Within the past year, I have been diagnosed with a condition known as bile duct strictures. When the doctor told me the news, I had so many questions running through my head, such as: What are bile ducts? What do they do? Is there treatment? Will my condition get better over time? While I received answers for some of my questions, there were many more left unanswered. I decided to find some of the answers for myself.
In order to understand the problems bile duct diseases can cause, you first have to understand what bile ducts are and what they do. Bile ducts could be described as the drainage pipes of the human body. These pipes expand and contract as a substance known as bile, a combination of cholesterol, acids, salts, and waste, is transported from the liver to the gallbladder and from there into the small intestine. While these pipes may seem insignificant, they are essential in order for our digestive system to work as it should.
There are many diseases that can hinder the bile ducts from doing their job, but the conditions often have the same symptoms. These symptoms include skin yellowing, itching, light brown urine, fatigue, loss of weight, fever, limited appetite, and abdominal pain (especially when focused on the right side just below the ribcage). The symptoms may be experienced at different levels of severity by different people. These symptoms may be seen when the bile ducts are blocked and the body has created more waste than it can handle, or the organs connected to the bile ducts are not receiving the nutrients they need in order to remain healthy.
There are several different problems that can cause the bile ducts to become blocked. Bile duct problems are more prominent in patients who, like me, have already had their gall bladder removed. It is possible for a gall stone or gall stones to have escaped from the diseased gall bladder and become lodged in the gall bladder. Another possibility includes the presence of scar tissue in the bile duct, which keeps it from expanding and contracting as it should. There are also other conditions which may affect the bile ducts that may be more serious.
When the doctor suspects that you may have problems with your bile ducts, you will most likely be sent to a type of specialist known as a gastroenterologist. A gastroenterologist is a type of doctor that specializes in diseases in the gastrointestinal tract. They will run tests that are necessary for the diagnosis of the problem. These tests may include the following: several types of blood tests, an ultrasound of the abdomen, a computed tomography (CT) scan, a magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI), a cholangiography (a type of x-ray), a biopsy of the liver, or an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). An ERCP, which is what I had, consists of a small camera on a cord being inserted through your mouth and snaked down your throat, through your stomach, and into your bile ducts. Several types of treatment can be done using this probe, such as sphincterotomy (cutting the muscle), stent placement or balloon dilation (used to enlarge a narrowing in the duct), removal of trapped gall stones, or removal of tissue samples.
Even when your gastrointestinal problems and abdominal pain may seem intolerable, I am living proof that things will get better. If you have some of the symptoms listed above and have yet to contact your doctor, you should do so immediately. If you have more questions about your diagnosis, you should talk to your gastroenterologist and ask them to clarify further.
