How can you tell if you have a tear?

I'm over 5yrs out and it feels like I have a pulling and pain in the middle to the left of my abdomen. I've had strictures in the past. I'm wanting to know if anyone knows the signs and symptoms of a possible tear in your pouch?

If you actually tore or ruptured your pouch, you would be critically ill --or dead -- very quickly. You probably have not torn your pouch. If this pain feels different to you from the strictures you have had in the past, it may be adhesions -- scar tissue that attaches to organs. People frequently describe pain from adhesions occuring with a pulling feeling. You need to see your doctor to find out what's going on.

How, exactly, would you just spontaneously develop a tear in your pouch?  If you actually had a tear in your pouch, you would likely not be able (either because of crippling pain or having already bled to death, given how many blood vessels run through your stomach!) to even post a message. There are many other things that can cause pain, but only your doctor can help you figure it out.  Adhesions are at the top of the list as would be a hernia.

Lora

What exactly are adhesions and what causes them. Do you have to have surgery to fix it? What are symptoms of hernia? I have done a lot of lifting in the last week and I started to notice last week after lifting heavy stuff.

Adhesions are sections of internal scar tissue that result from surgery.  Some surgeons will surgically remove them and others will not... the problem is that doing surgery to remove old adhesions will likely just create new ones (and the new ones might actually cause more trouble than the old ones).

There are various types of hernias ,and the causes and symptoms (other than pain... although not ALL hernias cause pain initially) can vary.  This webpage has some good information: www.emedicinehealth.com/hernia/article_em.htm

Lora

I have to agree and disagree with Lorna. Adhesions are scar tissue due to prior surgeries and some times you can get away with ignoring them but if they are causing pain, then something needs to be done because the pain means something and you don't always know what is going on in there.  Back in May of 2009, I went in for exploratory lap surgery after suffering in pain for about 4 months.  Luckily my surgeon went in because I had 4 sets of adhesions, 1 at the stoma connection, 2 at the connection sites where the intestines were rerouted and they were actually attached to my abdominal wall and 1 of those was causing my intestines to be totally kinked up and twisted.  I dont' remember where the 4th set was.  My surgeon fixed it all and when I woke up, the pain was gone.  I had horrible burning pain for months as well as some pretty bad stabbing pain.  I actually thought I had an ulcer.  So, if they don't do the surgery to fix the adhesions you are running the risk of further complications.  My surgeon said if I hadn't fixed mine when I did, I would have run the risk of a hernia and ultimately I could have died if the intestines had continued to twist and left untreated.

There are many different types of hernias - hiatal hernia which causes reflux and heartburn - can be fixed at time of gastric bypass but can't be fixed afterwards.  There is a regular hernia which is from heavy lifting and that usually needs to be repaired with surgery if bad enough.  There is an incisional hernia which is after open surgery and your intestines push through your incision.  Then there is an internal hernia which I had in the fall.  This is a common complication of gastric bypass when one loop of our intestines gets stuck inside of another. This is a very serious, can be life threatening complication. So, if you have pain and constipation - get it checked out immediately.  I had a bowel obstruction due to an internal hernia and needed emergency  surgery and led to 3 more surgeries which almost cost me my life.