My son is having constant lower stricture problems with pouchitis. My husband has a j-pouch and said he should self dilate to keep things open but my son is very afraid. Is there any way to teach him to self dilate safely?
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That may be a tough call for your son depending on his age. i think depending on the stricture some people have success self dilating but if the stricture is very fribotic or a result of cuffitis it may not work. I’m in the same position and I’m going in for pouch advancement surgery
I have had multiple dilations under anesthesia and my stricture will not stay open and each time they dilate they just create more scar tissue in my case. Some surgeons are really against self dilation and others are ok with it. Purchasing hegar Dilatiors and using small ones initially may help but i would really suggest discussing this approach w your son’s surgeon or GI as they do worry about the potential to perforate the pouch and may possibly suggest excising the stricture and advancing the pouch as they have done in my case
Good luck. I know how debilitating this is.
Not sure if this helps, but I always dilate with a gloved finger (I buy boxes of medical gloves at the pharmacy). This way I can have a better idea of what I'm doing and avoid causing damage. As soon as I feel pain, I stop. And there's a lot less risk of poking or perforating anything because your finger is more malleable. That has been my experience so far, at least.
May,
How often do you experience this issue and how far are you able to pass finger in?