I had a pill camera exam in 2009 to see if I had Crohn's the test didn't show anything but the camera got stuck in my j-pouch. I didn't know I had retained the camera until 2014 when I had an flex-sig to look inside the pouch, I had been feeling ill off and on for several months/years... there was a perforation after the exam and I had to have emergency surgery where they created a temporary loop ostomy. There was also a section of GI above the j-pouch that had become distended. My new surgeon doesn't believe that this was caused by the pill camera but by Crohns. He has tried to look for the camera but cannot find it with scope. I am worried that the biocompatible plastic that the camera is made of was not meant to be inside the gut this long. And now for the last few months I have had the j-pouch act up again - it is not connected to the rest of the GI but there is continuous mucus discharge coming out, I feel my system is trying to flush this thing out but can't. Really worried! What should I do? Is it okay for this thing to be inside of me for this long? And what possible long term damage could this do? Would really appreciate some advice...
Pill Camera stuck since 2009
- Thread starter joelsmith
- Start date
Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:
No. Its still in there. I had an x-ray last year that showed it was still in the j-pouch. My surgeon at this point feels that I have had too many procedures and that giving my system a break might be the smart thing to do. There isn't any digestive matter passing through the j-pouch so I can kind of understand that it isn't an emergency but I'm worried about this thing being inside for 7 years. Like I mentioned the pill is made of biocompatible plastic but how long can that plastic withstand inside the body? Thats what is worrying me. And until 2014 the pill was among the digestive enzymes and acids...
He dosent think it is doing me harm, but I don't think he's dealt with this kind of thing before. I mean, usually they find it a few months to maybe a couple years later but it is way past that point. And I have tried to press the question but he doesn't seem to be concerned about it at this point. And still this thing is sitting inside me, and I'm not feeling well, and I don't have piece of mind with it.
Do they know for certain it is still in you? I am guessing a scan would see it right? In my opinion anything that is not natural to your body could definitely cause you symptoms since it does not belong there. The body will do things in order to try and alert your system to get rid of it ( i.e cause inflammation, infection, pain etc..).
