Barium swallow update, etc. (Bill, Denise, TonyG)

All right.

So I had the barium swallow today. For whatever reason, my stomach was not looked at. Considering I told my GI doctor's nurse the upper part has been pretty good and the stomach has been giving me trouble, I'm a little lost for words. After calling the nurse once I got to the hospital, I decided to go through with just the barium swallow (minus the stomach) since I was already there. She didn't think my insurance would pay for another Upper GI since I had one in September, so I reluctantly proceeded. There was something about my swallowing on the order and I had reported no issues of swallowing, but whatever.

I've yet to hear from my doctors, so the following is based on the radiologist's observations.

The barium swallow for what was seen went pretty well. I ended up in 3-4 different positions, swallowing the thin and the thick barium. When upright, I also swallowed a pill which was fairly sizable, but also fairly flat. 13mm I think? It went down with no problems. When I had the Upper GI in September, GI Doctor #1 was happy there was some resistance. Surgery was in August. Had it gone straight through, the wrap would have failed. When I was on my right side and attempted to swallow the same sized pill, it wouldn't go down. The radiologist said my esophagus isn't operating optimally. However, this is a moot point to me because I have no intentions of eating while lying down. My wrap is in tact and has not slipped or come undone. He feels it's still a little tight. Dilation might be an option. There are no signs of cancer, ulcers, or anything else that could be bad news. He saw NO refluxing. He felt my heartburn I was getting could possibly be from my bites being too big. Maybe the food really wasn't going down when I thought it was, but I wasn't getting the stuck feeling.

So that's where we stand. I still feel like garbage. My stomach is really bugging me. I constantly feel full, yet I have nothing on my stomach. The thought of eating is almost repulsing. I'm trying Dicyclomine (20mg) to see if it relieves me some. GI Doctor #2 prescribed this. GI Doctor #1's nurse says #1 would have prescribed it anyway so to go ahead. I ate two peanut butter crackers today (Nabs) against Bill's advice and immediately had to go to the restroom. I'm not sure if it was just a coincidence or what. I very slowly ate a banana later and was very flatulent while eating it. I'm supposed to take stool samples to GI Doctor #2, but I'm not sure how I'm going to do that if I can't really get anything on my stomach. The purpose of the samples is to check for parasites, bacteria, and the like. Luckily I passed the barium (some in solid form, some in liquid form), so perhaps there's no obstruction at least. Yesterday or the day prior I was going to the bathroom often, and often nothing was produced. It just felt like a 'wet fart.' Forgive my terminology. Days prior, sometimes the stool was green when I actually was eating.

Are stomach issues common post-Nissen? As stated before, I felt GREAT for a while, but now I feel like I'm at square one. I even gained some weight back at a time. Prior to the surgery, my stomach issues were fairly minimal. I'm fearful of Chron's and other serious illnesses. I'm technically at 8.5 months out. I had said nine before.

I'm also having some off and on pain in my right side almost parallel to my navel in the rib area.

So, folks, can anything positive be taken from what I said? Where do we go from here? Can you guys suggest some things I should try to eat so I can stay nourished that might not aggravate my stomach?

I find I do best in the morning, but after I've showered and gotten dressed for work, it kind of goes downhill. Sometimes I have nausea issues.

I'd also appreciate any advice on getting a hold of this from a mental standpoint. I was prescribed an anti-depressant. Dare I try it?

Thanks for your help and sorry for the long post. It helps to talk about it.

Bill,

I wrote you back. I've been forced to ease up on the eating almost to where I feel like I can't eat anything because of my stomach. I eluded to that in my response e-mail, but didn't quite say it that way. :P

John

Sorry if I am butting in on a private conversation....I have some "challenging" GI issues and today I'm sitting around waiting for bowel meds to do something, anything, so I figured I'd do some more reading on HW. I am sorry you are going thru so much. It's unbelievable how much our bodies do and how much it can alter our lives when something isn't working right.

You have probably tried this, or maybe you can't do this, but my dietician recently had me start on ensure drinks. They offer calories and nutrition and are fairly small. I wasn't eating enough and certainly not getting good nutrition. Just a thought.

And I know how chronic illness can cause depression. I've been on depression meds for about 20 years. Some work, some don't. I would say it's worth trying. They really can help! And you deserve to feel better! It may take some time to work and some initial side effects may go away over time. Keep the dialogue going with your doc about this. I know you know this, but the more you tell your doc about what's going on, the better able they will be to help you.

Again, sorry to butt in. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone!

Sunny13,

Not at all. I appreciate your insight. I just wanted to make sure those three saw this. :)

This week, I simply haven't been able to escape it for more than a few minutes at a time. To top it off, I'm going out with a new girl tonight, so I'm going to mask my discomfort. I'm also hoping it might make me feel better to do something. If I'm focused on her, I can't focus on me nearly as much as if I were by myself.

What bowel meds are you on? What issues are you having today? My diet today consisted of an Ensure (had those for a minute ;P), a Belvita soft breakfast cookie-like thing (probably too much fiber), a banana, a cup of Greek yogurt, and that's really it. It pretty much goes straight through me. In the past two weeks, I've been to the bathroom more in that regard than the year and a half I've been there. I think I did pass all the barium, though, so yay! I imagine an obstruction could possibly be eliminated now. Even simply walking around and trying to move, albeit slowly, has caused the bowel issues. Once I get to the bathroom, there's usually nothing much to see in the toilet. However, the sound is there when I sit down. I feel horrible for being so graphic, but I just want to get it all out there. No pun intended. hehehe. Gotta poke a little fun, right? I also have a sore throat, but the knowledgeable radiologist said he saw no refluxing, so it could be all this darn pollen. I am feeling like I'm back at square one. I know, BILL. Patience. :D

I had issues with hydration and nourishment early on. I didn't want anything, much like I am now. I do the vanilla Ensure. Strawberry would make ME of all people puke. lol. Sadly, I had one too many of those. It didn't come to that, but I don't want to see another one.

My GP called me this morning and he wants me to try the anti-depressant he gave me. He didn't feel the side effects that might upset my stomach were too dire at all. He's also going to call the GI doctor he referred me to AKA GI Doctor #1.

I'm glad you 'butt in'. Thanks for your help. Yanno, I seem to do better when I get home I think. Work just sucks, especially now. I just beg for 4:30 to come. By the time I'm supposed to sleep, I'm at my best, and I usually sleep okay. The two nights prior to my barium swallow weren't as good. I woke up a lot. I feel okay when I wake up, and then after I've showered and all, not as much. And from scrolling up, I have repeated myself. I can't remember what I say to whom or where. :(

Thanks again, Sunny.

John

Hi John,

First off, thanks for letting me know I was not intruding. Second, don't worry about being too graphic. Like the book says, "Everybody poops"! In a weird way, it's nice to be able to talk freely about this stuff without feeling embarrassed or ashamed.

I was just diagnosed with chronic gastritis at the end of Jan. (2014). I am still undergoing tests to figure out how to treat lifelong problems with severe constipation and bowel incontinence. I never sought treatment for my problems until Jan of this year due to shame/embarrassment. The one thing we do know is that my problems are due to nerve damage from a mild case of Spina Bifida.

Guess my issues are pretty much opposite yours. Today I've been waiting for the 8 million laxatives I took to kick in. Took about 12 hours, but it's finally started to work. Thankfully. I'm taking Lansoprazole (sp?), Linzess, Misoprostol, Dulcolax, Miralax, and when things get bad, I add in magnesium citrate and a bunch of really tasty bowel prep. Oh, and Zofran when needed. I'm also on many other meds for various health problems. Yes, I could pretty much open my own pharmacy with all the meds I take!

As far as food goes, doc put me on a low fiber, low residue diet. He was thinking that fiber was bulking up the stool too much, making it harder to pass. Diet has really not done anything for my symptoms. A lot of days I feel too nauseous to eat much, and for a long time, I just had no appetite at all. Often, I don't really eat anything until mid-late afternoon. It has gotten better recently and my weight has stabilized. Lucky(?) for me, I was overweight when things began getting really bad, so I had some "spare" weight to lose!

Sorry for "talking" your ear off! Hope to see you around!

And I hope your date is going/went well tonight!!