To Sandy- Gastric Outlet Obstruction

[Guest guest]

HI Sandy,

This is Louie, and in answer to you question about an Gastric Outlet

Obstruction. Yes mine did happen at the site where I was put back together,

where I had my Whipple. It became so narrowed that when they did my EUS that my

doctor couldn't even get a guide wire thru it. My GI did my first EUS and told

me that I was narrowed when I had they whipple done. This was Early November of

96. He had mention that if it became blocked that I would have to have surgery.

He did say there was a procedure that they could do, an EUS and insert a Balloon

into the narrowing to open it.( Kind of like the kind the do with Heart

Arteries) I came home and thought about it, so I called him back, and said

let's try it.because I didn't want to have to be in the hospital and away from

my family at Christmastime. So he schedule the EUS for December 2(My Birthday-

Nice present) and that's when they found out it was blocked and couldn't use to

balloon to stretch it open, so food couldn't past thru without cause all lot of

pain. The doctor decided to admit me for pain relief and did an upper GI with a

small bowel follow thru the next morning and the X-ray showed it to be

completely closed. So he came into my room and said that he had talked to my

Surgeon at Ohio State University in Columbus, OH who had done my whipple and he

wanted me transfer by ambulance to OSU that night. I didn't get there until

11pm. The surgeon came into my room Wednesday Morning and said that I did need

surgery and he had it schedule for Friday Morning and I would have to be there

for 2 weeks until Dec 21st. Well, I lost it, I wanted to be home for Christmas.

So after the surgery, I was doing well and on Saturday 15th. I talked my doctor

into letting me come home, which turn out to be a big mistake. I was only home

2 hours from the hospital, when my incision came open. So I go to my local ER

here in Wheeling, WV, who didn't want to do anything, since I didn't have the

surgery there. So after a few phone calls from my local ER and the doctor on

call at OSU, they decided that I had to go back out there. All the did for me

was to push on it to get it to drain more, and when I was in all lot of pain

they game me a pain shot and put a 4X4 over it and sent me home. When I got

home, I called OSU and ask if I could stay home till Morning since it was

Midnight by then and they agreed. Well Sunday I went out to OSU and was

admitted and the Chief Resident put her hand in the incision and ripe it open

all the way so it could drain more. She did this in the ER and I went thru the

roof with unbelievable PAIN!!!!!!!!! They keep me for 48 hours to give me IV

antibiotics and a blue dye pill to make sure that my insides where not coming

thru the opening. If it would have showed up, I would have needed more surgery,

but luckily it didn't. They sent me home on antibiotics and told me it would

have to heal from the inside out and had to be packed 2 times a day and should

be healed in 4 weeks, but it took me 10 weeks. This was the 3rd time I had this

happen after surgery. It happen with my Whipple too, but I was still in the

hospital. So if you would need surgery for your narrowing, DON'T RUSH HOME,TOO

SOON! You might want to ask your doctor about the balloon to stretch opening

since you are getting so sick whenever you eat. It might save you from having

surgery, if it is done in time. This is just what happen to me and DOES NOT

happen to everyone who has a narrowing, but I would certainly have your doctor

keep a watch on it. I hope this helps. I'm sorry that this is so long.

Take Care,

Louie in WV