A (maybe) medical question for long termers only pls

Ok.  I am almost 4 years out.  I have never had a blockage or stricture or any of that other nasty stuff.  I have had and conquered other health problems post op but never those.

This probably sounds weird, but I feel funny.  You know how when you swallow a big gulp of something (for me it's usually water) and it hurts going all the way down? Bad?  Well, I have that all  the time the last few days.  It hurts like crazy to swallow anything, even liquids.  And I get that "swallowing too much" feeling every time I swallow too.  It literally hurts to swallow, and it hurts down my esophagus and into my stomach.

I'm thinking I'm calling the surgeon tomorrow, because it also feels like everything I eat doesn't go all the way "down", but gets stuck right around my diaphragm.  I've been ignoring this for about a week because I'm so afraid it's something bad and I will end up at the at the hospital, where I really don't want to be.

Any input would be helpful!

Call your doctor tomorrow. It could very possibly be a stricture, although not common there have been vets with strictures. I'd also probably want to be sure it's not an ulcer causing the pain if it was me.

Definitely get in to see your surgeon, because that IS odd (but doesn't really sound like a stricture).

I know someone who had a benign mass that was about half way down her esophagus, but was on the outside of it pushing it in. They found it by doing an EGD and a CT scan (but I forget in which order). Her first symptom was pain swallowing and feeling as if she had swallowed too much even if it was jus****er. They removed the mass during a quick outpatient surgery and she was fine after that.

Let us know what you find out, ok?

Lora

I need to follow this advice, too. Somthing is not right with me, either - we know when that happens, too.   I have a bloated stomach, my bms have changed (not stopped) , a few bites of anything makes me feel totally full and I have a dull pain in my lower front quadrant, about even with my hip bone.  I know my surgeon will want to do exploratory surgery and I don't want it, but I need to get it checked out.  I am 4 1/2 years out and this is the very first problem I have had other than the same lower quadrant pain almost a year ago.  Had a CT then and they didn't see anything but thought it was my bowel moving around and getting caught in fat strands.

You have convinced me I need to call the surgeons office tomorrow and I only want to see him - not the PA!!!

Keep us posted and I will do the same.  We need to help each other.

They will most likely do a CT scan again and an EGD (and might want to do other GI testing) before doing exploratory surgery. Even laparoscopic surgery carries risks and creates additional scar tissue, so they need to eliminate things that they can address non-surgically first.

Lora

I think he was talking surgery when I had such acute pain last year - felt like an ovarian cyst but that was ruled out - felt like a knife sticking into me -  they would want to make sure the bowel was not kinked - but this pain is not as sharpe or intense - just a dull ache all the time.  Scar tissue or adhesions is definitely another possibility for the lower pain but not sure about the upper problems. 

All the surgeries I have ever had were planned and well thought out - I don't like these surprise things but I don't want to ignore these things and cause even more problems in the long run.

Thanks guys.  I'll call today.  I absolutely HATE having to go to the doc - spent so much time sick and in the hospital preop, but I guess I better not stick my head in the sand.

It's a lot better today, but it's still there.  And I guess it really has been there too long.