balloon dilation

[ian anderson]

hi fellow weggies ive now been told ill have balloon dilation for my ts any info on this and has it worked for anyone

[JanW]

I had a balloon dilation on my subglottic stenosis about two months ago. However it also involved laser surgery to cut into the scar tissue and open up the whole area. Is that what they are doing with you, or are they just dilating it and seeing how long it stays in the open position? I think there was someone on one of the WG boards (maybe here?) who had that done and was basically having to get it done every few weeks because it doesn't hold.

[ian anderson]

as im led to believe they are only doing balloon dilation my surgeon doesnt want to do laser as its quite damaging however if its scar tissue i dont know what he will decide he wont know till he sees what it is thnx ian

[JanW]

sorry, I mispoke. After checking my notes my surgeon actually cut into the scar tissue with micro scissors, not laser. What does your surgeon think it is if not scar tissue in your trachea?

[ian anderson]

well ive only seen him the once if its scar tissue balloon dilations no good and he is not keen on surgery he said if its scar tissue and he operates what if it comes back more ops? just dont know where he is gonna gobut its me that counts right thnx ian

[me2]

I"ve had dilation done a few months ago and it has held quite well so far. No lasers, just dilation and mytomycin C. I went home after the procedure. Now, months later, my breathing is not as good as it was right after the procedure but it is WAY better than before. I am very happy with how it has worked out. Before the procedure my breathing was quite restricted.
I know the odds say I will need it done again but I would not be so scared of the procedure as I was the first time. In fact I would look forward to it because it brought me so much relief and improvement. For now, I am still doing ok and my understanding is that every case is a crap shoot. No guarantees on outcome. I think each case can be quite different .
The good news is that the procedure is repeatable and it is WAY better than having no options at all. I wish you the best,