Stricture or hernia...oh my

[NYJenn 1,463]

Eating and drinking over the past month has gotten progressively harder. I saw my team today who predict I either have a stricture or a hernia. I have an upper GI scheduled for the day after Christmas. I have had a super easy recovery and this has really put me in a rotten mood. Everything I eat or drink ends up being vomited up or dry heaved. My throat is raw from repeatedly throwing up and I’m nauseous all the time. I’m a miserable mess right now. I could use some encouragement, esp from someone who has gone through this. Thanks

[nomorefattypatty 329]

Eating and drinking over the past month has gotten progressively harder. I saw my team today who predict I either have a stricture or a hernia. I have an upper GI scheduled for the day after Christmas. I have had a super easy recovery and this has really put me in a rotten mood. Everything I eat or drink ends up being vomited up or dry heaved. My throat is raw from repeatedly throwing up and I’m nauseous all the time. I’m a miserable mess right now. I could use some encouragement, esp from someone who has gone through this. Thanks

I'm having the same trouble I was sleeved on 6 21 2017, lost weight really well but started having problems with food and acid reflux coming up from my esophagus and burns my windpipe so badly I had to use my rescue inhaler just to breathe normally. I had an upper endoscopy and they found a small hiatel hernia. So they had me do another endoscopy and there is no room for them to go in just to fix it. Do now they are going to revise me to the bypass, and I'm waiting for the insurance company to approve it, shouldn't take too long.

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[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

@NYJenn You were doing so well. I'm sorry you're going through this.

Edited December 12, 2018 by Orchids&Dragons

[catwoman7 11,212]

I had two strictures - one at four weeks out and the other at about eight weeks out. What you're describing sounds pretty much like my experience. It was an easy fix - if it's a stricture, they'll just stretch it out during the endoscopy and you'll feel about a million times better afterward.

[NYJenn 1,463]

18 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

I had two strictures - one at four weeks out and the other at about eight weeks out. What you're describing sounds pretty much like my experience. It was an easy fix - if it's a stricture, they'll just stretch it out during the endoscopy and you'll feel about a million times better afterward.

Do they put you under for the endoscopy? I'm a little nervous

[catwoman7 11,212]

5 minutes ago, NYJenn said:

Do they put you under for the endoscopy? I'm a little nervous

yes - they do. I wasn't aware and didn't feel a thing!

[NYJenn 1,463]

2 minutes ago, catwoman7 said:

yes - they do. I wasn't aware and didn't feel a thing!

That's a relief. One more question...I am having a REALLY hard time keeping any fluids down. Like if I get 20 oz of Water in per day, that's good. I'm getting really dizzy and felt like I was going to pass out about an hour ago. Should I go to the ER? What do I do? How am I going to get fluids in? My upper Gi isn't until December 26

[Frustr8 7,886]

Okay, just like an old firehouse who heard the bell and tries to put her own bridle on, here I am. I have had 7 endoscopies in my life , 1 transnasally, the other 6 standard route through the 👄 mouth. I believe that might qualify me as a lay witness if not a near pro. So ask Auntie Frustr8 anything you want!
I was asleep for all but one. Even that time it was not one tad scary.
Normally they spray the back of your throat with a numbing novacaine type spray. You gargle it for a designated amount of time and then swallow it down. And you feel it numbing as it goes down. I equate it like an icicle going down but not choaky. Okay I am a Buckeye born and bred, a sports geek, an only child so not only was I Mama's little Angel Princess, I was Daddy's Tomboy Fishing and Hunting sidekick. So I mentally hum the first 6-8 bars of Buckeye Battle Cry in my head, that way I'm concentrating. on 🎶 music instead of the taste which isn't world class wonderful. The you lay down on your left side, and they put a mouth gag in, well that is its name but not all that big, the ones I had done at KCH, my local community hospital, were kind of black and big, whereas at OSU they were smaller and clear white, maybe an inch to 1.5 across, basically to just keep you from biting the fiberoptic tube, they give you sedation through the IV and you're smoothly asleep, when you wake back up, it's over, doesn't take very long, if you have someone skillful like my Dr Noria you won't even get a sore throat or anything.
Now for the one when I didn't go to sleep. I should state I have red hair, the color is called strawberry Golden Blonde, on bottles but,mine is natural. Okay redheads need a higher dose than brunettes and the rest of sedation, somebody miscalculated. We went through the usual drill, the steps I cited above, one of the helpers, Anesthesia or a junior surgeon? Anyway after stretching out on my left side, the voice said" You'll be dropping off to sleep but I DIDN'T. Now I could not actually feel the tube go down, wasn't panicked , figured I would doze off any minute so I watched it in the monitor just like Dr Noria did, she was standing in front,of my table about hip height or lower and at a 30% angle to the table. Now I am kind of a medical geek, requested to be awake for my colonoscopy before, so this was like YouTube only better, because it was ME. Now I did feel the tube as she extracted it, rather a swoosh sensation, about like the sensation you would feel at a gentle dentist office visit. She removed my mouth gag and said. "You can wake her up now!" I rolled onto my back and announced " I've been awake the whole time" other doctors looked at me like I dreamed it. Dr Noria looked abashed for a second and then said "I guess I don't have to tell you what I found" Nope I saw the ulcerations also. Not one drop Scary Larry for me, I was honored got to see it all! But I requested the next time I be given enough to doze off, it had been a Bear of a Week, had a traumatic few days of relocating and moving, and I honestly needed the relaxation, I had not been sleeping well, and I didn't even want to irritate my Precious Pouch with even mild acetaminophen. But if you're the 1 in a million occurance I was, it is Not A Bad thing.
sugar free POPSICLES helped me boost up my Fluid intakes, use your baby clear medicine cup, use a teaspoon to drip more down. Yes a bag of IV fluid, even 2 if necessary, you feel like you have a new lease on life. Just remember what goes in once you get it in, will need to come out, so stay close to nearby plumbing.
And you will be having your upper GI on my birthday and I will want know how things go, I have a repeat one on December 28 myself. Relax kid, you will do fine!

[Frustr8 7,886]

Firehorse🐎, now that I have started on my Weight loss I'm not as big as a House🏡ANYMORE!

[catwoman7 11,212]

2 hours ago, NYJenn said:

That's a relief. One more question...I am having a REALLY hard time keeping any fluids down. Like if I get 20 oz of Water in per day, that's good. I'm getting really dizzy and felt like I was going to pass out about an hour ago. Should I go to the ER? What do I do? How am I going to get fluids in? My upper Gi isn't until December 26

all I can say is, when I could tell that I had stricture #2 (I knew the symptoms the second time around!!), they told me if I couldn't keep food down, not to worry about it too much, but if it got to the point that I couldn't keep liquids down, either, to call them and they'd get me in ASAP. You can live without food for a few days - but not Fluid. Since you can keep *some* fluid down, I'm not sure what to tell you. I'd call someone - your surgeon or, if she/he isn't available, the ER, and see what they recommend.

[NYJenn 1,463]

Back at the doctor today. I can barely keep Water down now. They don’t seem terribly concerned either. Total waste of time. I’m beyond aggravated. They are going to TRY to get me in for the upper GI on Monday; I just have to wait around for a call Monday morning. Hello? I have to work, take care on my kids and possibly have some kind of life!!! I can’t just lay around all weekend and do nothing, attempting to drink water and continually throwing up. Ugh

[Sweettoothless 100]

Can you go to a different ER? I'm not medically inclined but it seems to me that not holding liquids down is an emergency.

[Frustr8 7,886]

At the very least You will get dehydrated, a definate ER type emergency , visit your nearest one tout suite, present yourself, let THEM straighten the rest out. When I have got down , it takes 1and maybe 2 before I am better.

[NYJenn 1,463]

Thanks ladies, I have been able to keep some Gatorade down today. Literally drinking out of a tiny medicine cup. Trying to hold off on the Er, I know it’ll be hours and hours and I don’t want to, but I will if I can’t keep Water down. 🤞🏻

[mousecat88 2,280]

My first 2-3 weeks I only got in 10-20oz a day. I kept telling everyone I felt horrible and was dizzy, but my labs were normal so they didn't give me fluids. I'm 6.5 weeks now and still averaging 40-50. Today I only had 30oz. They don't seem to give fluids if your electrolytes and kidneys are totally fine. I dunno...

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