Whats going on with my son??

[mooma247]

2 years ago my son had gastric bypass.  He initially weighed approx. 370 pounds and is now down to 160.  Within a years time he lost most of this weight.  Ever since the bypass surgery he has had upper abdominal pain that radiates to his left shoulder and back.  He is very nauseated and typically vomits after eating almost anything.  Thus the rapid weight loss.  His doctor could not find a reason for his pain until this summer when the pain got so bad he went into the emergency room and was diagnosed with pancreatitis. At that time gallstones were found so 2 weeks later his gallbladder was removed.  He had some short lived relief for about 2 weeks then the pain returned and the nausea and vomiting continued.  He was hospitalized again with pancreatitis and is now home on pain meds with no relief of the symptoms.  I have been doing some investigating on my own.  I have read some things about Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction that seem to relate to his symptoms but I'm not sure if this is his problem or not.  Has anyone heard of other Gastric Bypass patients with this problem??  Any advice would be appreciated as it is so difficult to watch him endure this.  I feel like he thinks he just has to live like this!!!

[CalGal]

Heidi, if it is SOD only a doc who is specifically trained in biliary issues and in SOD itself will probably be able to help you. 'Regular' GI people don't really seem to have the experience. If I'm not mistaken, the hospital at the University of IL has a great team of SOD docs that people from all over the U.S. travel to see. You may want to give that facility a call and ask a few questions.

[heidiwillcox77]

wow i am 10 months out of gastro bypass and i have had no answers they have put me though everything blood tests and catscans and even did a MRI iam anmecia and now i had pancreatic attack i was  in the hospital for 5 days with no answers and i also have high lever of liver eyzems so idk and he dnt either this is the sugeon and iam getting very annoyed with him and nothing coming up to y i have these prombles i am going to mention sod to him the pain scares the hell out of me for sure

[mooma247]

Just an update.... I spoke with the nurse (since you never get to talk directly to the MD) regarding my suspicions of SOD.  I also told her that we were about ready to seek a second opinion or possibly go to Mayo to get some answers.  The (present) MD decided to call upon a Pancreatic Specialist, in his clinic, to perform a Endoscopy.  Sidenote: I had asked for this to be done 9 months ago and was told it was too risky of a procedure to perform on Gastric Bypass patients.  Anyway, the procedure was performed and showed two ulcers in the stomach pouch/esophogus and also showed that the opening from the bowel into the stomach pouch was extremely small.  So, at the time of the Endoscopy, the doctor was able to dilate that opening.  He also put my son on Nexium.  Approx. 2 weeks have passed and my son in doing better.  He feels like he is finally eating better and has a lot less pain.  He is not vomiting like he was either.  So I am happy that he finally has some relief but I am wondering why this took so long to remedy.  I think my son withstood months of unnecessary pain and suffering.  I don't think his doctor investigated soon enough.  I don't think the doctor took my son seriously and even thought the pain/vomiting was all in his head!  I even think at one point it was felt that  he (my son) was drug seeking.  (due to the need for pain med)  By the way, the Endoscopy recovery room nurse said they see this "small opening" problem quite often and often have to repeat the dilatation of the opening.  I believe his ulcers were caused by the constant vomiting b/c food would not pass through this small opening along with his lack of desire to eat.  If this was discovered sooner perhaps the ulcers would never have formed in the first place. Also,the Pancreatitis possibly caused by gastric juices backing up into the Pancreas could have been prevented as well.
So, if this helps someone else out there I am thankful.  At this point I am angry that so much time, money, physical, and emotional stress were spent possibly unnecessarily.

[CalGal]

Fast weight loss can be tied in to problems with the gallbladder, unfortunately. I'm not sure however, how often this occurs in those who have had bypass surgery.

Whether it is or isn't,the problem now is to find a doc who is familiar with SOD and can help in the diagnosis and treatment. Diagnosis is typically via ERCP WITH manometry. Make sure the manometry component is done if your son needs the test done. The reading from the pressure inside the duct is very important in clarifying what's going on and in figuring out what to do.