After Apollo Overstitch to correct Gastric Fistula & Reduce Stoma

I know some members are interested in the Apollo Overstitch to correct their gastric fistulas or reduce stomas so I thought I would post a little of my experience after having the Apollo Overstitch myself.

I have heard and read all the comments from those that put down the Apollo Overstitch and say it's no good, which always made me feel bad because I was trying to do what was right for me. I did do my research and know it's effective only about 50% of the time. But I sought out the less aggressive option because I had an open R-N-Y the first time around and the possible complications from having another open abdominal surgery in order to do a revision would be many and very serious. The revision would have to be open.

I suffered every day with a lot of pain in my right side, charlie horse spasms in my abdomen, constant diarrhea, bile reflux, acid reflux, and was always hungry.  I could feel and hear the liquids and food moving from my small pouch through the gastric fistula into the old stomach. I had sought help from many primary care doctors that would not take my complaints seriously over a five year period. I finally referred my own self to a weight loss surgeon who preformed an endoscope and found out I had a gastric fistula, a large stoma, and a very short limb. I developed malabsorbtion and have had iron transfusions. I was depleted nutritionally; calcium, B, D, iron was just depleted.

Because the weight loss surgeon that I saw would not be able to preform the Apollo Overstitch for a year or longer I was lucky enough to find a very experienced and knowledgeable gastroenterologist at Virginia Mason that was preforming the procedure.

I had surgery on July 27, 2015. It has been 33 days and I have lost 23 pounds. 

 The pain in my side is all but gone; I do still have occasional discomfort but not like before.  He was able to reduce my stoma and      close the fistula. He discovered I also have 4 ulcers. Because my limb is so short he was able to scope all the way to my old stomach.

The surgery was not a piece of cake, it was painful and took a good 4 weeks before I wasn't in pain and had to take pain meds every 4-6 hours. I had a lot of pain in my gut, searing pain like needles. Nothing I had felt before so I knew it was surgery related. My lip was swollen and in pain. There was a part of my lip that was numb/tingly and I thought it was damaged but the feeling just came back to it this week.  After taking a shower I would be in a lot of pain and exhausted. Now at four weeks I'm doing better but still feel the gut pain if I do to much. But I can get through a shower without feeling like I'm going to collapse.

I don't feel the drain in my gut from the fistula any longer. I'm still on a clear liquid diet, protein and broth, for another 11 days. I am hungry and it's hard not to eat soft foods but I haven't yet. I have to wait for 46 days before the puree foods stage. I want the stitches to hold so I'm sticking to the program.

I had time to work on the vitamin deficiency months before surgery so I'm doing good in that area now. I'm adding exercise to my daily routine now that I'm feeling a little better.

I'll post updates if anyone is interested. I see my surgeon on the 9th and can eat on the 11th.

Thank you for reading,

J.O.

Thank you so much for sharing your story. You have had quite an experience. I pray you heal quickly and regain your strength soon. Don't let anyone else's opinions make you second guess yourself. You and only you know what is right for you. God bless and keep your gaze forward and trust your own heart!  Please keep posting and share how your progressing. 

Thank you so much for the support and encouragement. I appreciate your input and positive thoughts.

I've now lost 27 lbs in 40 days and have no stomach pain. I havn't had any heartburn. My side is still tender and will pinch painfully if I put to much pressure on the area where the stitches were placed. I am feeling better than I did before surgery. One week left on clear liquids. My goal is to get to 30 lbs by the end this last week, which I'm calling phase one. Phase two, pureed food and goal of another 30 lbs.

I have a treadmill I've begun using after feeling better. 

Thank you for reading.

J.O.

What did u have to go they before u had the procedure?

where do u have the procedure and who was your doc?

All I had to do before surgery with the gastroentologist was to have an endoscope, ultrasound and high contrast x-ray. He also ordered MRI for my right quadrant pain, 

Before I found the gastroentologist I had been seen by a weight loss surgeon who had me go to their therapist a few times and their dietitian a few times. I was required to keep track of my meals in a daily log. All to just have a repair surgery!

I want to add that I think dietitians and therapists are great and not a waste of my time. It was just that I wanted, no needed, to begin healing immediately and I knew the only way for that was to close the hole in my stomach that wasn't suppose to be there.

But after I found out that the weight loss surgeon wouldn't be able to do the Apollo Overstitch for a year or longer I took it in my own hands and referred myself to the gastroentologist.  

The gastroentologist was Dr. Larson in Seattle WA at Virginia Mason.

Update: 42 days after Apollo Overstitch

As of today I've lost 32 lbs. Two days ago I had a double charlie horse hit both sides on my abdomen; it felt like it hit in the area of my gastric fistula repair and stoma repair. First one since the surgery. It dropped me to the floor flat until it passed. I was just sitting up in bed when it hit. I'm still sore today from it and it seems like it's just waiting to spasm again. I see my doctor in a couple of days and I'll see what he thinks is the cause.  

I'm thinking it could be from low vitamin and mineral levels but I don't have spasms in any other muscles, like my feet or legs.  But I'll have that checked also. It could also be scar tissue from the my original RNY and only another open surgery could remove it.

I can add pureed food in four days but I'm worried about the stitches holding. I plan on taking it slow on adding food back in my diet.

Has anyone ever heard of or experienced these spasms? When I tell doctors they stare at me in silence. Thanks for reading. So I guess so far so good with the Apollo Overstitch. J.O.

Thank you for sharing. I had the same procedure two weeks ago and finding the recovery harder than I anticipated. No support from the gastro so this is good. Having pretty bad cramps and diarrhea. Please keep posting.

Hi Marble,

I'm happy to hear from someone else who's had the Apollo Overstitch. It's been a few weeks since you posted so I hope you have continued to improve and have moved past the worst part. How are you doing now?

I too had diarrhea after the surgery for the first week or so. I too had lots of pain, more than what I thought I would. I thought I would be up and feeling fine after two weeks because the surgeon said I wouldn't need pain meds after two weeks, however, that wasn't the case, I needed more time to heal than what the surgeon had thought. I had to have two additional refills on my my pain meds, I'm not taking pain meds now so I needed time. 

I hope you're feeling better now. Be good to yourself and take time to heal. 

J.O. 

Hi J.O.,

thanks so much for sharing. I had the Appolo over stitch to reduce my stoma on August 30th at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. It was done by a gastroenterologist whose team has been almost Aftercare challenged.

for about three weeks I had pain in my side, extreme fatigue and constant diarrhea. The only suggestion I received was to take a pill called ACARBOSE three times a day. It turns out it is a pill for diabetes 2 and I have always had low blood sugar. Because I come from a medical family, I have had others to call on.  The ACARBOSE was nixed very quickly. Then after I had IV transfusions for dehydration, much to the disturbance of my primary care, their next suggestion was to go to three shakes a day with water. That was horrifying because it meant only having 33 grams of protein daily. And, of course, other docs told me I must have 60grams of protein daily. So another doc put me on a regimen of the three shakes daily but also two times a day hard boiled eggs pulsated in broth. That became my protocol and I began to feel better.  I am still having too much diarrhea. Then I finally saw my gastro on Day 33. I had only lost ten pounds and I was told I was probably in starvation mode.

although the team seemed far more competent when I saw them in person, I have so lost confidence in their aftercare or in their ability to discern my issues at age 70  starting out as a relative lightweight at 208 pounds, that I am struggling to the finish line. I added one cup of coffee daily and suddenly in week six I have lost 3 pounds. 

This is my conclusion. The Appolo over stitch is only for those who cannot or should not have traditional bariatric revision.  I had two bowel obstructions after my first one in 1997 m then a hernia repair and gallbladder removal. I was not going through that again.  I fortunately am not hungry. But I need to rest a lot.  It is a far more intrusive surgery than I ever imagined.  My 44 year old daughter had the surgery July 8. I will tell her story in another post.

please keep in touch

Barbara

Hi Barbara,

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with me. It's so difficult to handle incompetent medical professionals. I can't tell you the number of times I've been frustrated with my care also. To the point I think I let them win and I just gave up like they had on me. 

But something changed and I started fighting back. I do hope you have good support to help you in your health struggles and that you have been able to find providers that have helped you to start healing. 

Keep posting and sharing, sometimes it helps to vent. 

Good luck :))

~J.O~