Hi everyone! I'm new to the board and I hope I'm doing this right! I promised myself after I had this surgery I would post my outcome to help add to the very few success stories out there.While I was so grateful for all of your information as to how to care for myself after this procedure I was somewhat scared to death that I would regret doing it from all the horror stories . I had my procedure done on dec 29 2011. I had a small hiatal hernia and that was fixed at the same time. I have not had one minute worth of trouble with this. I keep thinking one day it will hit and hope and pray that it only continues to get better. I can still burp and my doctor told me I would. All I can figure is like some of you said is the right doctor makes all the difference. So if any of you that need this procedure done can make it to Houston his name is Dr. Clifton Thomas. I'm telling you unless there is something I haven't had to deal with yet it was a breeze. I only stayed on liquid 3 days then soft foods 3 days and now I'm eating anything I want and no PPI's
Thanks so much for giving the name of the surgeon. For people who are looking for possible surgeons, it really helps, and I never see anyone else post on that topic.
hello I am new here I just had my surgery on June 11 . and I am sore like i have never felt before. I am a bit confused over the diet and I dont see my dr till next Monday for the follow up they gave me s diet from UPMC but yet im struggleing over making and preparing meals for my family .
The following user gives a hug of support to lisabethk: cygnet2 (06-18-2012)
This soon after the surgery, you won't be having normal meals yet, and your family can live on sandwiches or fend for themselves if you aren't feeling up to cooking something different for them.
The trick is to slowly eat stuff that is easy to swallow. Liquids, nothing too hot or too acidic. I did well with apple and pear juice right after my surgery, then I moved on to milk, clear soup, and finally yogurt, jarred baby foods, and pudding.
If you get a tight feeling in the middle of your chest, that means that the food is getting "stuck," like a traffic jam. Just wait for it to go away, then eat slower next time.
It's also important to walk around. You don't have to climb mountains, but walking will help your digestive system deal, and help get the gas out. If your shoulders hurt, that's probably the gas!
If you aren't sure what you're supposed to do, go ahead and call your surgeon's office. They are there to help you.
Thanks for your note. Do you mind telling me what lead you to the surgery? At what point in your Acid reflux journey did you/your Dr. decide on Nissen?
I have been dealing with this really badly since January of this year. I have tried PPI's and am currently on them with some success, but I'm finding that they are less effective every day. I have irritated lungs ans swollen and red vocal chords. I'm on 40mgs X 2 of PPI's a day and I still have the taste of acid in my throat and nasal passage as well.
I'm 36 and I posted some previous notes on my story already. I'm a 36yr old male and this is making me miserable. Trying to figure it out and don't want to rush into surgery, but also don't want to cause other cell damage by the constant acid which I was told cam cause dysplesia in my vocal chords....
What was you journey before the green light to surgery?
Thanks, and I really appreciate your comments.
The Following User Says Thank You to Stockster For This Useful Post: lisabethk (06-18-2012)
Im def going to call them tomorrow I am so frustrated at this point . I thought I was simply going in to have my hernia repaired and this surgery was performed as well I feel that i was not preparred for this . I kept asking why arent you feeding me , while I was in the hospital Now I have NO choice but to carry on , thanks for the responce
When they repair a hiatal hernia, fundoplication is almost always part of the package. But your surgeon should have explained all this in advance!
For me, I was able to return to work after 2 weeks, and my incision pain was basically gone in a week. However, it took about 7 weeks for me to eat normally, stop losing weight, and feel reasonably well.
Your right he should have , I did go in for the hernia . I came home with 5 laprascopic areas and he said I was a mess inside . I was in the hospital for 5 days
I had my surgery on the June 13th, so it will be interesting to see how we progress! So far, so good here!
lisabethk,
Your family needs to really understand that even though you may not have a large incision, you have just had major surgery. My experience with this laparascopic surgery and a vaginal hysterectomy I had years ago, was that no one considered my surgery to be anything more than a minor procedure because I didn't have a big wound. Remind your family DAILY. LOL
I talked my significant other through meatloaf preparation the other night, and it kept him in food for a few meals! Before surgery, I bought some frozen stuffed chicken breasts that can be nuked or baked and he's loving those. ANYONE can cook a hamburger or hot dog and even if it's not their normal fare, they'll eat it rather than starve. I've let him go to the market and choose things he wants to eat...it seems to make him more willing to try to prepare them.
In a few days, you'll feel like cooking and doing basic chores. Do them...movement is good for healing. But don't sweat over it. I cringe when I look at my floor, but I know I'm not quite ready for vacuuming.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lisabethk
Your right he should have , I did go in for the hernia . I came home with 5 laprascopic areas and he said I was a mess inside . I was in the hospital for 5 days
I'm sorry you've had a bad experience. I went in for fundoplication surgery, but ended up also having an ulcer repaired and a hernia repaired...however, I am extremely grateful that my doctor made the repairs.
In regards to your surgery, I'll repeat what another poster said. Fundoplication surgery is almost always done when repairing a hiatal hernia. I agree, he should have explained that to you. If you were a mess inside, be glad that he repaired that mess and just let the rest go. Stress is not good for you, especially now.
Last edited by Mod-S4; 08-24-2012 at 05:03 PM.
Reason: Posts merged.
HI, I've spent three hours researching and reading on the net. So glad I found this forum. I have had GERD since I got my Gall Bladder out 15 years ago but thought I was dealing with it well. I've had a recurrence of my childhood Asthma since the GERD started too. I have been on Nexium 40 mg twice a day for the past two years, and I had a lot of erosion, healed now, when they put me on it. Recently I've had really nasty side effects of the Nexium and have gone off of it. I have tried Tecta and am not sure if it is the answer either. I am scheduled for a Nissen Fundoplication in a couple of months. After reading all of the problems associated with it, I'm not sure it is the answer. I have a small hernia and no valve (apparently) I think maybe I vomited it out during all of those gall bladder attacks. (I was 122 pounds at the time of those attacks and apparently Crohn's patients are prone to that problem, but it took them 4 years to figure it out as the crystals were so small they didn't show on the ultrasound.) Now I could stand to lose 10 or 15 pounds but don't want to go through this to do it. My question is... should I just suck it up and go on a very strict diet for the rest of my life or should I have the proceedure?? My asthma is under control with inhalers, my bed is raised, I can be more strict with my diet and try other PPI's. What would you do? Thanks!! Hope you are all coping well now.
The actual recovery is short but not trivial. The most common long-term problem is the difficulty swallowing, but there are ways to reduce that risk.
First, make sure that your esophageal muscles work correctly. Manometry can find out.
Second, make sure your surgeon has a lot of experience. The wrap needs to be tight enough to eliminate most of your reflux, but loose enough that you can swallow food without trouble.
I'm now 7 months post surgery, still doing well. My reflux is about 90-95% gone, and I don't have trouble swallowing unless I gulp food without chewing, which I've learned not to do.
If you can control your reflux with reasonable lifestyle changes, that's probably a better option. A VERY strict diet for life... It's tough to get adequate nutrition on a very strict anti-reflux diet. I couldn't.
I did wait until I was sure that conservative treatment wasn't working. If you think there are other options, by all means explore them. It's not a major surgery, but it is a permanent change to the digestive tract.
The Following User Says Thank You to janewhite1 For This Useful Post: mtngrl55 (07-30-2012)
