Self-pay with stricture, need advice

[BarrySue 602]

I'm nearly 11 weeks post op, and gradually over the last several weeks I've been losing the ability to tolerate food, have nausea and gagging after even a few bites of food, and don't want to eat anything at all. My doctor believes it is a stricture, but I was a self-pay surgery, so everything is out of pocket and I can't afford the diagnostic test to confirm, nor the dilation procedure. It isn't an emergency, so I can't simply get it done and work something out with the bill later. As a student living off a stipend, I had to borrow the money for the procedure as is, so I'm stuck until I get my tax return.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with strictures here (the chronic ones that develop 2-3 months post op, not the acute sort right after surgery), and what their experiences were both before and after it was treated (if it was treated at all). One person told me "you're so lucky, now you'll lose weight fast," but going from an overeater to a chronically malnourished, vitamin-deficient, hairless, toothless mess isn't a very good trade off.

Any fellow sleevers who were part of that unlucky 3.5%?

[Daisee68 2,493]

​I am a bypass patient but I had a stricture that developed same time frame. It was awful. By the time we figured it out, it was because I hadn't held ANYTHING in for 4 days. When they did the first procedure, I had only a tiny pin hole left open so nothing was going down. As the day went on, food / Fluid built up in to my esophagus and it had to come back up. I had 2 balloon dilations about a week apart and I feel so much better now! Do you have any insurance at all? I was always told any "Complications" would be considered covered by insurance. I wonder if you go to a GI specialist, if the insurance would consider it differently than procedure from bariatric surgeon?

As far as losing weight faster, clearly that person did not have a stricture. it is horrible and being malnourished is a real possibility and awful.

[Yaberhoo 358]

I don't see why your insurance wouldn't cover the stricture even though you self paid. That's like not covering a broken leg from a roller skating issue. You self paid for the roller skates, the break is a possible complication, it gets repaired. Or a more medical example, you take a new Vitamin and have a reaction. The Vitamin wasn't prescribed or covered by the insurance company and the fall out is. Stricture is life threatening. GET. IT. CHECKED.

[BarrySue 602]

Thanks for sharing, ladies. I will not have medical insurance until January, but knowing they may cover the procedure helps. Until that time, I am on my own.

Edited September 27, 2015 by BarrySue

[danigirl3 4]

I am 3 months post op and have a stricture and am super scared. I am going in to have the balloon dilation tomorrow. It sounds like you had it done. Is it a serious procedure and how will I feel after. Did they tell you it might not work and you would have to have a gastric bypass?