Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
Good to hear everything looks ok. I had my Barium Swallow a couple months ago and despite tons of water had a problem with constipation also. In addition to lots of water, my GI doc had me take a high dose (5x) of Miralax to get things moving along better.
Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
Hi Aryana70,
Can you give me an update on your condition? In your last post you still weren't feeling much better but your doctor said to give it some time. I had a Nissen on Monday and am refluxing today (Friday). I am wondering if I am one of those people who don't benefit from the surgery or if I just have to wait for things to heal. It seems most people see an immediate reflux cure, but I haven't.
Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
You can always call your surgeons office to ask them.
In my opinion, it really is too soon to know for sure. According to my GI doc, it takes about 8 weeks for swelling to completely subside from the stomach. As he explained it to me, "your stomach is angry at you for the trauma you are putting it through". I took this to mean I need to take it slow.
What are your "reflux" symptoms right now? My surgeon said some of the problems post-surgery are from things not making it all the way down, vs the symptoms of things just coming back up from the stomach.
What kind of diet are you on? I was on a liquid, no lump or seed, diet for the first couple weeks then on a soft diet for a while after that. Personally, I continued to avoid the things I avoided in my anti-reflux diet prior to surgery as well.
My GI doc also had me remain on the PPI's. That is contrary to what most people experience so I don't know if it made a difference in my recovery or not.
Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
Hi MountainReader,
Thanks for your response. I think I have been pretty good w/ my diet. If there is any problem with it it is maybe that I'm eating too little. Yesterday I had a bottle of ensure, some pureed soup, tapioca pudding and 2 tablespoons of applesauce along with some clear beverages through the day. I used the applesauce to get down two doses of crushed Zantac (my surgeon suggested staying away from pills for a while). I may suggest to my surgeon that I go back on ppi's for a while as you recommend.
I've had an irritated throat for the past couple of days. This didn't bother me as I associated it with the things you mentioned and possibly the tube they put down your throat during surgery. What got to me was a reflux episode last night while sleeping. Don't laugh, but I dreamt that I enjoyed my first belch in a while and then woke up swallowing one swallow after another to push back down what had run up my esophagus. This caught me by surprise and gave me the concern I am now experiencing.
Thanks again for your reply. Are you still on the ppi's?
The following user gives a hug of support to WatkinsK: MountainReader (10-29-2010)
Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
According to my surgeon, belching is common after the surgery. He said it wasn't coming up from the stomach, but it was air not making it past the surgical wrap and coming back up since it wasn't going down. I had a bit of belching while I was healing as well.
I'm an unusual case. My surgery was very successful, but I never went off of PPI's. I'm 2 years post-surgery and tests I've had recently show it is holding nicely. Unfortunately, I'm overproducing stomach acid and have it coming up in a gaseous form and irritating my lungs so I'm on PPI's for life. My doc told me it was the worst case he has ever seen. (Not something I want to be known for.) Despite my continued problems, I'd do the surgery again in a heartbeat because of the major benefits I've had from it.
I found a good water pour-in from Special K that has tons of protein. I supplemented with that as well.
Just remember, you are still pretty recent from surgery and it will take some time to heal. Keep up your diet. Sounds like you are on the right track there. Please don't rush adding the food back in. I was off of solid meats and bread for about 3 months since they don't break down when you chew. I think it was good advice in my healing process.
The Following User Says Thank You to MountainReader For This Useful Post: WatkinsK (10-30-2010)
Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
Quote:
Originally Posted by WatkinsK
Hi Aryana70,
Can you give me an update on your condition? In your last post you still weren't feeling much better but your doctor said to give it some time. I had a Nissen on Monday and am refluxing today (Friday). I am wondering if I am one of those people who don't benefit from the surgery or if I just have to wait for things to heal. It seems most people see an immediate reflux cure, but I haven't.
Hi WatkinsK,
It is now 6 months since I had the surgery and I am back on 40mg of PPI, but that doesn't mean that my surgery wasn't successful, and I would definitely do it in a heartbeat again.
In my opinion it is way too early for you, my oesaphagus felt really rough the first few weeks and I thought food must be coming up, but that settled after few weeks, and felt much better. I think you are still bruised and definitely will feel better in few weeks.
I am on meds because I started having stomach pains, like stabbing and they put me back on PPI, I went for a second opinion I have done a barium swallow test which was fine, but the gold standard test is the PH metry test and I just did that last Friday and I am waiting for the results. I could see the readings on the machine and it was constantly showing 6.5 to 7.5 range which I believe is not acidic, (I did the test by being off PPI for 8 days).
I am waiting to get the oficial result, I am definitekly feeling much better than before the OP, but what I don't understand is that why I still get burning under breast bone , which to me is symptom of reflux, also for the past 10 days, my larynx and throat don't feel right, I have post nasal drip, voice is weak, and feel there is dust in my throat, not sure if this is reflux!!!Oh also after the surfery I was off PPI for good 6 weeks, but then I am burning mouth which went away after being on nexium.
I will be dicissung this with the consultant when I go back to see him, and I will update you.
Give it time, hopefully you will feel better.
The Following User Says Thank You to Aryana70 For This Useful Post: WatkinsK (10-30-2010)
Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
It sounds like your pH test will come back good. We'll keep good thoughts for you on that.
I recently had an upper probe pH test. It was done using a probe that has been on the market since 2008 by Restech. The probe measures reflux in the gaseous form that makes it past the vocal cords. You can have a normal pH and still have gaseous form coming up to your throat.
I stayed on PPI's even post surgery because of digestive issues. Even with that, the surgery was a great option for me as well.
Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
Having read this whole thread, it seems to confirm a little trend.
This is the trend I've seen on these boards. Someone else may have seen something different:
If you have a problem that is said, or you believe to be, acid reflux, and you want to get a Nissen but aren't sure if it will be successful or not improve your symptoms, here is the way to tell.
1. It will be an improvement if: You have severe heartburn, stomach centered pain. OR You have severe heartburn and throat symptoms like phlegm and sore throat.
2. It will not improve your situation if: You don't test positive for hiatal hernia, damaged esophagus, other signs of classic heartburn, and you ONLY have throat symptoms such as globus, phlegm, vocal issues, with no classic heartburn.
Maybe there are exceptions, and Mountain Reader is one of those cases, but it does seem like this is, generally, how it goes. And what that implies I think, is that people who ONLY experience throat symptoms without damage from heartburn, etc, have to be careful about acting on the belief that what they have is a rare form of GERD. They should consider neurological causes. Let's wait and see what the researchers find in the coming years. It seems, thankfully, that these complaints are getting some attention nowadays.
Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
A simpler way of putting this would be that the more like classic heartburn your symptoms are, the more likely you are going to be happy with the outcome of Nissen surgery.
And... if you don't test for high reflux events with ph tests, and you don't show signs of chronic reflux on an endoscopy and barium swallow, but you are bothered by other things like chronic cough, globus. And if on top of that, your ppis have never really improved the situation, and then you get surgery, you are probably going to wake up with the bothersome symptom still there.
Keep in mind, I am basing this on the personal experiences of people on healthboards who actually post, and on a few journal articles. I could be totally wrong. If so, I look forward to hearing alternative ideas or explanations, interpretations of what others have seen.
Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
I think you are partially right. If you dig around on Nissen research on the internet, you will find the percentages of success that people have with Nissen's based upon the symptoms they had prior to surgery.
I can't remember what all the percentages are. I do know that people with breathing related acid reflux problems have some of the highest success rates--somewhere around 85%. I think that is why I had some good success.
Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
Hey guys, i am 15 and have had this reflux thing since i was born, i had an ulcer that bled at 8 months old, when i was 11 months old was sent interstate to a better hospital to have this nissen operation, so really i dont remember anything at all! my mum never explained what the huge scar all the way across my stomach was until i was about 10.
even then i was confused, but my doctor who i have been seeing as a GP since i was born always assured me they fixed me and i have no need to worry.
but at the start of last year i startted to notice this burning in my throat when i would go for a run, i told mum and we went to the doctor, he said that my wrap may have come undone because i have grown and stratched ALOT since i was 11 months old. it took a whole year to get someone to do an endosocpy on me because i am a kid and where i live not any specilists or anything. at the end of last year i have a scope done, then this swallow tests where i had to drink this clay stuff RANK!! and then i had another two tests where tubes where put through my nose down my food pipe to monitor how much acid was coming up. that was in for 24 hours, so pain full!
Finally we found a sergeon that does these operations, he was the one that did these tests on me, although he wasnt a specilist he told me he would be able to fix me, i was extremly happy at this point because i thought i would be able to live my life as a sport obssesed teenager again!
This sergeon looked at all my results from all the tests and then told me he didnt know what to do..
That was in March 2012.
There is a specilist in Adelaide( which is a few hours on a plane froim where i live ) that i am going to see and hopefully he will be able to fix me. they said it is very complicated because my old operation has only come half undone, also my gullet doesnt contract, the muscles in my food pipe that push food down dont work like they should which they discovered in the tests they did on me.
therefore i struggle to eat, my general health is very poor now, i sturggle to drink water even!
mum has told me i will deffinatly have to have another operation from this sergeon in Adelaide but they arent sure what type yet.
I go to see him in 22 days, COUNTING DOWN!! they also told me they will have to do whatever operation they do through open surgery because there will be too much scar tissue due to my old scar.
I need some help!!
will it hurt?
how long will i have to stay in hospital?
how long till i can eat normal food again?
Thanks for your help. (:
Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
Hi there, sorry you are still dealing with this problem!
I had Nissen the end of last year. Mine was less complicated because it was a first surgery, but I stayed 1 night in the hospital. Then I had to be on a liquid diet for two weeks, then pureed diet for another two weeks. After 6 or 7 weeks I could eat normal food pretty comfortably, though I avoided bread for 2 full months per my surgeon's orders.
If they do open surgery, you might be in the hospital for a few days. They'll probably tell you how long.
Have you consulted with a specialist on motility disorders? Mine was very helpful.
Re: Post nissen fundo need some advice and assurance
There is a medicine my family doctor gave me after surgery to try to get the food to go through my system faster called Metoclopram 10 mg Tab Teva (Metoclopramide HCI oral) I took it 30 minutes before each meal (3 times a day). It worked great except I was in the bathroom at least 10 times a day. Right now I'm using a TransDerm Scop Patch which is good for nausea (especially motion sickness) and you put it behind your ear nd wear for 3 days. It is the only nausea medicine I'm on now.
