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I don't have any personal experience to share but I hope the doctor is able to help you soon. Take great care!

they just happen - there's nothing you can do to prevent them. My surgeon's PA said they happen to about 5% of RNY patients. They almost always happen within the first three months post-op - they are very rare after that. And yes - it's not unusual to have to have them reopened a couple of times. I had one at four weeks post-op and had to go back eight weeks post-op. It never came back after that.

Exactly what catwoman said.

You still might not have a stricture though. You might just be progressing slower than usual. Either way, this is just a small bump on the road.

I am 5 weeks post-op (RNY 8/20/18) and have had problems since post-op day 1 with frequent nausea and vomiting, first with drinking fluids and then with eating soft foods. The nausea and vomiting especially worsened when I transitioned to soft foods. It became so bad that I have an EGD scheduled for tomorrow and I have been back on only fluids for the past week.

Although my surgeon hasn't said anything yet, I'm thinking I must have a stricture. My friend, who had RNY about a year before me, developed a stricture. She had to have an EGD to open her stricture. She said the surgeon told her she might need the stricture opened up at least 3 times before it remains open. She was fortunate and it remained open after the first EGD.

Has anyone else had issues with strictures? Do they usually occur shortly after surgery? Did you need your stricture opened more than once? Can strictures re-occur long after the surgery was done? Do strictures "just happen" or did I do something wrong with my diet? I thought I followed all the instructions of my doctor and nutritionist. . .

it is nothing you did, so not your fault.

Strictures occur when scar tissue forms , like a web around a healing surgery site. The scar tissue effectively closes off the opening so nothing can pass through.

the bodies of ppl who develop strictures makes more scar tissue, more rapidly than the bodies of those who don?t have strictures.

it may take one or more dilations to keep permanently open but it will eventually work.

At my support group a few weeks ago the bariatric nurse coordinator talked about strictures. She said that over her 15 years doing this (and she is also a patient of the surgeon), only about 5% of people who thought they had a stricture actually do. She said that percentage is based on people who were so adamant they were willing to undergo an endoscopy. She stated that before doing this step - to evaluate exactly how you are eating/drinking. The vast majority of people think they are following the eating rules, but didn't. Now of course, she said that during the first weeks you might get sick just because of the surgical irritation. However, if it doesn't resolve, you should discuss this and consider the endo. Are you really following the plan - how long does it take you to eat?

I am hoping you got some answers today so you can hopefully start to feel better.

Thanks for the update; glad to hear you can move forward with less frustration now. I have belonged to a WLS support group for almost six years. The most I have ever heard was one WLSer requiring three dilatations; the majority getting one to solve their problem. A tip for when you start solids: the flavor of chili was a favorite.