HOORAY, HOORAY!

k1 said:

please tell more about stricture
Thank goodness for when they finally figure something out that's positive!

If you do not mind, would you please tell us more about the stricture in the colon that you got and what caused yours. Did you have symptoms that led doctors to suspect this? I've been told I may have one causing post op problems and have very little information on this subject. How was your diagnosed and how did you get pathology (did you have a surgery, biopsy???).

Thanks, and again, congrats.

K1

Hi K1 & Emily
The scientific name for it is chronic anastomotic stricture, and i developed it from the radiation i received to shrink the rectal tumor back in 2007, but i was on an ileostomy for 15 months, and no one knew about it until they went in to reverse it in February 2009. They dilated me twice, then did the takedown. The stricture kept closing, and after two more dilations, i still don't have relief from it. The only option now is to either keep getting dilated every month or so, or have another abdominal surgery. Since the dilations don't seem to be working, and i lose so much blood after them, i'm going to talk to my surgeon about it. This last time the GI doc went in, he biopsied the stricture because it looked sort of ugly, and wanted to rule out a recurrence. He biopsied it while he was performing the colonoscopy.

My symptoms of stricture are feelings of being blocked, abdominal pain, stools that are scored and thin. I describe it as feeling like you're pooping through a straw. I get so blocked that i'm on the potty some days as much as 25 times, with minimal results. I try not to eat too much fiber, but i'm a vegetarian, and i don't eat refined foods, so i can't help but get a lot of fiber. I'm having a hard time finding balance. I had whole wheat spaghetti the night before last, and that's actually what saved me from imploding last night. It pushed through the blockage and gave me some relief. Sometimes i get very sick from the blockage; fevers, lethargy, and sometimes vomiting. If you think you have a stricture, K1, try to get it taken care of now. The only way they will find it is through a scope. It hasn't ever shown up on a CT for me.

Much luck, and keep me posted!
Krista

2bhealed said:

Dancing Queen!
YOU GO GIRL!

Remind us what was going on again (I have menopausal memory and it sucks).

Emily!
You're so cute! I forgot that you don't have chemobrain! No wonder i can't remember anything; i have chemobrain AND menopausal memory!

I'm getting ready to start my juicing regime again. I have to figure out how i'm going to do it with my crazy schedule in the mornings, but the stricture is causing me so much difficulty, i barely eat. Though it's great for weight loss (i've lost 60 lbs since May), i'm not getting any nutrition. The juicing may not stop me from pooping, but it may be easier to pass than even the soft mechanical.

I went over the stricture problem in a response below yours to K1. It's been an ongoing problem since the reversal in May, but i went raw for two months, and juiced constantly, and felt much better. After i moved back home after my break-up, i started getting really sick again with the stricture. The raw diet was giving me too much fiber, and i was going to the bathroom constantly. The only difference was that i had less abdominal pain, and much more energy. This is why i'm going to start juicing again. I never felt better in my life while i was doing that.

Hugs!
Krista