!

[seaclyr]

50. Glad you're getting better Andy!

[FogerRox]

51. Wait ---I thought Andy went in for Gall stones--now he is pregnant?

[davidgmills]

52. Does anyone see the connection

Between Diebold and bile obstruction?

Get rid of Diebold, Andy, and I think youll be OK.

[FogerRox]

53. LOL yeah