I went to my Dr. for pre-op appt. today, for Nissen Fundoplication surgery and Hernia repair.
I have now been given the option of Linx instead of Nissen Fundoplication.
I looked this up, and it looks promising, but is also very new. This is available in the US? I would look into the TIF, as well.
Yes'having surgery in the a.m.... It is very new and sounds great/! I'm just concerned because it is so new. But the Dr. assures me if for any reason it doesn't work he will remove it and I can have Nissen.
Wish me luck .... I think I've made up my mind to have linx done.
good luck on your surgery and please let us know how it goes.
this it's a new surgery and I've been thinking about it also, but couldn't find much about it
hope you'll have a speedy recovery
The following user gives a hug of support to dany1982: mary86 (11-10-2012)
good luck on your surgery and please let us know how it goes.
this it's a new surgery and I've been thinking about it also, but couldn't find much about it
hope you'll have a speedy recovery
Day 2 post op...Linx went very well. I had a swallow test yesterday a.m., and absoutely no reflux. Yippee!!
With Linx, you are encouraged to eat immediatey to make sure
the ring is working properly. I'm able to burp (yippee)and have had zero heartburn
for the first time in a long time.
Only setback is that Hernia was a lot larger than diagnostics showed, so I'm still in the hospital due to that repair.
For anyone considering Nissen Fundoplication, Linx is definately worth reading up on.
I will keep you posted on my progress. I am ecstatic about my results so far.:-) :-) :-)
The Following User Says Thank You to mary86 For This Useful Post: Nole4ever (12-27-2012)
great news, please keep us posted on how you are doing, hope you'll recover fast
do you have any problems swallowing?
where did you go to have the surgery, who was your surgeon?
great news, please keep us posted on how you are doing, hope you'll recover fast
do you have any problems swallowing?
where did you go to have the surgery, who was your surgeon?
I 'm eating breakfast (French Toast) and I'm a little
sore, but that should be expected.
I am in Denver, Co at Swedish Medical center. Dr. Reginald Bell performed surgery. He is amazing. I did a lot of research before I chose this surgeon.
Please post to keep us up to date on your progress, this may be a good alternative for many of us.
Just wondering did you end up paying for this , with Lynx being so new I imagine it isn't easy to get any coverage from health care insurers. If you did pay for it what is the ballpark on cost? Thanks, it may be something I pursue.
The following user gives a hug of support to Johnah: mary86 (11-12-2012)
The Following User Says Thank You to Johnah For This Useful Post: mary86 (11-12-2012)
were you on a lot of medication before? were you still having symptoms despite the medicine? what made you have the surgery?
are you still on medication, or that is not necessary anymore?
thank you
Please post to keep us up to date on your progress, this may be a good alternative for many of us.
Just wondering did you end up paying for this , with Lynx being so new I imagine it isn't easy to get any coverage from health care insurers. If you did pay for it what is the ballpark on cost? Thanks, it may be something I pursue.
Hi Johnah, I was surprised to find out that my Insurance Co. (United Health Care)
covered the cost of LINX. According to my Dr.'s asst., they have been having no problem getting them approved.
were you on a lot of medication before? were you still having symptoms despite the medicine? what made you have the surgery?
are you still on medication, or that is not necessary anymore?
thank you
Yes, I was on Aciphex, then Nexium, then Dexilant all at the highest dose with little to no relief. No I am not on PPI's now.
After years of living with many symptoms, having many scopes, many tests, different doctors, and a whole lot of money, I was so excited to find the Dr. who performed my LINX Procedure and Hernia repair.
I went in for pre-op last Thursday, thinking I was going to have Nissen Fundoplication. I was told then, that my insurance had approved either procedure, so the choice was mine. Believe it or not, I was mentally ready for Nissen and had read every imaginable piece of info on it. So the choice at the last minute threw me for a loop.
Luckily my husband immediately researched what little he could find on it, and said it sounded like a "no-brainer." Although it is new, it is a lot less invasive and it can be reversed.
So far I am 3 full days post-op and I'm having normal soreness as with any laparoscopic procedure. Soreness in my neck and shoulders from the gas, very little from the incisions, a lot of soreness inside from the Hernia repair, bloating, burping a lot, and my swallowing was a little rough today (only because I have to get in the habit of taking small bites, and chewing my food till' it's mush.)
I have had no heartburn for 3 days straight . That in itself is amazing to me.
I
Last edited by Administrator; 11-16-2012 at 12:00 PM.
Hi lmares1968
Well done. I wish you all the best. This is really a good news for many of us - GERD suffers!! When did you stop taking PPIs?
I stopped taking PPI's a couple of months before my procedure because I was having a lot of testing done. I was controlling acid with over the counter Zantac up til' the day of surgery.
I just woke up on day 4 and I am still heartburn free.
I do have to stress that diet is really important in this recovery. You will be placed on a soft diet, only meaning take small bites and chewing properly. That has been the hardest thing for me to get in the habit of. Even learning to sip and not gulp has been a little bit of a challenge. Those behavior modifications will be a easy compared to some to the options that were available.
If you can think of more questions to ask, please don't hesitate. Have a great day!
Thanks for the answer. Could you tell us more of your symptoms before the operation. Did you have LPR at all? (sore throat, voice hoarseness, pain in the chest, pain when talking).
What was the cause of your original reflux? (stress, anxiety or physical eg. hiatus hernia). It would be helpful to some of us.
I hope that you continue to do well and that the reflux is truly over. Please keep us posted of your progress. Thanks again
I was originally diagnosed with LPR. The cause of the original reflux was the "The Hiatal Hernia coupled with a faulty lower esophageal sphincter." My final diagnoses was LPR/GERD.
I've had multiple tests, scopes, and swallows done before going to my current Dr., who performed all of the tests again in his office and diagnosed me in less than a month.
I had the following symptoms,
Sore throat
Hoarse voice, weak voice, complete loss of voice
Excessive throat clearing
Had Vocal Cord Nodule at one time
Asthma-Dry Cough (not productive) feels like choking or something in throat (Emergency inhaler for asthma did not help)
On occasion can’t swallow spit or post nasal drip (Food and water no problem)
Laryngospasms (I have gone to the E.R. with this twice in the past 5 years)
Ear Aches
Feeling like something is in my throat most of the time
Occasional Heartburn (not often)
Woke up in the middle of the night choking on acid
Some days I had no symptoms other than hoarse voice.
Some days I had several painful symptoms all at once.
Treatment
I'm at the end of day 4 and have no reflux or heartburn to report. I'm extremely sore in my shoulders and neck from surgery. I am also trying not to take a full does of pain medicine. I'm not a big fan of any pain medications.
Swallowing is a little painful. As I said before, I need to learn how to eat small bites, portions, and take sips.
Last edited by Administrator; 11-16-2012 at 12:06 PM.
Glad to hear you are doing well with your Lynx surgery.
I am in Canada and we don't have the Lynx available to us yet but I live near the border and would consider going over and paying for it if need be. I hate the irritation in my lungs every day , sore chest wonder what it is doing to me longer term.
Last edited by moderator2; 11-16-2012 at 08:32 AM.
Reason: posted disallowed website
The following user gives a hug of support to Johnah: mary86 (11-16-2012)
In regarding Linx that the insurance coverage is very up in the air in the U.S so some are being covered and some not. it was about $15k in the United Kingdom and up to $30k in the U.S.. if you aren't covered. Trouble with Canada is it is a small population so getting approval isn't a priority I doubt. If they have U.K approval that opens the door to all of the EU so well worth their time and expense.
Wonder if they give senior discounts
Last edited by Administrator; 11-16-2012 at 12:08 PM.
I have a small hiatal hernia as well as LPR. I have been struggling with this for the last year and it's a pleasure to hear that there is a new prrocedure to look forward to. Nissen is scary to me because, from what I read, it can drastically change your digestive track.
I hope you a feeling better, I know when I had my thyroid out it was the 3rd and 4 th day that were the worst, but then things got better really fast! So you might be over the hump.
I have some questions for you and if you could answer that would be great.
1) you said you had haital hernia and they repaired it during surgery. How did they do that and then install this device? Usually the Nissen would fix it by pulling the stomach down back below the diaphragm and then stitched with the wrap of the Nissen. If you could explain this, that would be great.
2) magnets usually loose their magnetism over time. Does this also happen with the titanium ones they use? If so, can the dr's 'charge' the magnets if they get weak?
3) I tend to always burp and hick- up now. Usually with some reflux. Sleeping sucks and laying on my left only opens up my LES. Did you have these burping symptoms before surgery? If so, do you notice a drastic reduction in burping? I understand if this is a tough one to answer as you are still healing, but I worn if the dr would have said anything to you about this, especially since you have hiatal hernia
4) what is the length of time the device is expected to last? Is this a once in a lifetime thing, or will it need replacing over time due to wear, or weakness?
5). You mentioned that if this fails, the dr can still go in and do a Nissen. Does this mean he can do a Nissen orthoscopically too?
6). Eating and drinking and ..... Partying... I'm a 37 year old guy and I like to be social. Can you drink, eats and basically go back to life pre GERD? after this?
7). Being that this is a fairly new procedure, did the dr give you any stats on the effectiveness of the procedure? Or if there were any negatives outside the regular risks of Nissen?
Sorry for the questions, I have more, but this is fascinating to me. I hope that Canada will look into this. I'm in Toronto, so I assume that if it were to come to Canada, it would likely come here first.
Good luck, and I will be following you and your progress. Congratulations on getting such a great result this soon after surgery.
Nissen vs. Linx 
Re: Nissen vs. Linx 
Re: Nissen vs. Linx 
Re: Nissen vs. Linx 
Re: Nissen vs. Linx 
