- Joined
- Nov 14, 2008
- Messages
- 152
Hey all
I am in hospital and have been for a week getting TPN and lipids because I've been malnourished as I have not been able to eat much since late Feb. I was looking at surgery to widen strictures in my bowel. This surgery was to be tomorrow.
I had a scope done yesterday to check out a bad stricture in my duodenum. It was narrowed to a 2mm hole, and the stricture itself was only a few mm long but was preventing my stomach from emptying.
So yesterday it was decided to try the balloon dilation as a possible alternative to surgery, or at least not have to operate on that area as it is a hard spot to operate on. So today they did the dilation and managed to open it to 9mm. The balloon can go to 15mm but they decided to stop at 9 where the goal was 6-7mm. The balloon breaks the fibers in the scar tissue. I may have to get it done again in a couple of days to widen it some more, and again in a few months perhaps if it closes off again. But there was nothing to the procedure especially when you're sedated!
So tonight I had a full-liquid meal and later a donut and tea. Tomorrow I'll try full meals and see how it goes. The past few weeks I have been able to get a good breakfast into me but anything beyond that was stuffing myself even at supper time as my breakfast was still working its way through.
I may still need surgery for narrowings further down my bowel around a past resected site but no one is sure if that is causing problems as well or if its just that stricture in my duodenum.
Anyway, if you can get balloon dilation done as a Plan A to surgery, then its worth a shot. I am hoping it works for me.
I am in hospital and have been for a week getting TPN and lipids because I've been malnourished as I have not been able to eat much since late Feb. I was looking at surgery to widen strictures in my bowel. This surgery was to be tomorrow.
I had a scope done yesterday to check out a bad stricture in my duodenum. It was narrowed to a 2mm hole, and the stricture itself was only a few mm long but was preventing my stomach from emptying.
So yesterday it was decided to try the balloon dilation as a possible alternative to surgery, or at least not have to operate on that area as it is a hard spot to operate on. So today they did the dilation and managed to open it to 9mm. The balloon can go to 15mm but they decided to stop at 9 where the goal was 6-7mm. The balloon breaks the fibers in the scar tissue. I may have to get it done again in a couple of days to widen it some more, and again in a few months perhaps if it closes off again. But there was nothing to the procedure especially when you're sedated!
So tonight I had a full-liquid meal and later a donut and tea. Tomorrow I'll try full meals and see how it goes. The past few weeks I have been able to get a good breakfast into me but anything beyond that was stuffing myself even at supper time as my breakfast was still working its way through.
I may still need surgery for narrowings further down my bowel around a past resected site but no one is sure if that is causing problems as well or if its just that stricture in my duodenum.
Anyway, if you can get balloon dilation done as a Plan A to surgery, then its worth a shot. I am hoping it works for me.
