Anyone here born with TEF?

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-16-2006
Anyone here born with TEF?
3
Fri, 07-07-2006 - 2:18pm

Hello,

I am 35 y.o and I was born with TEF 3 and I was 3 mo. premature and weighed less than 3#. To correct my TEF I had colon bypass surgery. I ended up with a trache and a feeding tube. I didn't come home from the hospital until I was 3 y.o. Fortunately, I have been overall very healthy and have had little complications. This Wed. I am going to have an esphogeogram and a barium swallow (just to make sure everything is ok.)

Anyone else like me?

Heidi, mom to Emma Rose 12/11/97, Dominic 5/1/05 and ttc#3


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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-04-2005
Sat, 07-08-2006 - 7:53am

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Glad you found us Heidi!


I have to admit ignorance about TEF 3, but would like to learn about it. Please share whatever info you have and what affects it has had. Obviously it hasn't compromised your ability to have kids, which is great.


I did try searching for info, but was unsuccessful, so am counting on you to be the teacher! lol

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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-16-2006
Sat, 07-08-2006 - 11:59am

Hi Elise,

Thank you for asking. TEF stands for tracheal-esphageal fistula. Basically my trachea (windpipe) and esphagus (food tube) were connected to together in 3 places by the fistulas, or "bridges" and the esphagus was not connected to the stomache like it was supposed to. So if I would eat anything, the food would just sit in the esphagus with no place to go. I had reconstructed, colon bypass surgery to fix the problem when I was an infant. That is why I had a trache and a feeding tube, the trache was removed when I was 4 and the feeding tube was removed when I was 3.

I hope this answers your question,

Heidi


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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-04-2005
Sat, 07-08-2006 - 4:54pm

Thank you for explaining that! How did the doctor's know what was wrong, or was it a process of elimination?


You certainly started life as a fighter and thank goodness you haven't had any other major issues, but I think you would overcome them with the same spunk you had as a baby.

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