Question:
Has anyone else been diagnosed with ulcers post op?

As of last week I started having problems keeping anything down, I finally called the doctor Thursday afternoon and met him at the ER after I got off work. Long story short he looked at my gallbladder at it was fine so he admitteed me, and did an endoscopy the next day. He found an ulcer in teh new connection and also he found a small hole between my pouch and my stomach. I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and how it has affected their weight loss and long term post op health. I am 6 months out and have lost 80 pounds. You can email me at [email protected]. Thanks for your help! Rachel    — Rachel B. (posted on April 28, 2004)

April 28, 2004
i was diagnosed with a huge ulcer on my small bowel near the opeining to my pouch. I am on two medicines several times a day. It is still there and hurts almost daily. It has not affected my weight loss. He told me that it sometimes takes a year or more to heal an ulcer. As far as the hole. I have heard of people getting a fistula, which is a tunnel like opeing between their old stomach and their pouch. The does affect weight loss as it lets food pass from the pouch to the old stomach and enables you to eat more. I think it can be fixed. Hopefully, this is not what your "hole" is. Good luck and i hope the pain gets better.
   — Delores S.

April 29, 2004
I had a pouch ulcer at 18 months post-op due to taking medications that did not agree with the pouch. A one month trial of Nexium cured it. I'd be more concerned about the hole..what does the doctor say about that?
   — Cindy R.

April 29, 2004
I developed an ulcer around 6 months post op. I took prevacid and carafate for 6 months. This did not have any effect on the ulcer at all. I was in excruciating pain the entire time and was unable to work and on Lortab/vicodin. At one year post op and almost to goal (155) I had surgery to remove the ulcer. (just outside pouch) Because of the limited eating after surgery I lost more weight and rapidly. I was at 130-135 w/i a month or two. I was fine for almost 6 months and have since developed another ulcer. I took prevacid for 6 months and changed to Nexium in double doses for the past month or two. I no longer feel the pain of the ulcer when I take the medication, however it does return full force if I miss a dose. I'm sure I will have to have another surgery in the future. Best of luck to you. Rebecca
   — RebeccaP

April 29, 2004
I have a self-diagnosed ulcer I believe LOL! (not recommending this of course). My doc tried to prevent uneccassary procedures like endoscopy if he doesn't think it's too serious. I think mine is from drinking a little too much alcohol for a week while I was in Mexico at a meeting. (again, not recommending). At the advice of the doc, I started taking the Prilosec OTC and things seem to be much better now. I was in the ER with severe pain back in Feb though and my catscan for gallbladder, adhesions, etc. checked out ok. I wish the best of luck to you!
   — emilyfink

April 29, 2004
Quote: also he found a small hole between my pouch and my stomach........By this statement, I am assuming you are not trasected. Ok, to add to my answer earlier..During one of my endoscopys the doctor poked a hole between my pouch and my stomach. (he wanted to see the other side of my stomach, wasn't that nice of him, grr) Anyhow, because of this 'hole' it was causing more acid to pour over into my pouch, irritating the ulcer and making it worse. This was why the decision was made to have surgery as opposed to different medication treatments. During surgery the surgeon removed the ulcer and re-fired staples. While I now have 12 rows of staples, I still wish I had insisted on transecting.
   — RebeccaP

April 30, 2004
I went to the doctor yesterday and still am having trouble keeping anything but liquids down. He says it may take a while longer before I can keep anything else down, and that it also will be a little over a month at best for the ulcer to heal. He says the fissure hopefully will heal on its own. Have any of you had the same thing happen?
   — Rachel B.