Incisions in my post -ectomy scar tissue

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Hi all,

Just wanted to let you know how my appointment with the professor went today.

I went to see him, as we needed to talk about further treatment of my scar

tissue. The scar tissue build up in my " new esophagus " is pretty extreme and

needs further treatment besides the " normal " dilatations. This professor told me

this morning that having had 18 dilatations until now after my -ectomy on 31

March last is really a lot and not every day business. The narrowing caused by

it is pretty extreme, but... it's something that simply occurs in some cases and

I happen to be one of them again (ha ha, lucky me... not).

There are 4 options, according to the professor.

Option one is proceeding like we have untill now: dilatation after dilatation,

until the scar tissue stops growing and stops closing things up. It will work in

the end, but it will take a whole lot of time before it's over and done with. So

not the best option.

Another option is removing the adhesion area and replacing it by a piece of the

intestines. Huge surgery and absolutely out of the question for me, especially

regarding the fact that option 1 might work as well. The professor agreed, but

just wanted to let me know that that also was an option. So: we're not going for

that one.

Now it gets more interesting... The third option is cutting away the scar tissue

at the adhesion area, so not just making incisions in it, but really removing

it. It's a small procedure (about 15 minutes), done through endoscopy. It's done

using Propofol (same as I get during the dilatations) and after a few hours I'm

allowed to go home and things will hopefully be better. Success rates: 50/50.

Complications are about the same as with dilatations, so nothing for me to worry

about honestly. Should I once again belong to the group where things fail:

nothing lost, as things won't get worse by this procedure, it might only leave

me at the same point as where I am at right now.

The fourth option is placing as stent. This stent works as a long lasting

dilatation and give a great success rate. Nevertheless I would have a metal tube

in my " new esophagus " (though it is a small procedure as well, also performed

through endoscopy) and the things needs to be gotten out some day as well. It

doesn't remove the d... scar tissue, it pushes it aside.

All in all we weighed things together, just using common sense, and together we

decided to have a go for the third option. So we're going to try to cut the

tissue away and let's keep our fingers crossed that this once I belong to the

lucky ones and the tissue won't grow back.

It's all we can do now. Hope. There are no guarantees. But when you lose hope,

what's left for one? I better be patient and go through this. If it doesn't

work, the appointment for the stent will be made immediately. There's nothing

for me to lose here, so let's just think I'll win.

Oh by the way, this was the first time I saw this professor. He's a pretty young

doctor to be a professor, but very very specialised and I have complete faith in

him. He has treated over 1000 (!!!) -ectomy patients untill now and told me he

had dealt with cases like mine before (scar tissue wise that is, not achalasia

wise, but this isn't about achalasia, is it?). He told me he had never seen a

case like mine that hadn't been solved by one of the upper options. He told me

to stay positive, keep having faith and never lose hope. He told me we're going

to make it.

Next Wednesday (17th December) I'll have another dilatation (as a bridge to the

procedure) and Wednesday January 7th I'll have the tissue removed. Of course

I'll let you all know how things proceed.

Love,

Isabella