My unhappy sleeve is wearing out this friendship

[alaja957]

Quick summary I had RNY to DS revision on 6/12/12. Everything was going by the book and then I started having trouble swallowing and keeping soft solids down. Dr. Roslin put me on clears to see if the vomiting caused the irritation. Well on Sunday the pain was significantly worse so a quick trip to the ED and all I benefitted from was the fluids. Called Roslin and he sent me to a GI doc in Rochester who performed an upper endoscopy and from what he described my sleeve looks like an hourglass and it was very inflamed. There was strictured closed part of it in the middle but it was open above and below it. He stretched it with the scope but that is really small still. He did not want to cause further inflamation. This was on the 20th. GI doc upped my omeprazole to 40 bid and continue Carafate. Well now the thickest thing I can keep down is a protein shake. I feel like what people describe when their band is too tight. I am calling all my medical providers tomorrow I just did not know if anyone had anything similar happen to them. I am just wondering if I am being to impatient with the healing.

[Deleted]

YIKES how awful . I haven't had any such experience, but I send you huge bags of sympathy.

[Gutless_in_Seattle]

Ouch! I feel for you.
I don't think you're being too impatient at all, a stricture isn't normal. Get in contact with them ASAP! Hopefully they'll get things straightened out soon!

[hilary1617]

Hoping you get this resolved and feel better soon!

[MsVee]

Praying that this is fixed ASAP. Keep your head up. Several members have had complications and issues early out and end up fine. Keep the faith.

MsVee

[larra]

Strictures aren't all that common with the DS, and I suspect this one is due to being a revision. Be that as it may, we know from experience with gastric bypass patients, who have a higher stricture rate, that dilating strictures does work, but often it takes more than one dilation, sometimes several. Hopefully, if/when your GI doc scopes you again, the inflammation will be improved and he'll be able to do another dilation.

Larra

[Girlrocker]

Jul 24, 2012 8:52:09 GMT -5 larra said:

Strictures aren't all that common with the DS, and I suspect this one is due to being a revision. Be that as it may, we know from experience with gastric bypass patients, who have a higher stricture rate, that dilating strictures does work, but often it takes more than one dilation, sometimes several. Hopefully, if/when your GI doc scopes you again, the inflammation will be improved and he'll be able to do another dilation.

Larra

Larra described this quite perfectly. I'm so sorry you are going through this, ow hang in there, some people have had a very bumpy ride early on, healing process much longer. Here's hoping your pain/discomfort/need for treatment is minimal, feel better, and please keep us posted, vent whenever you need to!

[travelingmomoftwo]

Thinking of you honey. Feel free to PM me. Lord knows I'll be laying around soon.

[alaja957]

I am do not in the mood to type out everything that has happened in the last week but the quick story is that I could not keep liquids or solids down so we traveled abou 6 hours to go back to Lennox Hill Hospital. I was dehydrated and further behind in my nutrition that I should be so I was put on TPN, told I needed to go home on it, then they said insurance wouldn't cover it so I was discharged and my picc line was removed faster than you can say wtf just happened? I can keep down small amounts like a spoon full of pb or two of yogurt. But I was not given any discharge instructions. The only thing they found was an inflamed esophagus that had delayed emptying.

[Leonie]

Oh dear!
This is so not good. Have you spoken to Dr Roslin?

I am praying for you right now.

[bearmom]

I'm sorry you are having a bumpy revision. I didn't have the same problem, but did have issues with my sleeve being swollen for a time, and when food wasn't an option, Popsicles were my friend. They kept a trickle of fluids going in, but more importantly the coolness helped with the swelling.

I hope this is resolved for you as soon as possible.

[Shawnie (kouklamonkey)]

Have you talked to Roslin about this? You SHOULD have his instructions on what to eat/drink, a diagnosis, follow-up plan, etc. I'm worried for you. Especially being so far away. You traveled so far... did you even see him?

[alaja957]

I saw him during the week and he ordered the upper GI and endoscopy but he let the gastro enterologists follow me after that. He was home when they discharged me and they called him and he confirmed with his resident that I was to be discharged.

[Paula]

Sorry to hear you are having trouble. I had trouble myself with a recurring stricture that took 3 EGDs to resolve. My GI doc also injected a steroid into the stricture area. My stricture was at the top of my sleeve where esophagus meets the sleeve. Different place than yours, but I guess Id say its similar as it could get. I had my last EGD on the 5th of July to make sure I was open all the way, but I was doing great after my 2nd EGD (which was when the steroid was injected into the area). Im sure the PPI will help with the irritation.

I think it will honestly get better, but I understand fully the frustration you are feeling right now. Im of the honest opinion that our former pouch/now sleeve stomachs go through a hell of a lot during our revision. Just try to do what you can to get down the protein shakes and other fluids while you are working with the GI doc to get this resolved. Best of luck to you and lots of positive thoughts going your way.