I'm just 4 weeks post surgery and having loads of pouch pressure and nausea. Can no longer tolerate liquids or purees. Unfortunately they can't do an endoscopy because my pouch is still healing. Guess they have to wait 6 to 8 weeks post surgery to do an endoscopy so they sent me to have some sort of barium study. Waiting at the hospital now.

Does anyone know if a stricture will show up on a barium test? What can they do for a stricture if they can't do an endoscopy? Do I just have to suffer for another month? Ugh!

Don't worry , I'm the Endoscopy Kid, had 11 lifetime now. I had an endoscopy exactly 6 weeks after surgery, I told them 2 weeks in there WAS SOMETHING WRONG. And I got poo-pooed, I was inpatient, I wasn't giving myself a chance to heal, I didn't know what I was speaking of. Acted like I was feeding their Dear Granny Poison.
Finally , I suspect to try to shut me up, an EGJ was scheduled. See as kangaroos with pouches out duodenum can no longer be visualized. When I woke back up afterwards, Dr Noria, my surgeon's partner shook my hand. Admitted ,yes Frustr8, you were correct and we were wrong. There is definitely something going on. I had 2 ulcers within my pouch, the opening was structured to the point only liquids were getting through and those at slow rate. And I had 5 evil-looking ulcers in the back wall of my jejunem, and we are still fighting the battle to get better. I was so bad the 28th of November I got rehospitaluzed, I had dropped 15 pounds the wrong way, dehydrated and protein anemic. So they interceded, the next day I received a PICC line and received 12 hours daily of TPN, this insured a sufficient amount of protein coming in,more than I could ingest, and it gave my beleagured g.I. system a chance to heal. Had it for 3 months, just when I had got used to its limitations they took it away. I actually cried because I feared I'd regress again. But I am still chugging along, losing 2 pounds a week, now at 224, sounds like a lot to many people but I started 365+, so it's a Dream coming true for me. Maybe in a couple or 3 months I might go into Onederland, can you understand how thrilled I'll be when there is a 1 beginning my weight?
When you have your endoscopy, and I would say from what you describe, you'll be a candidate. They will attempt to stretch that opening, if you are not on Carafate they will start it. I take it 6am,noon, 6pm, midnight, my Medicare part D drugplan are cheap cheap cheap. Thanks to Silver Scripts I get the big white horse pills to dissolve in warm water and drink down the slurry. About as appealing as flour paste, it comes also in a liquid but that's not budget efficent, so they sit in Phoenix Arizona and snicker at me. One of my problems is my stricture does not like being stretched so it won't retain an enlarged opening. So we keep retrying, I think they should stent it open but I'm only the patient and not the doctor. You know how that goes.
Not sure if barium will show it, although it is pretty heavy. Sure hope you get answers, but I'm almost within reach of my smartphone at all times. If you need to talk more,just pull my chain. Like the Hunchback of Norte Dame, I almost always aswer the chime or bell! Love and prayers?Frustr8

Don't worry , I'm the Endoscopy Kid, had 11 lifetime now. I had an endoscopy exactly 6 weeks after surgery, I told them 2 weeks in there WAS SOMETHING WRONG. And I got poo-pooed, I was inpatient, I wasn't giving myself a chance to heal, I didn't know what I was speaking of. Acted like I was feeding their Dear Granny Poison.
Finally , I suspect to try to shut me up, an EGJ was scheduled. See as kangaroos with pouches out duodenum can no longer be visualized. When I woke back up afterwards, Dr Noria, my surgeon's partner shook my hand. Admitted ,yes Frustr8, you were correct and we were wrong. There is definitely something going on. I had 2 ulcers within my pouch, the opening was structured to the point only liquids were getting through and those at slow rate. And I had 5 evil-looking ulcers in the back wall of my jejunem, and we are still fighting the battle to get better. I was so bad the 28th of November I got rehospitaluzed, I had dropped 15 pounds the wrong way, dehydrated and Protein anemic. So they interceded, the next day I received a PICC line and received 12 hours daily of TPN, this insured a sufficient amount of protein coming in,more than I could ingest, and it gave my beleagured g.I. system a chance to heal. Had it for 3 months, just when I had got used to its limitations they took it away. I actually cried because I feared I'd regress again. But I am still chugging along, losing 2 pounds a week, now at 224, sounds like a lot to many people but I started 365+, so it's a Dream coming true for me. Maybe in a couple or 3 months I might go into Onederland, can you understand how thrilled I'll be when there is a 1 beginning my weight?
When you have your endoscopy, and I would say from what you describe, you'll be a candidate. They will attempt to stretch that opening, if you are not on Carafate they will start it. I take it 6am,noon, 6pm, midnight, my Medicare part D drugplan are cheap cheap cheap. Thanks to Silver Scripts I get the big white horse pills to dissolve in warm Water and drink down the slurry. About as appealing as flour paste, it comes also in a liquid but that's not budget efficent, so they sit in Phoenix Arizona and snicker at me. One of my problems is my stricture does not like being stretched so it won't retain an enlarged opening. So we keep retrying, I think they should stent it open but I'm only the patient and not the doctor. You know how that goes.
Not sure if barium will show it, although it is pretty heavy. Sure hope you get answers, but I'm almost within reach of my smartphone at all times. If you need to talk more,just pull my chain. Like the Hunchback of Norte Dame, I almost always aswer the chime or bell! Love and prayers[emoji120]Frustr8

Hi, Frustr8!!

Thanks for your post. Well, I had the study done and it does not appear to be a stricture but a spasm clamping my anastomosis shut and preventing anything from getting thru. It spasms, which causes massive reflux, then opens up a bit and some liquid gets thru, then it snaps shut again like a snapping turtle!!
I am waiting for my surgeon to call me to tell me what we're going to do about this problem. I've never heard of such a thing!! Maybe I should call my pouch "turtle"!!

Update. It is a stricture. Having an endoscopy to stretch it on Tuesday.

1 hour ago, Briswife15 said:

Update. It is a stricture. Having an endoscopy to stretch it on Tuesday.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Hope all goes smoothly on Tuesday!

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Hope all goes smoothly on Tuesday!

Thank you!! I've joined ranks with Frustr8!! I'm trying to have a peaceful spirit about it.

Frustr8, If you see this I sent you a PM.

They did an endoscopy on me 2 weeks out because of a suspected ulcer. The endoscopy shouldn't hurt anything...

I think it is the balloon dilation they have to be careful with. Could damage my healing pouch. We'll see today how it goes!