I've had Crohn's for 45 years, since I was 13. I had a major resection when I was 19 The Ileum was removed and connected to the large bowel- 3.5 feet. In 2007 I had developed a stricture that had been ballooned a few times but was down to a passage of less than a quarter inch in diameter due to constant ulceration and scar tissue. I had it repaired with a better hook up technique. No problems except diarrhoea-to the point of not being able to travel outside of the city. I had had my gallbladder out in the 90's so also suffered from bile salt diarrhoea. Recently I found a thread saying Calcium would help bile salt diarrhoea. I've been taking Calcium Carbonate 600mg with Vit D (NO Magnesium) for two months and definitely see an improvement. For the past two weeks, I upped it to twice a day..it was too constipating at first to take that much..I have a life again. I haven't had such normal BM's since I was a kid. I wanted to share this in case others have been struggling with this problem.
After your stricture repair
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Hi mongrl,
I too have been having ballooning done every 4-6 weeks because of having an iliocolic resection too.I can I couldn't eat since my opening was so small and drank and still do drink Peptamen which is costing me a fortune. I eat a little after the ballooning but nothing exciting and then the opening shrinks again. How did you actually have it repaired with a better hook up? What's it called? What should I ask the doctor?
Thanks so much in advance and sharing
Babs.
I too have been having ballooning done every 4-6 weeks because of having an iliocolic resection too.I can I couldn't eat since my opening was so small and drank and still do drink Peptamen which is costing me a fortune. I eat a little after the ballooning but nothing exciting and then the opening shrinks again. How did you actually have it repaired with a better hook up? What's it called? What should I ask the doctor?
Thanks so much in advance and sharing
Babs.
Hi Babs 
I requested a different surgeon as the one doing the ballooning wasn't in a hurry to give me a permanent fix. The initial resection was like a pinkie finger to a thumb end to end. The new surgeon proposed a side by side resection, no technical name that I know of. This is how he explained it--If you hold your pinkie against the thumb of the other hand with the fingernail of the thumb to the second joint on the pinkie you will understand the procedure. The two sections are joined with a hole where they touch each other. It was a success from the first day. No more pain
Recently I've tried Lodalis for the diahorrea and it is far better than the calcium that I was using. It is a bile acid sequesterant. I had headaches from Questran and tonsil stones from so much calcium.
I requested a different surgeon as the one doing the ballooning wasn't in a hurry to give me a permanent fix. The initial resection was like a pinkie finger to a thumb end to end. The new surgeon proposed a side by side resection, no technical name that I know of. This is how he explained it--If you hold your pinkie against the thumb of the other hand with the fingernail of the thumb to the second joint on the pinkie you will understand the procedure. The two sections are joined with a hole where they touch each other. It was a success from the first day. No more pain Recently I've tried Lodalis for the diahorrea and it is far better than the calcium that I was using. It is a bile acid sequesterant. I had headaches from Questran and tonsil stones from so much calcium.
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