Stricture after surgery?

My memory is worse than a goldfish's, but I'm sure I remember a few j-pouchers here saying they needed dilatation for a stricture after takedown surgery.

Enlighten me, folks. How did you find out, what were your symptoms, and is dilatation as ghastly as it sounds?

my symptoms were:
Very difficult to empty, contorting my body while sitting on the toilet to get something to come out, my insides made crazy loud gurgling noise....like you could hear across a room, bloating, and the feeling like I had a bowling ball lodged up my butt. I felt a million times better after it was dilated although it took five visits before the stupid scar tissue stopped forming.

I went to my surgeon and complained about how I was feeling and he did a digital exam and at that same moment dilated the stricture. My hubby had to peel me off the ceiling afterwards. Hurt like hell. I suggest sedation if you do not have a high pain tolerance. I do and that was tough.

Hmmm...you people have j-pouches...then how come I have strictures and I have a permanent ileo? I am going next Thursday for biopsies....my surgeon is putting me out completely. He did the first time too, but never mentioned anything about strictures. This time he said I have strictures!!!! Hopefully, he can DO something about them. I feel exactly like you did ByeBye UC....like a rock is stuck up there. I still have mucus and some bleeding from time to time from the vagina. He couldn't find a fistula last November. He doesn't want to sew the anus closed unless there is dysplasia or something worse...but be darned if this is comfortable!!!

I wonder if my new surgeon is just puddling around in there without knowing what he is doing...I really do. I hated going to a doctor here in Jersey. Can they DO anything about strictures? I also still have that annoying skin tag since my UC days and I feel a lump under that tag...so something else to be concerned about...OY OY OY!!! It could just be the space between my anus and vagina. I called my surgeon this morning. Some woman from the surgical center just returned my call and acted like a numbskull...like..DUH...I had to explain everything AGAIN. She said to take sitz bath...ugh.

Nice cup of tea....my rectum is removed...from what I have been told...I only have a tiny stump...my rectum was my problem!!! Yes, from what I have been told, they can remove the anus, many people from this forum that their anus removed following their proctocolectomy with end ileos. I guess my surgeon didn't see a reason for removing the anus...he said there are more complications when the anus is removed. Like I mentioned before though....this problem came out of the blue last year. My new surgeon thinks it started from my using Ibuprofen for back pain. Yes, I agree, I would want it removed if this keeps up. My new surgeon is reluctant to remove it though. He said they don't know what they would be up against...they may have to go into the stomach cavity...yada yada yada. Well, first things first....next week I go for the biopsies, if I can wait that long...after that, I may go for another opinion. It was suggested to me to go over to Philly, Jefferson Hospital...but my husband is 77 yrs old....I hate to put him through that....Philly is a mess to get there...parking problems, etc. My first operation was at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philly, which isn't too bad, but, don't know a surgeon over there now.

MaryAnne...who was your surgeon at Jeff?

No I had dr Scott Goldstein. Someone else here had Phillips. I think it was CarenZ. Not sure about the south jersey offices. As far as I know dr Goldstein is only in Philly.