Ulcer?

[affy304 2]

I’m about 10 days post op revision VSG to RNY and everything that hits my stomach burns or makes me cramp. I have pain that radiates up into my left shoulder (not gas or a leak- I had an upper GI this past week) Not long after I have major diarrhea. My surgeon put me on carafate + the protonix I was already taking. He said my stomach was super inflamed. Do you think that sounds like symptoms of an ulcer and how long after treatment did it take for you all to feel normal???? Also, what foods/liquids were you able to take in? I need some reassurance here.

[FluffyChix 17,415]

Ok, so this is getting so weird!!! Sorry for your struggles! ((hugs)) I "think" I know EXACTLY what you are describing.

I'm now seeing 2 people with this same thing that it felt like I had! I just had surgery about 3 weeks ago for a sudden internal hernia and twisted small intestine. They had to go in and physically touch and inspect every inch of my bowel before putting it back into my "gut sac". And the bowel doesn't like that. It causes it to "shut down" or go to sleep. And it caused what was termed an "incomplete ileus" which is kinda synonymous with a partial bowel obstruction.

My symptoms (that were seen on CT scan and dx'd as a partial ileus/bowel obstruction) were kinda like yours. Everything that went down my piehole caused TERRIBLE nightmare cramping, pressure in my esophagus, shoulder pain, and Big D with terrible odor!! My tummy gurgled and boiled like "look out Big D is headin down the tracks". But it wouldn't necessarily cause me to go immediately. But when it came, it was sudden, and prolific and could happen 10-12 times per day.

So I started treating it with raw sauerkraut juice (you should ask your doc if you can have that cuz it's acidic), kefir, yogurt with live cultures, and probiotic pills (you can sprinkle them in smoothies). And then follow your diet progression. Now after 3 weeks, my intestines are finally getting back to normal! Woooh! Big relief. No more pain, no more cramps, no more huge Big D's.

I do take a 40mg of ppi that I empty from the capsule onto a spoon of unsweetened granny smith applesauce. And I avoid any kind of drug that slows down the intestines.

Hope that helps you!!!

[RickM 1,750]

By an "upper GI" do you mean a procedure where you swallow some contrast and they look at how things flow through you with an x-ray machine, or an endoscopy where they sedate you and run a camera down your throat and take a look around inside? If it was an endoscopy, then they should see any ulcers (at least those within the new digestive tract, which is where they most commonly would be with a bypass, but not in the bypassed remnant stomach) but with the contrast imaging, they may or may not be able to diagnose an ulcer.