Question:
symptoms of a blocked stoma??

can anyone please tell me what the symptoms are of a blocked stoma out of curoisity as it has been mentioned alot and when refering to the archives i cannot see anything listed ethe symptoms and also the procedure to unblock it....does it involve a general anesthtic... thanks    — [Anonymous] (posted on December 19, 2001)

December 19, 2001
Nausea, vomiting, frothing. The fix is a dilation by endoscopy. You're under "conscious sedation", so you think you're out, but only for about 30-40 min. I've been scoped 12-14 times, so no big deal. It's not general anesthesia, like major recovery, hair loss, etc. It's just a quickie, comparatively.
   — vitalady

December 19, 2001
Mine started with pain every time I ate, first the solids then progressed to soft foods, then intolerance of fluids. I would take 2 teeny bites of something and be in serious pain in the chest area, then throw up, and that would releive the pain. I had friends dissuade me from thinking it was a stricture because I was still tolerating water. If you feel something is not right, do not hesitate to contact your surgeon. It is a fairly easy procedure to fix it. The worst part is the gunk you have to swallow and the spray they spray on your 'gag' reflex. They give you your drugs through IV, then place a bite block in your mouth for your protection, then slide the tubing/scope down. The last thing I remember before dozing was just being in a relaxed state, then the next thing was waking up in their 'recovery'. The dilation is a balloon at the end of the scope that is inserted into the stoma and they blow it up to the desired size. This was my experience. I am sure most are similar. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me as I just had my 2nd stricture and scope last week, everything is still 'fresh' in my mind. Hope this is the end of strictures for me. I hope this is resolved for you.
   — Cheri M.

December 20, 2001
Question for Michelle: If you don't mind answering.....why have you been scoped 13-14 times????
   — [Anonymous]

December 20, 2001
Oops, should have said why. I started with ulcers at age 19, which was a LONG time ago! So, I'd had a few scopes before I ever started down this (WLS) road. Then, I was further bothered by ulcers (big surprise), and then the staple line disruption, etc. I'm also kinda thinking an occasional scope is a good idea for us, maybe every 2 years, JUST to be sure. Recently had one because my esophagus was acting goofy and he found a polyp in the pouch, so was glad he was looking around (esophagus was fine, just irritated). As I said, I think we tend to be healthier because we take so many vites & have more (& frequent) testing than the average public. Or at least I do. And my poor husband, who is sent hither & yon being checked at my request!
   — vitalady

December 25, 2001
I have been scoped 5 times now since my LAP on 10/16/01. My symptoms were pain when eating and throwing up after trying to eat. I could get clear liquids down, but could actually hear it trying to get through the stoma. I have a tendency to build up alot of scar tissue. The last scope, they opened me up to 18.Let\'s just hope that this is the last time. Although, the endoscopy is not painful in any way.
   — Sheila K.