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Strictureplasty

Fri, January 22, 2010 9:15 AM

StrictureplastyI have a second opinion in a couple of weeks with Dr. M in New York for a strictureplasty. I have four strictures. The surgeon I saw in D.C. (where I live) said that typically in a surgery, one of the strictures cant be repaired by a strictureplasty and he has to do a small resection for that one which did not thrill me. Has that happened to other people? Im wondering if that will be the case with Dr. M as well. How many days did you stay in the hospital for a strictureplasty? The D.C. surgeon told me 6 days. Also, any other input or advice regarding a strictureplasty would be appreciated. Thank you!

emmt
Joined Jan 17, 2010

Wed, February 17, 2010 11:44 AM

Reply posted for emmt.

I had both strictureplasty and a resection nine days ago. The strictureplasty was done on the stricture my surgeon knew about, but when she was in there, she found another stricture that had almost completely closed. She resected that one because she found undigested food and pills behind it even though I had been on a low residue diet for months.

I was nervous about the surgery going in and second guessing whether it was really needed. Turns out it was since I've really just been playing Russian Roulette with a full obstruction everytime I ate something.

I was in the hospital for five days. I had an epidural started before the surgery, and it ran continuously until the day before I was discharged, so I had relatively little pain for the first few days after surgery which allowed my body to relax and heal. The doctors and nurses all say that is one reason for my "quick" recovery. I didn't know that was an option until the day of the surgery, but I highly recommend it.

I'm home now with oral pain meds, so I'm not quite as comfortable, but I'm hopeful things will start to turn around soon.

Good Luck.

kshb
Joined Aug 15, 2009

Fri, January 22, 2010 3:28 PM

Reply posted for emmt.

Hi! I had strictureplasty back in 2003 AFTER 2 previous resections (18" of my small intestine were removed each time). I felt good for about a year afterwards, but then my CD symptoms started coming back with a vengeance. I wished I had just had a regular resection at that time. I am facing another resection now, but I'm eager to just start feeling better!

I guess my advice to you is, don't be afraid of the resection if the dr has to do it. Chances are it will only be a small amount removed.

With my strictureplasty, I was in the hospital for a full 7 days. I was in tremendous pain but that's what they make morphine for!!! Once I got home, I felt much better--being surrounded by your own things does wonders for recovery. I will caution you: apparently my innards were so swollen from the surgery, being manipulated by the surgeon, stretched out and sutured, that I ended up with a faux blockage just from it all being squished. I felt like I had horrible gas, but I couldn't release it. That was the worst. But again, morphine helps!!! Heh heh!

My recovery time was about 6 weeks. I ended up going back to work after 4 weeks for half-days for 2 weeks, then back to my regular work schedule. Luckily, I work in an office so I just get to sit at a computer. :) If you do any sort of manual labor, retail, foodservice, etc., your dr may not release you until 6 or even 8 weeks, and then you'll most likely have a weight restriction (i.e. cannot lift more than 10 pounds).

Also remember that your body will take a while to get over the effects of anesthesia. Lack of short-term memory was what plagued me the most, along with feeling generally "fuzzy" in the head. Do some research online about the effects of anesthesia so nothing freaks you out.

Good luck with everything, and keep us posted!!!

Amy

lunashimmer
Joined Jan 22, 2010

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