[Jill]

Okay, I've read a bit about them. People have talked about them. But I'm not sure I'm completely clear on exactly what they are and what I should be ready to look for? Can someone provide a good description? Surgery is just around the corner and I want to be prepared!

[Kenyar]

this is actually a great idea! i've never had one ( i dont think). and wouldnt know even if i did. so i hope someone comes on to explain/ describe.

[fr1endly2]

OKAY well I didnt have one but this is what i know.
THE symptoms usually are vomitting...nothing stays down
even water comes back up....here i copied this from a post
put up elsewhere on the board by DOCSANAE:



Think of this as an over-reaction of your body trying to heal.
The surgeon opened a hole in your stomach to connect your bypass, so the body is very naturally going to try to close the opening, as it isn't "natural" for an opening to be there. Most times, since the intestine itself is a hollow tube, the fact that the opening is stapled to something that won't try to close, is enough to keep it open, but on occasions, when the inflammation is strong, or you have a stronger tendency than average to heal, strictures can happen. Eventually, the tissue on the pouch's side of the opening (stoma) will "solidify" and once it's settled, strictures shouldn't happen, unless you get ulcers in the vicinity of your stoma, in which case, strictures can be caused as a result of the body trying to heal the ulcers.
It doesn't happen because of something you did, so you don't have to worry about doing something wrong to cause it, so long as you don't stimulate your pouch a lot very early out, when the healing process is still very active.

HOPE THIS HELPS YA!

[Jill]

Thanks -- it sounds scary! It also sounds like some of the symptoms Boots is exhibiting. I hope she sees her doctor soon.

[MsVickie]

Thank you Lisa honey. I have to ask what she means by stimulating the pouch.

[fr1endly2]

hard to tell just yet..
it can be a stomach virus, she may have not chewe an item well that got stuck
and vomitting might have jarred it out. WHEN you get foo stuck everything you
eat afterwards comes up and yes a stricture may be starting too.

TIME can only tell and if it continues im sure her surgeon will have her in for a scope to see whats going on.
IT gets confuseing and i am hearing the stomach bugs are going
around i had a few out in my daycare over the last weeks with one!

USUALLY the duration helps a surgeon determine whats going on ...a virus
will last 24 to 48 houts but a stricture will continue.
SOUNDS like BOOTS belly is settling down and it might have
been a virus. I know for me the best way i knew it was bugs
was when another family memeber started getting ill seven to ten
days later or one of my kids had one too !

[LittleLisaMarie]

What Is a Stricture?
The lower esophagus can open to the size of a quarter or wider. When recurrent inflammation occurs in the esophagus, scarring develops, underlying tissues become fibrous, and the opening narrows. In advanced cases, this narrowing, or stricture, can be severe. The opening may be reduced to the size of a pencil or even smaller. Food and fluid are delayed and only move slowly across the opening into the stomach. A large piece of food, such as meat, may completely block the esophagus. As mentioned, cancer can narrow the esophagus in the same way. Therefore, it is critical that the physician rule out this diagnosis.
Treatment
The physician can use a variety of methods to gently but forcefully open, or dilate, a stricture. Dilatation is often performed in conjunction with an upper endoscopy exam. one of the following dilatation methods may be used:

Bougie -- A series of increasingly larger, soft rubber or plastic dilators are moved across the stricture, gently opening it.
Guided wire -- A thin wire, placed across the stricture, is used to guide increasingly wider dilators over it. Balloons -- Different types of sausage-shaped balloons can be placed across the stricture. The balloon is sharply inflated to open the narrowed area.

The physician chooses the type of dilatation that is most appropriate for each patient.
Are There Any Alternatives to Dilatation?
The only alternative to dilatation for opening a stricture is surgery. It is recommended only in the most extreme cases and when dilatation fails.
Complications
With dilatation, minimal bleeding almost always occurs, although it is rarely excessive or serious. A rare, but serious, complication is a perforation, or tearing, of the esophagus. This causes increasing pain after the procedure and may require surgery to correct. Summary
Esophagitis usually can be treated easily with a conservative program of medical care. When scarring becomes severe, a stricture can occur. This condition can be treated by simple dilatation. While complications can occur, they are uncommon. Most patients obtain complete relief of their swallowing problems. By working with the physician, the correct program can be developed for each patient.

LittleLisaMarie

[bren]

I had a a sticture at about 2-3 months out and it was a hard diagnosis at first the surgeon thought it might be a ucler but when the meds didn't help they were able to do a scope and repair at the same time and everything was OK for me.. I was lucky in the fact it took only one scope/repair to fix sometimes it takes more tries

[Kenyar]

wait so this only happends at the bottom? not at the top?

[bren]

Not sure what you mean by top and bottom