Stricture Dilation

[Creepy Lurker]

So, in an attempt to avoid surgery, I'm going to try having my strictures dilated. Has anyone else had this? What were your experiences/results?

 

[Creepy Lurker]

Nope.

* Balloon goes in through scope.
* Inflate.
* Wait for two minutes.
* Deflate.
* Move to next section.
* Repeat.

Sounds fun. I'll be heavily sedated, but still have to be conscious.

 

[My Butt Hurts]

Sounds like it might work - I'd try it to avoid surgery.
I think Jeff actually say he does it himself (location near exit obviously).

 

[Creepy Lurker]

Well, it's a out-patient thing, so rather than ending up in hospital for a week with time off for recovery (I don't think they do laparoscopic surgery for Crohn's on the NHS), I'll be in and out in a day.

Don't have to go through nasty prep for this either. I can get away with a liquid diet and enema instead.

 

[Creepy Lurker]

About a month. I need to be stable before they can do it.

 

[Creepy Lurker]

Yup. Metronidazole again. It works pretty well for me. Defiantly better than high dose steroids.

 

[Jeff D.]

Yes I have to do them myself because I have a stricture in my rectum I put on a glove and have to shove a finger up there and open it up some. The only bad thing is that the few days afterwords I don't have as of control.

 

[Creepy Lurker]

Well, my stricture is in the proximal transverse of the large intestine, so I think that one is out.

My GI tells me that, although it may need repeating once or twice, it should be a long-term fix.

 

[Jeff D.]

I have to dilate myself every few weeks but I have never had the balloon so that could be why.

 

[My Butt Hurts]

You really would be in deep caca if you tried to dialate yourself up to your illeum, Pen. Get it?

 

[mommy1st]

I had dilation done before, between surgeries. It worked well for awhile, they actually did it while I was under for a colonoscopy in the hospital. I would say that the results lasted for about a year but then I had surgery. So good luck.

 

[Creepy Lurker]

I had dilation done before, between surgeries. It worked well for awhile, they actually did it while I was under for a colonoscopy in the hospital. I would say that the results lasted for about a year but then I had surgery. So good luck.

A year is better than nothing I suppose. The thing that puts me off the most is having to be (semi)concious during the procedure. I'm told it will be 'uncomfortable' but not too bad.

 

[mommy1st]

Honestly I don't remember a thing from it and mine was almost completely closed when they did it. I wasn't sedated just heavily medicated so that I wouldn't remember, so I didn't feel any pain.

 

[danman]

I had this option, but other complications have overtaken me now, so I'm having surgery.

It sounded risky enough when it was explained to me, but he did say he didn't know how far down the bowel the stricture went, so that complicated matters.

Good luck with it and let us know how it went.

 

[Creepy Lurker]

Well, my consultant said that as the bowel wall is considerably thickened (as most people with CD will have), there is a much smaller chance of rupture than ordinary people would have.

 

[GregD]

When I had surgery last year, which removed a few feet of small intestine, the surgeon also performed strictureplasty (balloon dialation) on a few feet of intestine that was diseased, but not bad enough to remove. It's been about a year now and my recent scope showed that that part of my intestine is still in remission.

It definitely seems like it is worth trying before having a major operation.

-Greg

 

[Creepy Lurker]

Well, this all happens tomorrow so I'm bumping this thread up. I'll try to post after it's over, but I'll have been heavily sedated so I can't promise anything.

 

[Agent X20]

Good luck, creepy!
Try and post anyway.
I phoned up work shortly after my operation, when I was full of morphine... I believe I was talking about elephants or something... can't remember if they were pink or not!

 

[My Butt Hurts]

Good luck CreepyL!!
Really, if there's anything that you've wanted to say but been afraid to, then would be the time to do it. All pumped up on morphine or whatever can be a good excuse.

 

[CookieCat]

Good luck Creepy. Know we haven't 'met' much on here yet, but I've seen you lurking around LOL. Just wanted to say that I'll be thinking of you too - the dilation sounds unpleasant but if it gets results it will be worth it hey?
Take care.

 

[GoJohnnyGo]

It's a bit like having the Roto-Rooter man coming by. Hopefully your sewer pipes get cleaned out properly, Creepy.

 

[catfud]

hey creepy hope this went well for you

 

[soupdragon69]

Hey Creepy,

Hope everything went well by the time you come back to us...

Thinking of you.. ((hugs))

 

[MINI Cooper]

Let us know how it goes, thinking of you!

 

[Creepy Lurker]

Well, I'm really tired because of the drugs, but everything went well.

They couldn't dilate the stricture as much as they wanted in one go, so I've got to repeat it in January.

I'll hopefully see some improvement in the next few days.

Thanks for the support everyone

 

[Creepy Lurker]

Quick update:

I was a bit concerned for a while as everything seemed to have ground to a complete halt. Not what I was expecting.

Turns out that not eating solid food for 4 days pretty much shuts down the digestive system.

Things have started moving along now, and I have noticed a definite improvement. Not perfect, but I wasn't expecting that. The January repeat should hopefully have a more substantial effect.

 

[schnicken]

Not sure if Creepy is still around, but I'm off to do this procedure on Wednesday! Prep is like basic colonoscopy prep and I will be okay to go about my usual life after.

Curious to know about this more.

 

[Creepy Lurker]

Yes, I'm still about.

The procedure itself is nothing to worry about. No worse than a standard colonoscopy. You sort of feel something when they inflate the balloon, but it isn't painful. You'll be pretty high on sedatives at the time anyway

I got some relief for a while, but another flare up got in the way. I'm having infliximab (remicade) treatment to try to avoid surgery. Hopefully I'll be able to try dilatation again in the future.

Good luck on Wednesday!

 

[schnicken]

Thank you Creepy. I'm pretty lucky in that my flares are not huge, so perhaps this will improve the small pains I have with larger bm's. I normally feel nothing during my scopies and this was the same. Now to return to eating and see if this helps any.

Thanks again