Internal hernia
Hello everyone,
Hope you are all doing great and ready for a wonderful July 4th weekend.
I posted a question recently about my having a lot of bloating, which was getting progressively more frequent and more severe. I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy on Monday, The procedures went very well, no more cancer was found and my pouch is still nice and small like we want it to be; I praise God for these good things. However I did have complications from the procedure. by mid morning, when the happy drugs had worn off I realized my gut was swelling up and that I had not passed any of the air that was in my gut. I got up and moved around for about 3 hours with no relief. I called Dr. Chapman's office and talked with the FNP who talked with Dr. C. I went back to the hospital for abdominal xrays which showed that I was just full of air. Came back home and by 9:30 was so miserable I called one of my emergency doctors that I work with (also a RNY pt) and luckily she was on duty in the ED that night. So off we went to the hospital again. They ran the usual labs, did more xrays and finally a CT scan. By the time I had finally gotten the majority of the contrast in for the CT, I was able to pass a little of the air by straining alot but at least I got a little relief. The CT really didn't help to explain why retaining all the air, but it did indicate that I had a possible internal hernia. I had never heard of that before. I did some research and found a few postings here on various OH boards. Radiologists often miss these hernias because they don't show up well on radiographic images. Luckily the radiologist that read my CT knew enough about gastric bypass patients to be on the look out for it. Yet another advantage of having procedures done at a Center for Excellence in Bariatric Surgery!!!!!!
I saw Dr. Chapman yesterday and he is scheduling me for surgery on July 26th to fix the internal hernia. He said if my symptoms get much worse before then, he would work fix it on an emergency basis. I think with careful planning of my diet, I'll be fine until then. He explained that what happens is that with the large and rapid weight loss, there is extra space created in the area around the RNY which creates an opening that the small bowel can get into and cause these problems. I'm just so glad we found out what is causing the problem and that it is a relatively easy fix. One night in the hospital and 1-2 weeks out of work should do it.
So, the morale of this story for all you RNYers... if you get really bad bloating and abdominal pain, you could have an internal hernia. These develop because of the extra space left in the gut from the rapid, massive weightloss. The bowel can get into a bind and cause major problems!!!
Have a great weekend!
Alice
Hope you are all doing great and ready for a wonderful July 4th weekend.
I posted a question recently about my having a lot of bloating, which was getting progressively more frequent and more severe. I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy on Monday, The procedures went very well, no more cancer was found and my pouch is still nice and small like we want it to be; I praise God for these good things. However I did have complications from the procedure. by mid morning, when the happy drugs had worn off I realized my gut was swelling up and that I had not passed any of the air that was in my gut. I got up and moved around for about 3 hours with no relief. I called Dr. Chapman's office and talked with the FNP who talked with Dr. C. I went back to the hospital for abdominal xrays which showed that I was just full of air. Came back home and by 9:30 was so miserable I called one of my emergency doctors that I work with (also a RNY pt) and luckily she was on duty in the ED that night. So off we went to the hospital again. They ran the usual labs, did more xrays and finally a CT scan. By the time I had finally gotten the majority of the contrast in for the CT, I was able to pass a little of the air by straining alot but at least I got a little relief. The CT really didn't help to explain why retaining all the air, but it did indicate that I had a possible internal hernia. I had never heard of that before. I did some research and found a few postings here on various OH boards. Radiologists often miss these hernias because they don't show up well on radiographic images. Luckily the radiologist that read my CT knew enough about gastric bypass patients to be on the look out for it. Yet another advantage of having procedures done at a Center for Excellence in Bariatric Surgery!!!!!!
I saw Dr. Chapman yesterday and he is scheduling me for surgery on July 26th to fix the internal hernia. He said if my symptoms get much worse before then, he would work fix it on an emergency basis. I think with careful planning of my diet, I'll be fine until then. He explained that what happens is that with the large and rapid weight loss, there is extra space created in the area around the RNY which creates an opening that the small bowel can get into and cause these problems. I'm just so glad we found out what is causing the problem and that it is a relatively easy fix. One night in the hospital and 1-2 weeks out of work should do it.
So, the morale of this story for all you RNYers... if you get really bad bloating and abdominal pain, you could have an internal hernia. These develop because of the extra space left in the gut from the rapid, massive weightloss. The bowel can get into a bind and cause major problems!!!
Have a great weekend!
Alice
Alice in OneDerland
H:260 G: 135 C:145 L: 131 BMI: 26 H: 5' 2 1/2"
RNY 10/07 LBL 11/09
H:260 G: 135 C:145 L: 131 BMI: 26 H: 5' 2 1/2"
RNY 10/07 LBL 11/09
Hi Alice,
I'm sorry to hear of your hernia and the discomfort associated with it, but glad to hear that you are in such competent hands and that you will be able to have it managed soon.
Thank you for the heads up.
Warmly,
Barbara
ObesityHelp Coach and Support Group Leader
http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/bcumbo_group/
High-264, Current-148, Goal-145
I just recently had surgery for an internal hernia also. I was about 13 months out from RNY and had experienced two very painful episodes of pain in my chest (between my breasts). When I mentioned them to my surgeon at my year check-up, he did not dismiss it as "gas" as I had done. He scheduled for a diagnostic procedure because he immediately suspected an internal hernia and/or scars, adhesions. If you experience this pain, do not wait to call your surgeon. Many times, this is missed in an emergency room visit. Be sure to tell any ER personnel that you've had a gastric bypass so that they will not ignore the symtoms!!
ECUshagger
Well, I had the surgery last Monday and Dr. Chapman did not find an internal hernia which surprised him since the CT scan had suggested that I had one and all my symptoms were consistent with it. I did have some adheasons, one of which was attached to the Y limb of the gastric bypass. He took that down along with some others. I was really hoping that my problems would be solved but sadly they were not. I am still have the same bloating as before. I'll see him next Tuesday and discuss next step which I think will be a visit to a gastroenterologist. I'm so tired of this feeling....
Did you go to ECU? I have worked at ECU for almost 30 years at the medical school
Did you go to ECU? I have worked at ECU for almost 30 years at the medical school
Alice in OneDerland
H:260 G: 135 C:145 L: 131 BMI: 26 H: 5' 2 1/2"
RNY 10/07 LBL 11/09
H:260 G: 135 C:145 L: 131 BMI: 26 H: 5' 2 1/2"
RNY 10/07 LBL 11/09
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