Everyone on this forum who suffers badly with reflux disorder and /or Barretts esophagus, is taking lots of meds please please please insist your GP/Dr sends you for a consultation with a surgeon who carries out fundoplication procedures. I am 45 years of age had suffered terribly with reflux disorder from the age of 21 and also chronic Gastritis was diagnosed with Barrettts esophagus at 31, which as you know is very serious, my grandfather died of stomach cancer and my Aunty too. My consultant then referred me for a fundoplication the best thing in the world ever ! no acid 'at all' no reflux, no pain, even my constipation ceased. I can not recommend it enough, slight discomfort for about 4 weeks when swallowing some foods mainly bread or mashed potatoes but nothing more. The Barretts esophagus has completely disappeared, it was my saviour please go get your GP/Dr to refer you without delay.....amazing. The only side effect I find is as I am flight crew my stomach distends with trapped gas as I used to be able to belch it up I can no longer, but believe me it does find its way out lol. oh yeah and the vomiting is virtually is impossible but who wants to vomit anyway! and yes, that to will also find an other way out lol. from a veteran fundoplication supporter. Just one more thing I have read some story's from a small amount of people on here who are very miss informed about the procedure itself saying they 'cut tendons and sever it from the spleen and nerves and so on' what utter clap trap, whilst it does entail internal manipulation as any kind of internal op it certainly is not as drastic and horrifying as detailed by some scare mongers on here! please please believe me it will change your life after about 8-9 months another bonus is I lost weight about 14lbs within 8 weeks but alas 1 year later I regained it but went to the gym and sorted that out. good luck everyone and go for it dont live with this awful condition when there is a solution.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Tommy35 For This Useful Post: KarenCV (06-16-2012), lovemykiddos (08-01-2011)
Hi, I too suffered for years and finally had a Nissen Fundoplication July 2009. No heartburn or any symptoms at all except that November they all came back as the wrap came undone. I went to see my surgeon in December. He said they just sometimes come undone. I am to have a repeat Nissen Fundoplication next week on March llth, 2010. I am now freaking as I know how the crappy recovery will be. I also developed pnemonia last time as I was given strong pain meds that knocked me out so I stayed in bed flat and got pnemonia. This time he is going to try to go in the same five incisions and if that does not work then the open, so I am not going to know until I wake up what I have had done, so don't know if a short or long stay. I had to sign for both surgeries just in case. I also was told before the surgery I had a hiatal hernia but I did not, I had a paraesophageal hernia where almost my whole stomach was up in my diaphragm. The 4 months from July 09 to November 09 were the best in years, no hearburn, gerd, reflux etc. So I just have to wait for Thursday. Freaking out about it tho. Ugh.
The following user gives a hug of support to LindaSueBob: dillwynia (11-27-2010)
bilybowl,
Make sure you are conservative about your eating for a while. I was on a liquid only diet for a couple weeks, then added soft foods for a couple weeks before adding more everyday food. I also avoided breads and solid meat for almost 3 months. Those two items don't break down when you chew making them more likely to stick above the wrap until the swelling completely subsides in your stomach. I used some of those Special K protein water pour-ins to get my protein in.
Good luck,
MountainReader
The Following User Says Thank You to MountainReader For This Useful Post: caawilli (09-03-2012)
bilybowl,
Make sure you are conservative about your eating for a while. I was on a liquid only diet for a couple weeks, then added soft foods for a couple weeks before adding more everyday food. I also avoided breads and solid meat for almost 3 months. Those two items don't break down when you chew making them more likely to stick above the wrap until the swelling completely subsides in your stomach. I used some of those Special K protein water pour-ins to get my protein in.
Good luck,
MountainReader
Thank you. I was on a liquid, then soft, then now the surgeon says I can eat everything. So, I tried one small bite of steak and no way, I'll try this again at 3 months post op, just as you said. Good idea on the protein drink, I'll pick some up.
Hi all, I am 34 yrs old and had been suffering with extreme GERD for the past 6 years. I believe I injured my esophagus one morning while doing some upside down crunches with weights at the gymn. I had a sudden onset of nausea and chest pain and thought at the time I was having a heart attack. I went to the doctor and after several tests was prescribed nexium which I took for the last 6 years. The nexium only partially worked and strangely my GERD would go away for an hour or two after I would eat so I ate alot. Long story short, over the past 6 years my health steadily declined and I gained about 50 pounds. I was unable to exercise the way I had in the past due to the extreme symptoms exercise would bring on and the nexium seemd to drain me of all energy. I bounced around from doctor to doctor desperately looking for the actual cause (and cure) for my problem rather than medications. Finally, I found a surgeon an hour away who specialized in digestive disorders. I had the nissen fundoplication on Feb 25, 2010. I was very nervous and scared about having the surgery but I thought it was worth a try. When I woke up after the surgery I was in extreme pain, which lasted for the first 2 days that I was in the hospital post surgery. During those first 2 days I could not swallow, eat or get out of the bed, I barely slept due to the pain. On the third day my pain significantly declined and I was able to have broth before being discharged from the hospital. After I got home, I slept for about 14 hours straight. When I woke up on the 4th day, I felt tremendously better and by the second week I was moving around very well and felt like getting out and about (which I did)! I began to ween myself off of the 10mg Loritabs during the latter part of the second week. Currently (4 weeks post surgery) I have had absolutely no GERD symptoms or heartburn at all. I can burp just fine and I don't know about vomitting - although I can count on my hands how many times I have ever vomitted in my life so it will hopefully be a long time before I find out about that issue. I have had some bouts with gas and bloating but those seem to be related to me eating too much. I can eat just about everything without any problems at this point except bread, past and rice (unless the pasta and rice are cooked very tender/mushy), the key is to chew everything very well and go slow. I did not even try to eat anything solid until the third week post surgery. My only problem now seems to be sudden diarrhea right after I eat anything. This is annoying but hopefully it will pass and it is much less of a problem to me than the GERD was. I already feel so much better mentally/pschologically that I don't have to take any medicines and I can't wait to try exercising again. I have lost about 15lbs so far and I am hopeful of loosing more. I highly recomend this surgery to anyone who was/is suffering like I did - it has already changed my life for the better.
Glad to hear your procedure was successful. It changed my life as well. My reflux had literally become life-threatening because it was irritating my lungs so badly and causing breathing emergencies. I was "normal" from the moment I woke after surgery.
I'm curious, did you have a Laproscopic or open nissen fundoplication? I had the Laproscopic version in Oct 08 and they had me on a liquid based diet within hours of my surgery and I was up showering and was released early the next morning. I will say I was sore and very slow for a couple weeks though.
My GI doc said that it will take up to 3 months for the stomach swelling to totally subside. In the meantime, you might have a few symptoms where your tummy is "angry" as my GI doc referred to it.
Please be careful when eating pieces of meat as well. Certainly take small bites and chew, but meat doesn't break down and can get stuck pretty easily. I also had a bad time eating angel food cake. Still have a bit of trouble with that one to date.
Thanks for the well wishes. I had the laproscopic version of the nissen and a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time. My doc was great but he did not think I would be in as much pain as I was and I was not really prepared for that either - of course how can anyone really prepare to be in pain lol. Looking back it was well worth the 2-3 days of fairly extreme discomfort. I have read other's posts that they hardly knew anything had been done but that was not my experience - i knew the instant i woke up from the anesthesia. My entire abdomen was in pain, it hurt to move and the pain was radiating from inside as well as the 5 small incisions. It is all but gone now and I feel like hitting the gym again but I am forcing myself to take it easy for another two weeks following the doctor's orders.
Good luck to all of you out there considering the surgery or recovering from it!
-Sam
Quote:
Originally Posted by MountainReader
Hi Sam,
Glad to hear your procedure was successful. It changed my life as well. My reflux had literally become life-threatening because it was irritating my lungs so badly and causing breathing emergencies. I was "normal" from the moment I woke after surgery.
I'm curious, did you have a Laproscopic or open nissen fundoplication? I had the Laproscopic version in Oct 08 and they had me on a liquid based diet within hours of my surgery and I was up showering and was released early the next morning. I will say I was sore and very slow for a couple weeks though.
My GI doc said that it will take up to 3 months for the stomach swelling to totally subside. In the meantime, you might have a few symptoms where your tummy is "angry" as my GI doc referred to it.
Please be careful when eating pieces of meat as well. Certainly take small bites and chew, but meat doesn't break down and can get stuck pretty easily. I also had a bad time eating angel food cake. Still have a bit of trouble with that one to date.
Last edited by samhburgess; 03-24-2010 at 08:32 AM.
Reason: mistake
One more thing....about eating meat. I have only eaten ground beef (in a mildly seasoned mexican style wrapped in a tortilla) and some very tender chicken cut into very small peices and chewed it very well - I havent had any problems with those at all. I can imagine that steak and pork or even tough/stringy chicken would be problems so I am avoiding those. I have had a few episodes when I was trying to eat bread, pasta and/or rice where the food seemed to get a little stuck or at least it hurt as it was passing through the wrap and that was no fun so I am more careful now. I'm sure that feeling is the result of the repaired area being stretched or agravated so continuing to put stress on the wrap can't be good for the overall success of the operation.
Everyone on this forum who suffers badly with reflux disorder and /or Barretts esophagus, is taking lots of meds please please please insist your GP/Dr sends you for a consultation with a surgeon who carries out fundoplication procedures. I am 45 years of age had suffered terribly with reflux disorder from the age of 21 and also chronic Gastritis was diagnosed with Barrettts esophagus at 31, which as you know is very serious, my grandfather died of stomach cancer and my Aunty too. My consultant then referred me for a fundoplication the best thing in the world ever ! no acid 'at all' no reflux, no pain, even my constipation ceased. I can not recommend it enough, slight discomfort for about 4 weeks when swallowing some foods mainly bread or mashed potatoes but nothing more. The Barretts esophagus has completely disappeared, it was my saviour please go get your GP/Dr to refer you without delay.....amazing. The only side effect I find is as I am flight crew my stomach distends with trapped gas as I used to be able to belch it up I can no longer, but believe me it does find its way out lol. oh yeah and the vomiting is virtually is impossible but who wants to vomit anyway! and yes, that to will also find an other way out lol. from a veteran fundoplication supporter. Just one more thing I have read some story's from a small amount of people on here who are very miss informed about the procedure itself saying they 'cut tendons and sever it from the spleen and nerves and so on' what utter clap trap, whilst it does entail internal manipulation as any kind of internal op it certainly is not as drastic and horrifying as detailed by some scare mongers on here! please please believe me it will change your life after about 8-9 months another bonus is I lost weight about 14lbs within 8 weeks but alas 1 year later I regained it but went to the gym and sorted that out. good luck everyone and go for it dont live with this awful condition when there is a solution.
Hi, I too suffered for years and finally had a Nissen Fundoplication July 2009. No heartburn or any symptoms at all except that November they all came back as the wrap came undone. I went to see my surgeon in December. He said they just sometimes come undone. I am to have a repeat Nissen Fundoplication next week on March llth, 2010. I am now freaking as I know how the crappy recovery will be. I also developed pnemonia last time as I was given strong pain meds that knocked me out so I stayed in bed flat and got pnemonia. This time he is going to try to go in the same five incisions and if that does not work then the open, so I am not going to know until I wake up what I have had done, so don't know if a short or long stay. I had to sign for both surgeries just in case. I also was told before the surgery I had a hiatal hernia but I did not, I had a paraesophageal hernia where almost my whole stomach was up in my diaphragm. The 4 months from July 09 to November 09 were the best in years, no hearburn, gerd, reflux etc. So I just have to wait for Thursday. Freaking out about it tho. Ugh.
Best of luck on the surgery. With my Nissen Fundoplication, I also had the issue of 1/3 of my stomach up in my diaphragm (a surprise for the surgeon). Turned out to be over 4 hours. But I've never regretted it.....so much relief from bloating, pain and discomfort. And worry about cancer.
Nine years now for me. Chicken and carrots still get stuck. I eat less and more slowly. My doctor recommends sugar and warm water to relax the esophagus so food will go through if I ever have a problem. It works.
Once in awhile I get painful trapped gas mid chest (exercise helps move it out), but it feels like a heart attack. Also can't vomit which is scary when you have flu. But the surgeon assured me I would be able to burp and that has been a real blessing.
Again, good luck. After tons of Prevacid, tilting the bed, a special pillow, etc. NF surgery is the best. It's worth it.
Hi, just wondering how it is going after your fundoplication. I had one in July 2009 which failed four months later and I had it redone March of this year. It has failed again, going to see a surgeon this Wednesday. Horrible heartburn worse than I ever had. I am 59 and this really ticks me off. Both were laparoscopy and I am afraid the third may be the open which is a real harder recovery they say. I just wondered how yours is holding up. Linda
I have been suffering for over a year with my stomach,the most recent being gastritis. None of my meds seem to work but I havent been vomiting as much for a while. I have like a burning pain in my stomach as well as soreness and bloating. The gastro has done nothing for me and has signed me off. I have no hope of getting the Nissen op as not been offered it. My tests came back normal though Im in constant pain with it and a previous endoscope showed gastritis. I had my gallbladder out last October but the gastros deny that it will be affecting my stomach. My doctor says nerves have to regrow if they are damaged after the op,another doc said that Mirtazapine tablets Ive been on could irritate my stomach. Im at my wits end and fed up of having a bad stomach. Ive just come off the M tabs and have headache,drowsiness and still the stomach pain. Has anyone got any ideas? Id be grateful. I havent met anyone with any answers to it after gallbladder surgery. Thanks
It's good to hear that some people do well after the Nissen. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them. My surgery failed after 2 months and the surgeon went around telling everyone that I didn't have reflux anymore; that it was bronchitis. I've never had bronchitis in my life. I decided against having the surgery again. I've been taking 2 Prilosec OTC's a day and so far, so good. I'm afraid that one day the meds. will stop working though. I wish everyone on this site well. Sue
Hi, i'm so glad about your post. What a relief and peace of mind. I'm going to have Laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication in 2 weeks. I wonder how much it cost? I truly appreciated if you may help me with your information. I can't wait to be back to normal. God bless you for such a postive and excelent review to help other people with the same problem.
Thank you so much about your positive post. I'm glad you are doing so well after all that nightmare. I'm going for Laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication in 2 weeks and you help me a lot, peace of mind.
My surgeon told me the same as you are saying as a patient.
I would like to know how much is the cost of the surgery. I appreciated your input. Thanks again.
Hi, just wondering how it is going after your fundoplication. I had one in July 2009 which failed four months later and I had it redone March of this year. It has failed again, going to see a surgeon this Wednesday. Horrible heartburn worse than I ever had. I am 59 and this really ticks me off. Both were laparoscopy and I am afraid the third may be the open which is a real harder recovery they say. I just wondered how yours is holding up. Linda
Hi Linda,
It has been just over 6 months since my surgery and I havent had a single episode of heartburn! I am very pleased so far and havent had any problems with the surgery. The gas, bloating and diarrhea after eating that I wrote about in my original post are all completely resolved as well (today is Sept 20, 2010). I can eat anything I want and I never have the feeling like food is getting stuck. I still havent had the need to vomitt so I'm not sure if I can or can't and again I hope not to find out anytime soon. My surgery has changed my life - I hope it never fails but if it does I would definitely have it done again.
I am very sorry that you have not had success with your surgery. I was very scared and nervous about the prospect of having it done and I spent months researching the procedure as well as looking for a doctor with lots of experience/expertise performing the procedure. I actually drove about an hour from New Orleans (to Baton Rouge) to have my surgery done by a surgeon who is a specialist and had published research about the procedure, etc. I met with him twice before the surgery and I liked him, felt like he was very competent and he answered all of my questions. The only thing that surprised me was the intense pain right after I woke up from the surgery and he was puzzled by that as well but everything has continued to be very good for me since then.
From my personal research, the nissen is a fairly complicated procedure and even very little mistakes can have huge consequences for the patient. I'm sure you have done your own research on the issue but make sure you also research your doctor - how many of these has she/he performed, can you talk to previous patients, what if you have a hernia that also needs repair once the procedure is underway, etc. Ask alot of questions and find the best qualified surgeon you can get to!
I wish you much success and I truly hope your next procedure brings you the relief that I have experienced!
Re: Fundoplication/nissen amazing 
