Stricture

[oakbay 1]

I’m about 2.5 weeks post op and think I have a stricture. A week before, I could eat a bit of egg or yogurt, take my necessary medication without issue. About 6 days ago, I started vomiting up everything after I tried to eat, it immediately came back up. I now struggle with even liquids and by the end of day, I have the foamies that roll out of me

My surgeon is going to do a another scope on Monday to see what’s going on, and possibly an upper GI. My question is, has this happened to you? Have you had a positive outcome? I had the gastric sleeve, not really interested in a modification of surgery Am I in for a long road to recovery and relapse of a stricture. I am regretting this so much

[Briswife15 889]

Yes, I have a very severe stricture. I just had an endoscopy on Tuesday to try to start the stretching process. The opening is so narrow it was the size of a pin hole! Hope you don't have one!!

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[Briswife15 889]

Ps. There are a few other bypassers with strictures too. Frustr8 and Steven1954.

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[oakbay 1]

There’s a stretching process? I was hoping it was a one time thing. I’m getting dehydrated and in the hospital every other day for fluids

[Briswife15 889]

Depending on how severe, it can take 1, 2, 3 times or more to try to get the anastomosis to the correct size. Frustr8 and Steven1954 had like 6 dilations. Actually, because of the way sleeves are done compared to RNY gastric bypass, I wasn't aware that sleevers hot strictures! Shows you what I know!! [emoji39] mine is probably going to take at least 3 dilations

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[Briswife15 889]

I should add that I feel better after my first dilation

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[oakbay 1]

Saw my surgeon yesterday and it was a stricture. He stretched it and today I do feel better, except a sore throat. I am so hoping this does the trick. He said if it doesn’t, I’ll need to go to the hospital and put under general anesthesia to have a more aggressive stretch I have to fly here so I’m hoping I won’t have to come back for another surgery. But at this point, I’ll do anything to be able to eat. I haven’t had any food in e my night before surgery. I am so weak

[Briswife15 889]

Sorry to hear, but glad you got it taken care of. My stricture closed up again after just a few days and I have a repeat endoscopy Friday. I think mine will take quite a few tries. They do mine under general anesthesia. I've been on liquids for 6 weeks...

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[Frustr8 7,886]

Hey oakbay, it's Frustr8, how are you doing now? I have had I think 13 endoscopies, first one my ENT did transnasaly, we kind of b tricked my insurance on that. See I had a pretty severe pre-aurical cyst, right in front of my right ear opening, this kooky anomaly runs in my family through my daddy. His never gave him a moment's trouble, both my daughter and I had flare-ups where it would get infected, gather into a boil type thing and then skin would break, and pus would come out. I know TMI, too much info but there is a reason I'm relating this. My daughter had to have her one, we both had pinholes on both ears,only one flared, but she was only 5 years old.c Mine I kept longer, clear into late adulthood, okay at this time July of 2014, I had a pretty bad flare. United Healthcare which I had at this time,regarded such cyst removal, even if I had a chance to develop septicemnia as purely cosmetic, just a vanity surgery. But they would cover an Endoscopy happily. So offically that's what it was billed as.
The next one was done June 2015. as a follow-up to acute pancreatitis. And the last in my home town was done December 2017 as part of my pre- surgical testing with different specialities. I. am told I had another one during my RNY surgery,by Dr Needleman , guess he wanted to make sure I had not changed anatomically from the previous one, I must have passed because I did get my surgery, those were my EGDs, subsequent to bypass surgery , the duodenum can no longer be visualized. So from then on they are technically EGJ, the surgical endoscopies look now at your jejunem. So the rest of them started October 12, 2018, a month and week after my RNY. Attempts are made each time to stretch and dilate the opening, my pouch was so inflamed and had 3 ulcers present next to the opening which was shrunk to a tiny pinhole opening. First 2 were 2 weeks apart, and then at slightly longer intervals, but on November 28th I was so inflamed still and the 5 ulcers on the back wall of the small intestine looked much worse, although I had been taking Carafate every 6 hours around the clock since October 12. And I ended up with a PICC line, being fed for 12 hours daily through my vein in the upper left arm, my testing showed I was malnourished and protein- anemic , although I had been trying hard to do things correctly I was vomiting more than digesting food and using the nutrients. And I had this PICC intracath for 3 months. The month after it was terminated I lost 30 pounds, that made up for what I missed losing while on the TPN. So each time they tried it seemed to snap back shut. On the last one, April 12th , she put in her notes she felt she had stretched it enough that good could pass through, my diet would not have to be liquid or pureed, okay maybe that day things were fine but I have lost meals 4 of the last 6 days, if there is any joy there it is that I vomit so quickly there is no nasty odor to what comes up. And when I awaken in the morning I am still nauseous until maybe 10 AM, then I can start drinking fluids 2- 3 oz every 15 minutes, Good thing I am retired ,I could not do this and work at Wally World. And I still have pain, the pouch , the last little bit of my sternum and 2-3 iches below, usually feels like a clenched fist, and right subcostal pain which is my, pesky jejunal ulceration. I was told last clinic visit May 1st, we will do one more endoscopy, tenatively scheduled June to Early July, they believe the pouch has decreased in redness, but the 5 nasty evil intestinal ulcers remain. At that time ( I think 8 to 5 odds) more surgical intervention of another kind is done. But,i have lost 140 pounds from my highest weight,84 or 95 pounds since my September surgery, gone from a 28-30 W to a 20, ready to drop into an 18, where clothes selections improve dramatically. So that is Lovely Lovely Lovely but a heck of a way to get there!