I have had an EGD? test and was told I had a hiatal hernia and that I may have to have surgery to tie my stomach around my esophagus to help keep the acid down becuase food I had eaten about 15 hours before the test hadn't fully diagested..
My question is has anyone else been through the same thing and have any tips/suggestions to get through this, or tell me how it feels...
I have a question for you to ask your doctor. Why would the hatial hernia keep your food from digesting? Shouldn't that be the question thats answered and treated first.
I haven't been thru this procedure but I work with someone who has. I have talked to him about his experiences with GERDS and his surgery. His advice to me was to explore every other available option before having the surgery. He had a very difficult time after his first go around. He went for nearly three years without being able to swallow anything that had not been run thru a food processor first. Finally he found another doctor who agreed to repeat the procedure and found that the esophagus had been pinched nearly closed during his first surgery. After the second attempt he still has to use PPIs but he's doing okay and was able to get on with his life. I would hope his story isn't typical but based on what I have heard I would at least get a second or third opinion before going the surgical route. It may be that in your case that is the best possible option and I'm sure others have had more success than my coworker. I wish you the best and hope they can resolve your problem.
I concur.. slow digestion implies weak stomach acid content.. it may be high in volume but weak in concentration.. or you could always be eating something indigestable.. been at my mom's lately?
My husbands H.H. made it difficult to swallow and he would choke and aspirate things. It never effected his digestion. I would be asking some questions and possibly getting a second opinion.
Sincerely,
MG
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If we learn by our mistakes, I am working on one hell of an education.
Thanks, I just set-up a second opinion for this coming week.. I was wondering why I have such bad reflux and the hiatal hernia would cause it, yet my food doesn't fully digest properly...
Have you been taking PPI medication for your reflux up to the time of the EGD? If so that would explain why you can no longer digest food very well. In most cases they nearly complete shut down acid production.
I had the Nissen Fundoplication surgery January 2007, and it was the best thing I ever did!!! I really had NO choice. I did have a hiatal hernia that was causing severe chest pain, but more importantly, I had burnt vocal cords and my esophagus was burnt as well from the constant acid. I tried every medicine and pill known to man. I changed my diet, I didn't lay flat at night, but nothing really worked. And it got to the point were my DR told me that I could quite possibly get cancer from all of the damage. And it's been 2 months now since the surgery, and I have had NO acid reflux, no heartburn, nothing! The surgery itself wasn't fun, but what surgery is fun? And the recovery was slow and rough, but as time went on, I felt better and better. I feel that if you are getting relief of somesort with meds and or lifestyle changes, then I wouldn't rush into the surgery. But if you are like me and had nothing that helped, then I would recommend the surgery in a minute. I think some people that speak badly of the surgery didn't truely need it, or they didn't have the proper tests done prior to surgery to make sure they were a good candidate. I had it done, my mom did 25 years ago, and my friend had it done as well, and I have heard no complaints out of either of them. And I second that, I have NO complaints at all! I have such a better quality of life now that I can sleep through the night without choking all night long on acid.
thanks for the post.. been worried about having the surgery especially after the earlier bad post about it not working out.. I would love to eat the foods I used to and not have to wait over 4 hours just to "lean down"...
