Did anyone ever get stoma stretched?

[Starfish23 24]

Hey all. 3 weeks out post bypass. I had the sleeve 3 years ago and developed GERD. Dr suggested converting to bypass. Would immediately go away. Woohoo. NOT !!! I can’t keep anything down except liquids and baby food. Not even cottage cheese. I can’t even keep my Protonix in. It feels like if I have anything with a little substance it gets stuck. After that there is no drinking or anything. Then I get the foamies and slime, throw up everything and then I’m ok. It’s a ritual now. I went to the doctors and he said the opening is about the size of a dime and that’s how it’s supposed to be. For real? If I can’t fit a pill down my throat how my ever going to get food down there? I definitely do not meet any requirements for Water and Protein. That’s for sure. I saw somewhere on this site about somebody having their opening stretched through an endoscopy. I didn’t pay much attention to it then but I wish I did. Has anyone had that done? I have full on regrets about having this conversion from sleeve to bypass done. Has engine leaks experienced this and does the stuck feeling go away?

[Starfish23 24]

Haha. Last line auto correct!! **Has anyone else experienced this .....

[mhysteik 7]

I am 7 years out RNY, and just recently was hospitalized with what they called a Gastric outlet obstruction. They did a Cat Scan and it showed that my stomach had distended quite a bit and that it showed a obstruction.

What I found interesting was that I had dryed heaved over and over all night long before going finally dragging myself in, to only hear them say the stomach was distended with food in it. How weird it wouldn't come up.

Anyways, I will be having a scope this tomorrow and they will be looking at stretching the stoma........ will have to follow up on that later

[RickM 1,747]

Talk to your surgeon about this. When my wife and I first started looking into WLS about fifteen years ago, having to have the stoma dilated was getting to be so common that it was no longer considered to be a "complication" but almost SOP. I'm not sure how things are today and if the rates have changed much, but it used to be relatively common.

If it is indeed dime sized, that should pass most things. How did the doc determine that it was dime sized? Did he do an endoscopy, or otherwise image it, or just tell you that's what it is based upon what he normally does in surgery? If he just told you that without measuring it somehow, then you may just have more inflammation than average that is impeding things, and it will resolve itself, but he should have told you that if that is the case.

[Starfish23 24]

RichM. The doctor told me that they leave an opening approximate size of a dime so any swelling on top of that would close the whole pretty much and that’s what’s happening to me. Was in the ER last night with dehydration they let me out this morning. My doctor told me to go to the Gastro doctor and he will have to stretch the stoma by inserting a balloon through an endoscopy. As of right now I feel like it’s about 90% close because even Water doesn’t get through. It will sit there until I throw it up

[Starfish23 24]

Good luck mhysteik!